Table of contents for 2022-03-03 in Mercury

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE NATIONAL Treasury has been asked to publish a list of all state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by October so that a determination can be made on which ones should be disposed of. The Fiscal Cliff Study Group yesterday told Parliament it was concerned about the high level of government support for non-performing SOEs in light of no return on investment. The study group led by the head of Wits University’s School of Economics and Business Sciences, Professor Jannie Rossouw, said it was stressing that the government did not have stock of how many companies it owned. Rossouw told the joint meeting of the Standing and Select committees on Finance in Parliament that the overwhelming support of SOEs was weighing heavily on the fiscus. “I want to stress the…

Ntombi Nkosi and Reuters The US has sanctioned four South Africans it says have led Islamic State cells in the country or facilitated support for branches elsewhere, including by transferring funds or procuring weapons. In a statement, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said it had designated the four as Islamic State organisers or facilitators, prohibiting US entities from engaging in certain transactions with them. Among the four, who are not being named because they could not be reached for comment, is a Durban resident who was previously arrested in connection with an alleged terrorism-related case. “Treasury is taking this action to disrupt and expose key Isis (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) supporters who exploit South Africa’s financial system to facilitate funding for Isis…

For many, a table at Sydney’s Opera Bar overlooking the blue water of its world-famous harbour is prime real estate during the summer. But seagulls swooping in to pick at meals forced the bar’s administrators to enlist trained dogs to ensure patrons enjoy themselves at the venue trying to recover after Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions. Sammy McPherson, general manager of the Opera Kitchen adjoining the bar, said they have noticed an 80-85% reduction in the aerial attacks since the dog patrols were first trialled in 2018. “It’s been a game-changer in hospitality,” McPherson told Reuters. “We’re not having to chase after birds and the amount of food replacement, broken glasses, broken plates. It’s been absolutely amazing.” The dogs and their handlers patrol the promenade in front of the waterfront establishments…

EBRAHIM ESSA | Durban A writer to The Mercury (March 1) expressed the view that poor Palestinian refugees are being thoroughly abused by neighbouring states like Syria and Lebanon. As Israel loses credibility around the world – surely, albeit too slowly – emotionally driven compatriots of Zionism continue grabbing at straws to redirect and deviate from the truth. Can you blame Bangladesh, a country battling with its own serious problems of poverty and a gross overpopulation, for being not too welcoming of Rohingya refugees from old Burma? Should the blame not fall squarely on the shoulders of the government of that country, instead of blaming Bangladesh for ill-treatment of hordes of poor people running away from violence, rape and abuse from a people that boast to follow the…

GLEN CHRISTIE | Durban North The above heading on electronic media is a total disgrace and those who voted for this budget should be fired for incompetence. In this day where the economic situation is what it is, how can bonuses be paid? Your front page article in The Mercury (March 2), “Parties worried about eThekwini borrowing R1bn” also refers. Who would want to borrow money when they have passed a budget that covers an allowance for a proposed R80m bonuses for staff? The above type of thinking leaves one wondering. Besides the above, the municipality has a problem with its service delivery. One just has to look around at the state of the dirt on our streets, the verges are unkept and the parks have overgrown grass, it is…

