Table of contents for 2022-04-25 in Mercury

“Can I help a friend who is grieving the loss of a child or spouse?” writes the succinct reader. I will try to be equally succinct in my reply. Yes. There are things you can do to help. You can be present, around, on the outskirts. You can be like a very skilled butler, one who is helping and serving and taking care of practical needs and errands and housekeeping matters. You can say very little and listen very much and observe with your kind and patient eyes. These are things you can do. But, you will only be really good at these things if you have taken care of grieving your own losses. The minute your own losses hit you when you are trying to help your friend, you…

SHAKESPEARE could not have produced drama to compare with the closing seconds at the weekend of the United Rugby Championship (URC) clash between the Sharks and Leinster. The score 28-23, they on our line beside the posts in extra time, scrambling to get over. A try and the inevitable conversion will give them the game. They go over. The ref rules “held up, ball not grounded”. The video referee confirms it. The final whistle goes. You just can’t get closer than that. Leinster are top of the log. But we get a win and a bonus point for scoring four tries. Whoopee! And much the same can be said of the Lions-Connacht match where the lead kept switching. At Loftus the Bulls simply trampled the Dragons. The URC…

I REFER to Yugen Moodley’s letter on Friday. I live in Karkloof outside of Howick and get supplied directly by Eskom. My normal bill is around R3 500pm, 15% of which is actual electricity, the rest is all the various line fees. A month ago, the bill was emailed to me, together with 38 pages of “adjustments” and it was R111 000. The adjustments are impossible to decipher. Eskom takes around 10-15 days to respond to my queries, only with a half answer, there is not a response to my second dispute letter. I have had to put my staff on half-day so I don’t add to the unemployment rate. This country is already at a tipping point and really cannot afford excessive energy costs to pay for all the…

LIMPOPO police have arrested two suspects for the murder of an elderly couple on their farm at Levubu outside Thohoyandou. The farmer, Louis Cloete, 74, and his wife Ina Cloete, 65, perished after their farmhouse was set alight during a robbery at 4.20pm on Wednesday. “The farmer and wife were accosted by suspects who ransacked the farmhouse and took several items, including firearms, and loaded them into the family vehicle. They apparently then set the house alight,” said Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe. The suspects fled without the family’s vehicle after a passer-by noticed them on the property Hadebe ordered a 72-hour activation plan to hunt down the perpetrators, resulting in the arrests. Freedom Front Plus said the brutality in farm attacks and murders indicated mere robbery was…

A Western Cape man who set a train alight has been jailed for 20 years. Ricardo Khan, who works at the Eersterivier taxi rank, was convicted of damaging essential infrastructure by the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court. Khan torched a train at the Eersterivier Station in March 2020, causing damage of R3.5 million. As a result, the projected impact to the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) amounted to R9m. National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said it had emerged during the trial that the taxi industry benefited whenever trains were put out of service. The suspect was nabbed following a video of the incident, he said. “A Prasa official made a video of the incident. It was closely examined, and the suspect identified was the same person earlier pointed…

POLITICAL parties playing the blame game over the human migration that is currently dominating the news agenda – specifically the murder of a foreign national – is proof of how low the bar is among the parties that South Africans have entrusted to lead them. It took the DA and ActionSA only hours to be at each other’s throats over the murder of Zimbabwean national Elvis Nyathi in Diepsloot, who was burnt to death by xenophobic vigilantes following a march joined by the so-called “Operation Dudula” leaders. Before we get to the crux of today’s editorial, we have warned in this space on many occasions about the dangers of groupings such as Dudula. But, as always, the only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing. For political…

KINSHASA: Democratic Republic of the Congo Health Minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani has confirmed that a positive case of Ebola has been detected in Wangata Health Zone of the Equateur province, in north-western DRC. In December, the DRC declared the end to its 13th Ebola outbreak in the north-eastern North Kivu province. Genome sequencing conducted by the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research found that the first Ebola case detected in the 13th outbreak was likely a new flare-up of the 2018-2020 outbreak that killed more than 2 200 people in eastern DRC, the second deadliest on record. |…