Questions have been raised about the government’s decision to permit the trophy hunting of South Africa’s critically endangered black rhinos as well as leopards and elephants. The DA said yesterday it would write to the Minister for Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, regarding the decision. Dr Audrey Delsink, wildlife director for Humane Society International/Africa said: “We are terribly disappointed that the DFFE (Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment) is failing in its duty to protect our threatened and endangered wildlife species.” Last month Creecy announced the quotas for the trophy hunting of black rhinos, leopards and elephants in South Africa for 2022. Creecy said the 2022 quotas for the hunting and export of trophies for these three species is a deferral of the 2021 allocation. The…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za THE SABC yesterday was adamant that it would not be seeking a bailout even though it was experiencing a decline in advertising revenue. The public broadcaster made the commitment when it was pressed by Standing Committee on Public Accounts chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa about concerns over the entity’s going-concern status. Hlengwa asked if the SABC was confident that interventions put in place would yield results. Communications Deputy Minister Philly Mapulane said the ministry was satisfied with the implementation of the turnaround plan and that the SABC had been able to attain most of the targets. “We are confident as far as that is concerned because we can observe there is relative stability at SABC unlike in the past. However, there is still some concern and management assured they…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za WHILE the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) activated the West Coast rock lobster contingency plan, the effects of the red tide that has caused a mass walkout of the species could potentially be devastating for small-scale fishers. The algal bloom, or red tide, developing on the West Coast had caused an estimated 500 tons of West Coast rock lobster to walk out as of Tuesday, the DFFE said. The Cederberg Municipality in the Western Cape said yesterday that teams collected the live crayfish to be transported to St Helena Bay for release, while decomposed crayfish will be buried above the high-water mark. “There has been a build-up of large red tides in the greater St Helena Bay region over the past few weeks. These…

We deserve leaders who comprehend the profundity of being answerable to the public “If you can have unconstitutionality persist for so long, a usurpation of parliamentary power, and we pay the price that I think we paid as a nation, then we must ask, why was Parliament sleepwalking?” This was a rhetorical question asked by Sydney Mufamadi, the chairperson of the High-Level Review Panel into the State Security Agency, giving testimony at the Zondo commission on state capture in January last year. Fast forward to February this year: Cabinet announced it was informed of the conclusion of the deal to hand over 51% of SAA to the preferred strategic equity partner – Takatso Consortium. Takatso comprises Harith General Partners, a private-equity firm, and Global Airways, an airline management company that…

Emergency services ordered some Sydney residents to prepare to flee yesterday as heavy rainfall barrelled down Australia’s east coast, burying towns in flood water, killing 13 and putting hundreds of thousands at risk. A week-long torrential downpour has swollen rivers and reservoirs past bursting point, causing chaos in an area 800 kilometres long. From Brisbane to Sydney, more than 30 evacuation warnings are in place and several dams are overflowing, with some near Sydney under threat of bursting. Terrified residents have sought refuge on higher ground, in make-shift evacuation centres, or by clambering into attics or on to rooftops praying for rescue by boat or helicopter. In Lismore, Lucy Wise said the floods came much quicker than expected. “The rain just wouldn’t stop and the water was just coming up…

Around 2 500 migrants stormed the border fence separating the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco yesterday, with some 500 managing to cross, in one of the largest influxes in recent years. The migrants used “hooks” to scale the high fence that separates the tiny territory from Morocco and threw rocks at police, the Spanish government’s local delegation said in a statement. “The great violence used by the migrants ... overwhelmed the Moroccan security forces who were trying to prevent them from reaching the fence,” it added. Three Spanish Guardia Civil police suffered “slight injuries” in the incident and three migrants were also treated for injuries near the fence. About 2 500 sub-Saharan African migrants stormed the border at around 9.30am, but Spanish security forces managed to “neutralise…

Colombo: Sri Lanka’s buses ran out of diesel yesterday, officials said, as the country’s foreign exchange crisis worsened with no dollars to import fuel. The Private Bus Owners’ Association said it was able to operate only about a quarter of its fleet of 20 000 vehicles. Drivers reported queuing for seven hours to top up fuel. The shutdown came as electricity blackouts also came into effect. The country is now in the grip of an economic crisis, with shortages of food, medicines, automotive parts and cement. Supermarkets are also forced to ration staple foods including rice and sugar.…

MIKE GREENAWAY mike.greenaway@inl.co.za AS a player JP Pietersen had more than a few skirmishes with the Pumas at Mbombela Stadium, a beautiful venue built for the 2010 Fifa World Cup that doubles as an ambush spot for the heavyweight South African teams. The Pumas love taking potshots at the big boys and all of the glamour franchises have lost at some time or another to the Pumas at home, and tonight the Sharks have to be careful that their Currie Cup visit does not see another notch on the belt of the Puma visits. Pietersen is now cutting his coaching teeth with the Sharks’ Currie Cup team, assisting head coach Etienne Fynn, who would have been a teammate at one point, Fynn being a former Sharks and Springbok tighthead prop.…

ALLAN WOLMAN | Tel Aviv, Israel The former statistician-general and head of Statistics SA, Pali Lehohla, recently penned a convoluted piece on IOL Business Report (February 25). He opens by quoting Noam Chomsky who describes how public value is destroyed – “Defund, make sure things don’t work, get people angry, privatise”. This sounds exactly how the ANC has destroyed value in South Africa with one exception, that being “privatise”. As privatisation is the antithesis of ANC policy. He follows this up by writing how Yasser Arafat saw that the key to the struggle of his people was to “know” Palestine by establishing the Palestine Statistic Office. Eureka! – isn’t this one of the primary functions of any administration, even if it preceded the formation of the Palestinian National…

ROLAND FISHER | Durban And so the headline reads that sanctions against Russia will hurt South Africa and hinder our rather fragile growth. This mere days after Russia sent a communique to South Africa reminding us how it had helped so much with the fight against apartheid and its support for the cause; and of course we are the “S” in BRICS, which puts this country in a bit of a quandary it would seem, and also a lesson that “nothing for nothing” and “one good turn deserves another” … are sayings appropriate with this current dire situation. South Africa is now seemingly on the path to paddling against the flow of the West and its actions regarding Russia’s special military operation.…

FAROUK ARAIE | Johannesburg The Trinity International Bible University has conferred an honorary doctoral degree of philosophy on one of our leading philanthropists, Sayed Mia. Over the past 45 years, Mia has devoted time and resources to uplifting communities afflicted by malnutrition and lack of education, and has helped the homeless, the destitute and the downtrodden. His primary focus has always been education. He saw at an early stage that childhood education was a critical factor in a country’s stability and development. Everyone acknowledges the importance of education, very few are willing to invest what is required, much less what is deserved. It was Billy Graham, who offered these profound words: “Courage is contagious. When a brave man take a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”…

Lehlohonolo Mashigo lehlohonolo.mashigo@inl.co.za THE rise in kidnapping incidents is a cause for concern. The crime statistics for the period between October and December last year indicated that 2 605 kidnapping cases were opened. According to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the risk of being targeted is linked to the kidnapper’s motive. “In 2019/20, most attacks (three out of four) were committed during other crimes such as armed robberies and sexual assaults,” said the institute. The ISS said that other kidnappings involved wealthy business people or their family members. However, kidnapping for extortion or ransom contributes to less than 5% of the sample analysed by the police. In the most recent high-profile case, businessman Zaheer Asmal was taken by criminals on Friday in Vereeniging. He was rescued on Monday, said…

| Jolene Marriah-Maharaj A spiritual, helpful man of God – this is how slain pastor Siyabonga Mashaba, 36, has been described by a colleague. Mashaba, a pastor at Spoken Word Fellowship, in Greytown, was found dead in Greytown, on February 24, after he had been missing for three days. Sifiso Ndlovu, a pastor at Spoken Word Fellowship, in Pietermaritzburg, said they were devastated. “It’s hard to explain. We are still in shock,” said Ndlovu. Ndlovu said they were uncertain about the circumstances leading up to Mashaba’s death and were hoping police could shed light on it. He said Mashaba, who was married with children, would be laid to rest in Gauteng this weekend. Police spokesperson LieutenantColonel Nqobile Gwala said a case of murder was opened at Greytown SAPS for…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za JUSTICE and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said yesterday whoever was appointed as the next chief justice for the country would be the outcome of a process all South Africans would have participated in. “I believe we will welcome that process and outcome because it will be the product of a democratic process by all South Africans,” Lamola said when he was responding to oral questions in the National Assembly. He described the move by President Cyril Ramaphosa to make the appointment of a suitable candidate as the first of its kind to be transparent and involved the public. “This invitation promoted transparency and enabled public participation.” When the public was asked to make nominations for the next chief justice, 148 submissions of 25 names were made…