THE recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal have exposed the government’s failure to deal with water-related matters swiftly. This was said by Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu during a meeting that involved mayors of eThekwini, Ilembe, Ugu and uMgungundlovu municipalities . Mchunu also sought to assure affected communities that the department was working to restore water supply in the affected areas. He conceded that the floods had hit the province when there was already a challenge of ageing infrastructure, adding that the effect of the floods meant that the government needed to pick up speed in dealing with water-related challenges. “Even before the floods we were already facing a deficit of ageing infrastructure. We need to act fast and decisively in order to deal with the challenge at hand,” said…

I SENSE a note of irritation in the letter in The Mercury on April 22 from Duncan du Bois (brief, for a welcome change!), wherein he urges me to heed the wise words from Hebert Spencer regarding the delivery of comment on any given person’s opinion. A bold approach indeed from our self-appointed Sage on the Bluff. Du Bois castigates me for dismissing his “submissions on issues which seek to subvert our world”. Strange, isn’t it, that those very submissions are presented, on absolutely every occasion, in a manner consistent, not with the peer-reviewed factual publications of acknowledged world authorities on any given subject, but instead with the dogmatic convictions of one who wants to be heard at any cost. So we’ll all listen Mr Du Bois, but only for…

Watching the news footage recently of containers lying all over, I’m aware that Durban (and possibly other cities) has an excess of empty containers that are apparently not being used. Is there any reason why the Department of Human Settlements can’t acquire a number of these and have them converted into homes or schools? I’m sure they’re more structurally sound than a lot of brick and mortar homes and schools, and certainly better than shacks in informal settlements. If one googles container homes, numerous examples pop up. Obviously they would have to be insulated against heat and cold, and made functional but would it not be less expensive to go this route than build inferior homes from scratch? Do any readers know whether this option has been investigated? I would…

HISTORY tells us the Khoisan people were the first inhabitants of South Africa. Then the Bantu and Zulu people (part of the Nguni communities) migrated from north and central Africa into South Africa, so we’re told. In addition, the Bantu and Zulu people (also called settlers) had the Khoisan people disposed of their land. Now, when the white settlers took over, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, they needed cheap labour to work the land. History says the British government informed and more accurately misinformed the Indians of India, that South Africa was very lucrative and it was looking for people to work there with excellent incentives. We must bear in mind, the Indians of India at that time were subjected to abject poverty and discrimination. They wanted a better life and therefore…

AN INFERTILE single man’s hopes of becoming a father were dashed when the court turned down his application in which he challenged sections of the Children’s Act that barred him from concluding a surrogacy agreement if his sperm was not used. The act requires that in order for a surrogacy agreement to be valid, the gametes of both commissioning parents must be used or, if that is not possible, at least one of the parents. The applicant, referred to as DW in the Pietermaritzburg High Court judgment, could father a child with a surrogate only if his sperm was used, the court ordered. But DW said that was not possible as he was relying on sperm from donor 6293 of Fairfax Cryobank. The court pointed out that Section 294 of…

A team from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Social Development has been deployed to investigate after two teenagers drowned at a South Coast beach. It is alleged that the teens, along with three others, had left a private child and youth care centre without permission two weeks ago. The department said the bodies of 17-year-old Thabo Nondaba and 16-year-old Lungelo Goba were identified by a senior child-care worker. Yesterday, the department said the five teenagers absconded from Themba Club boys’ residence in the Munster area, which is within walking distance of Palm Beach, on April 14. “According to the reports, Lungelo started swimming and within seconds he disappeared in the water. Thabo followed in an attempt to rescue him, but failed,” said the department. The three remaining boys ran back to…

CHIEF Justice Raymond Zondo is hoping that the Pretoria High Court grants him an extension so he can submit the final part of the state capture report by June 15. On Friday, Justice Zondo went to the Pretoria High Court on an urgent basis, with the end of April deadline looming, and asked for the commission to be given more time. According to reports, Justice Zondo asked the court for an extension as important evidence, gathered over the past three years, needed to be analysed. The commission’s report is expected to provide feedback on Eskom, the National Treasury, the SABC and the Passenger Rail Agency of SA. The commission’s inquiry commenced in August 2018. An official proclamation of the commission in the Government Gazette instructs the commission to inquire, investigate…

Corrupt politicians must be prevented from controlling public resources FOR CONCERNED South Africans waiting to see whether tomorrow’s joint sitting of Parliament to outline the government’s response to the flood disaster in KwaZulu-Natal will approve the extraordinary move not to grant emergency relief funds directly to corruption-ridden smaller municipalities, the situation resembles a midlife crisis. They are fed up with the same old, same old – the local government is a pain and the bills keep on rising. How great it would be to throw it all in, escape the paralysed system, bring in the national and provincial government departments, contract private companies somewhere, and expediently deliver assistance to the deserving beneficiaries. Just how truly anarchic the state of municipalities suffocated by inefficiency and corruption is was exposed on April…