THE government’s flip-flopping on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and contradictory statements by President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Naledi Pandor’s Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco), have exposed the folly of South Africa’s incoherent and vague foreign policy. As has become the norm, Pandor’s department released a strongly worded statement on February 24 calling out Russia for invading its Eastern European neighbour. “South Africa calls on Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine in line with the UN Charter, which enjoins all member states to settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered. South Africa emphasises respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states,” Dirco said. Russia reacted angrily, warning Pandor’s department in a tweet…

The RUSSIAN economy is experiencing serious blows, but there is a margin of safety, as well as potential, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said yesterday, commenting on US President Joe Biden’s remark on the tottering Russian economy. Delivering his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Biden said that Russia’s economy is shattered as a result of Western sanctions. “Of course, the Russian economy is now under serious pressure, serious blows, I would say. “There is a margin of safety, there is potential, there are plans, energetic work is under way,” Peskov told reporters.The recent decision to ban the export of more than $10 000 (about R155 000) by individuals from Russia was made to avoid shattering the economy, Peskov added. Meanwhile, the head of the China Banking and Insurance…

DUBAI: “Bitter experience” with broken US promises has made it inevitable that Iran will push to defend its interests by securing a reliable nuclear agreement, its top security official said yesterday, according to the Nour-news website. All parties involved in the talks say progress has been made toward the restoration of the pact to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, which the US abandoned in 2018. But both Tehran and Washington have said there are still some significant differences to overcome. Some alternative solutions have been discussed in talks between Iranian negotiators and Western powers, sources said.…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za MINERAL Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe and former president Jacob Zuma have vowed to explore legal options after the Zondo Commission report implicated them in state capture. This came as pressure is mounting on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to prosecute top ANC leaders, including the party’s national chairperson Mantashe, for their role in state capture. The calls mounted following a damning report by Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo which was handed over to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office on Tuesday. In the report, Justice Zondo recommended criminal investigations against Mantashe for allowing Bosasa to install security systems at his homes. He also recommended a criminal investigation against the Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thabang Makwetla. Bosasa also installed a security system at his home.…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za SUPPORTERS of de facto Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini yesterday adopted a conciliatory tone after the Pietermaritzburg High Court victory that cleared the way for his much-anticipated coronation, with his aide, Prince Thulani Zulu, saying “there was no winner”. Yesterday, KwaZulu-Natal Deputy Judge President Isaac Madondo delivered his judgment on the three matters that were before him. In the first matter, Queen Sibongile Dlamini-Zulu wanted the court to order that 50% of the late king Goodwill Zwelithini’s estate be set aside for her as she was his first wife and they had been married through civil rites and in community of property. Judge Madondo dismissed the application, saying there was no dispute regarding that. As such, the court could not rule on something that was not before…

But for the horrible absence of Durban-style curry, living in the US has been an absolute pleasure. There are other things that I miss about South Africa and about Durban in particular. Second to curry would be the weather. Here, cold is really cold. There are days, actually weeks, when ice hangs off houses, car doors freeze and you could ice-skate on your front lawn. I miss neighbours popping in. Popping in is not something that happens very frequently. This took a lot of getting used to. I think I have solved my curry longings. This week, I found a former Durbanite, Kimberley Naidoo Jackson. Mrs Naidoo Jackson makes, markets and mails samoosas and other delights within the US from her home in Florida. What a brilliant idea. If, like…

| Mark Twain THE fog of war. Among the early snippets emerging from the Russian invasion of Ukraine was one about 13 Ukrainian marines and border guards on Zniinyi (Snake) Island in the Black Sea. The early report was that they were ordered by a Russian warship to abandon their posts. At which they responded with colourful and lurid language – the sort heard only in the roughest of pubs. And at which they were gunned down. According to subsequent reports, they were given posthumous honours by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after they were heard in audio recordings telling the crew of a Russian warship to “go to hell”. This is considerably less pungent than what was contained in the original reports, but that is by the by. Sky…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof It’s happening all over again. The ugly spectre of war looms over Europe. In an unprovoked and senseless act of aggression, the big Russian bear has launched a multipronged military attack from sea, land and air on beleaguered Ukraine, targeting military installations and civilian areas. Reminiscent of the Nazi blitzkrieg of 1941, heavy tanks and armoured vehicles have rolled across the Ukrainian border, shelling, bombing and capturing several towns in the rebel-held Donbas region. Now the Russian forces have moved into the very heart of Ukraine, surrounding the capital Kyiv and attacking it with missiles and rockets. Terrified of the Russian onslaught, some Ukrainians have sought safety in underground shelters, while others are fleeing their land of birth, jamming the roads leading to neighbouring…

| Mercury Correspondent AfriForum has applied for an urgent interdict to prevent the government from granting Cuba a R50 million donation to alleviate food security problems in that country, which were brought about by sanctions imposed by the US. Last month, the civil rights organisation asked the Department of International Relations and Co-operation to explain and give reasons for the donation and where the money would come from. Reiner Duvenage of AfriForum said it was outrageous, given South Africa’s current socio-economic conditions, for the country to donate such a huge amount to another country. “In fact, it is an absolute insult to the citizens of this country.” The department responded to the letter, but AfriForum was not satisfied with the response and will therefore proceed with legal action. “The…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za TWO years after a damning report revealed that public hospitals violated the rights of several women by sterilising them without their knowledge and consent, Health Minister Joe Phaahla says his department had no plans to compensate them. The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), a Chapter 9 institution, released the shocking report in February 2020. It detailed how hospitals forced and coerced women in labour to agree to being sterilised. The cases that the CGE looked into dated back to 2001. Some of the women were made to sign sterilisation agreements while in severe pain, only to learn later from private gynaecologists that they had been sterilised after they gave birth. Other women learnt during labour that they would be sterilised, allegedly after hospital doctors told them that…

There have been a lot of discussions on the urgency of climate change. But it’s universally accepted that the steps that have been agreed to stop global warming are too little too late. Why is this? We argue that inequality is part of the answer as to why there is little action. On the one hand, inequality polarises societies and makes them less prone to act. On the other hand, inequality results in elites capturing the power of action and being less inclined to give up their privileges. The reduction of inequality is crucial, not only from an ethical point of view, but also because it would allow us to tackle climate change. However, if we want to reduce inequalities, we need to recognise that a different kind of growth…

MOSCOW: When Russians showed shame and grief over President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, his most loyal propagandist was withering: “If you are now ashamed that you are Russian, don’t worry, you’re not Russian,” the editor-in-chief of state-owned broadcaster RT, Margarita Simonyan, sniped on Twitter. The invasion that united Nato and Europe on sanctions as never before also divided Russians. On one side: an outward-looking urban middle class. On the other: Putin loyalists, many less-educated Russians or older people raised on Soviet propaganda. In Kamenka village in Russia’s southern Rostov region, close to the Ukraine border, Alexei Safonov, 47, was horrified at the news that Russia began its attack last week. Then he got to work as chief engineer at an ice-skating rink, and was sickened to find his colleagues…

LONDON: Adele is reportedly in talks to move her Las Vegas residency to a bigger venue. The I Drink Wine singer postponed her Weekends with Adele shows at Caesar’s Palace’s Colosseum last month because of production issues, just days before the first concert was due to take place, but it’s now been claimed a move to Planet Hollywood’s Zappos Theatre, which has a capacity of 7 000, is on the cards. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Talks are ongoing with Adele about the possibility of her moving the residency to Zappos. “The venue is within the Caesars family – who she has the huge-money deal with – and it’s world-class. It’s been a residency spot for a host of huge stars, including Jennifer Lopez and Shania Twain, and…

International medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has announced that it had suspended operations in Yemen’s north-western province of Hajjah, citing safety and security concerns. “MSF took the decision to withdraw its staff and temporarily suspend its activities in the Abs Hospital, in Hajjah Governorate as of March 1, while we are negotiating with the authorities to ensure the safety and security of our staff and patients,” MSF said in a post on Twitter, without providing further details. The MSF-run Abs Hospital is located in the northern district of Abs, which is under the control of the Houthi militia.…