PARIS: The French began voting yesterday in an election that will decide whether pro-European Union, centrist President Emmanuel Macron keeps his job or is unseated by far-right eurosceptic Marine Le Pen in what would amount to a political earthquake. Opinion polls in recent days gave Macron a solid and slightly growing lead as analysts said Le Pen – despite her efforts to soften her image and tone down some of her National Rally party’s policies – remained unpalatable for many. But a surprise Le Pen victory could not be ruled out, given the high numbers of voters who were undecided or not sure if they would vote at all in the presidential runoff. With polls showing neither candidate able to count on enough committed supporters, much will depend on a…

Israel temporarily closed its only crossing from the Gaza Strip for workers yesterday in response to overnight rocket fire, stopping short of conducting retaliatory strikes in an apparent bid to ease tensions. Rocket attacks on Friday night and Saturday morning followed days of clashes at Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound and a month of deadly violence. The unrest has sparked international fears of a wider conflict, one year after similar violence led to an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza-based militants. “Following the rockets fired toward Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, it was decided that crossings into Israel for Gazan merchants and workers through the Erez Crossing will not be permitted,” said Cogat, a unit of the Israeli defence ministry responsible for Palestinian civil affairs. UN Secretary General António…

THE FACE-OFF between gold miner Sibanye-Stillwater and its workers goes down to the wire tomorrow as workers reject the company’s latest offer on the table made on Friday which entails an R850 wage increase with a R50 living out allowance over a three-year period. Organised labour, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the Association of Mineworkers and Construction (Amcu) said over the weekend the offer had been rejected by workers and would be put to the litmus test today at a joint mass meeting at the Beatrix Mine in Welkom, prior to an anticipated meeting with the company tomorrow. “They have taken R50 from the housing allowance, and workers have rejected that with the contempt it deserves,” Amcu secretary-general Jeff Mphahlele said. This was echoed by NUM secretary-general William…

SECURITY measures implemented to protect the workers and property of eThekwini Municipality have come under renewed scrutiny after another employee was gunned down at a municipal site. Municipal staff member Phumzile Qatha was shot dead at the municipal depot in Ottawa on Saturday afternoon. Her family declined to speak yesterday, saying they were still grieving and not ready to talk. The latest shooting, just two months after another municipal employee, Amos Ngcobo, was gunned down in his office in Springfield, has triggered outrage and a demand for answers. There has been an arrest in connection with Ngcobo’s murder and the accused is currently before the court. Opposition parties said the municipality was spending millions of rand on security, adding that the security manager should explain these serious security lapses. Labour…

A team of UK researchers have discovered a “treasure trove” of 58 new mutational signatures that provide clues about the causes of cancer. In the biggest study of its kind, scientists led by Professor Serena Nik-Zainal from Cambridge University Hospitals and University of Cambridge, analysed the complete genetic make-up or whole-genome sequences of more than 12 000 NHS cancer patients. The researchers detected patterns in the DNA of cancer – or mutational signatures – that provide clues about whether a patient has had past exposure to environmental causes of cancer such as smoking or UV light, or has internal or cellular malfunctions. The team also spotted 58 new mutational signatures, suggesting that there are additional causes of cancer that we don’t yet fully understand. “Whole genome sequencing gives us a…

WE are a nation of thieves. Corruption and looting of state funds and resources have become endemic. Like a plague of locusts sweeping the country, they devour everything in their path. No government department, parastatal, local council or public institution can lift its head up high and say to the nation that it’s clean from corruption, mismanagement and wasteful expenditure. Even during pre-ANC days, I knew of principals who used to steal but it was on a minuscule scale and what we may call petty thieving. Now with one of the most corrupt governments in the world, what must be happening at schools and hospitals now that the flood gates have been opened? Look at Eskom, once the engine room of our economy. Load shedding is leaving the public and…

On April 18, 1980, it was Zimbabwe’s Independence Day. It is sad that it seems Zimbabwe gained independence for nothing, more than four decades ago. Public toilets in the CBD are disgusting because of lack of water. Harare central and town centre buildings are in urgent need of renovation. Roads need to be reconstructed because there are many potholes causing accidents. Many industries and factories are closed and the few that are operating, are not functioning properly. Hospitals and clinics need to be renovated, and machines, drugs and enough equipment bought. Human rights are abused every week over freedom of speech. People are permitted by the Zanu-PF government to loot precious minerals in Zimbabwe, and they destroyed Hwange national park by producing coal which produces poisonous gases. This in turn…

While experts say it is too early to determine if South Africa is entering a fifth wave, an increase in Covid-19 cases has been noted, with some indicators pointing towards a possible resurgence. Executive director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Professor Adrian Puren, said they did expect to see an increase in cases. “An early warning indicator, wastewater detection surveillance, shows an increase in Gauteng. However, no marked change in hospitalisations and deaths which are lag indicators,” said Puren. According to Saturday’s stats, there were 4 230 new cases, which represents a 16.8% positivity rate. In the first two weeks of April, the country’s positivity rate ranged between 5 and 9%. The majority of new cases are from Gauteng with 48%, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 22% and…

A FATHER and daughter of Springs in Johannesburg are expected to appear in court today for allegedly manufacturing and selling fake washing powder. The pair’s illicit trade was uncovered by the Hawks earlier this month when the specialised unit’s Serious Commercial Crime Investigating team together with brand protectors from Spoor & Fisher Attorneys assisted by members of the Public Order Policing unit from Springs executed a search and seizure operation at the premises in Selection Park, Springs on April 1. Hawks spokesperson Philani Nkwalase said the counterfeit goods were found at a clandestine factory and were valued at R1.3 million. The 42-year-old man and his daughter were served with a J175 summons to appear in court. “Huge amounts of raw materials, including machinery as well as an industrial sifting machine…

Duarte was reacting after rumours were rife on social media yesterday morning that she had died. She was speaking in a voice note sent to ANC officials and leaked to The Mercury’s sister newspaper Pretoria News. The party also issued a statement dismissing her death as “fake news”. She said: “There is rather an unfortunate message making the rounds (on social media) (that I’m dead). It is creating a bit of unpleasantness and panic. “Apparently, according to whoever started this rumour, I passed away this morning (yesterday).” Duarte reassured the party that she was still alive, and getting stronger each day. She was unable to attend the party’s 110th anniversary in Polokwane in January. She has been on sick leave since last year. The party said: “The ANC has learnt…

Cape Town: Scientists have begun a five-month mission to study how plastic pollution in Africa’s main rivers and climate change stresses are impacting microorganisms in the Atlantic ocean, they announced. The survey is being staged from the 33-year-old research vessel, French schooner Tara, which arrived in Cape Town on Friday before heading up the West African coast. The researchers will analyse how nutrients and pollution in major African rivers – the Congo, Orange, Gambia and Senegal – are affecting the Atlantic. They will also study the Benguela Current, which moves up from South Africa to the Namibian and Angolan coasts. |…

Senior Ukrainian negotiator and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said yesterday that Russian forces were continuously shelling Mariupol and urged Moscow to agree to a “real Easter truce”. He tweeted, urging Russia to “think about the remnants of its reputation” and called for “a real Easter truce in Mariupol” alongside an immediate humanitarian corridor for civilians and special round of talks to facilitate the exchange of military and civilians. The authorities in two eastern Ukrainian regions said on Saturday that fighting was “fierce”, as hope faded for a truce over the Orthodox Easter weekend. The governor of the eastern Kharkiv region, Oleg Sinegubov, said on Telegram that Ukrainian forces retook three villages near the Russian border after “fierce battles”. The villages lie north of Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv. Sinegubov said he…

Second-placed Royal AM were frustrated by local rivals AmaZulu in a 0-0 league stalemate in the Durban derby at the Chatsworth Stadium in Durban yesterday. Both teams had opportunities in the first half, though neither goalkeeper was really tested. When the shot-stoppers were required to make interventions, it was mostly easy saves. AmaZulu surged forward in the third minute but Abubaker Mobara’s free-kick ended up getting easily cleared away by the Royal AM defence. Ndumiso Mabena took a shot after 15 minutes that was blocked by Mobara. While the ball looked like it was heading wide, Mobara opted to play it safe. Both teams were unable to really create good chances in the first half. Siphesihle Msomi’s frustration eventually got the better of him after 40 minutes as he struck…