Table of contents for 2022-05-30 in Mercury

Cash generation across budget retail operator Pepkor was robust in spite of economic headwinds and the group – which also benefited from a Streinhoff settlement payment – reported a sharp 93 percent rise in cash sales to R4.1 billion in the half-year to March 31. The non-recurring settlement payment by Steinhoff, which has a 50.6 percent stake in the budget retailer, emanated from an accounting scam unearthed in 2017. This drove down the share price in Steinhoff, with the company sub- sequently deciding to pay a settle- ment to shareholders for the share losses. The settlement from Steinhoff benefited Pepkor by R429 million or 12 cents per share, the company said on Friday, highlighting that it was “pleased to honour its commitment to shareholders…

THE mayor of the Umziwabantu Municipality, Sboniso Zungu, said yesterday that authorities were trying to track down relatives of the 16 people who died on the N3 in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday. The 16 people were burnt beyond recognition after the minibus they were travelling in crashed into an overturned stationary truck and then caught alight. It is believed that the Toyota Quantum minibus was travelling from Gauteng to Harding. The crash was among three horror crashes on the N3 at the weekend. In two separate bus crashes yesterday, at least 18 people were killed in Heidelberg in Gauteng and Grootvlei, Mpumalanga. A 7-year-old boy was the sole survivor of the Saturday crash and among the deceased minibus passengers were nine males and seven females, including the boy’s mother. The KwaZulu-Natal…

Archaeologists have uncovered the ruins of an ancient Mayan city filled with palaces, pyramids and plazas on a construction site of what will become an industrial park near Merida, on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The site, called Xiol, has features of the Mayan Puuc style of architecture, common in the southern Yucatan Peninsula, but rare near Merida. “We think more than 4 000 people lived around here," said Carlos Peraza, one of the archaeologists who led the excavation of the city, estimated to have been occupied from 600-900AD. “There were people from different social classes … priests, scribes, who lived in these great palaces, and there were also the common people.” Researchers also found nearby burial grounds of adults and children, who were interred with obsidian and flint tools, offerings and…

That massacre in Texas, US, expressed in verse: England is a cup of tea. France, a wheel of ripened brie. Greece, a short, squat olive tree. America is a gun. Brazil is football on the sand. Argentina, Maradona’s hand. Germany, an oompah band. America is a gun. Holland is a wooden shoe. Hungary, a goulash stew. Australia, a kangaroo. America is a gun. Japan is a thermal spring. Scotland is a highland fling. Oh, better to be anything Than America as a gun. THE lines of Twitter poet Brian Bilson are grimly appropriate in the light of last week’s massacre at a Texas school where 19 children and two teachers were gunned down. The Gun Lobby in America clings to the argument that guns don’t kill people, other people…

A LETTER to my granddaughter: “I am penning this latest letter, beloved Safiyyah, at a time of great stress. SA is on the cusp of breaking point and deep fissures widen and cracks appear on its foundation stone, the Constitution. “But, I am in a faith that assures me to remain firm in belief and do the best I can. For all that is happening must pass. “Eskom’s CEO Andre de Ruyter warned that load shedding, a sanitised version of blackouts, is set to continue well into this year. “Add to that an impending massive fuel price increase, the endemic water cuts, the collapse of infrastructure and the SA Reserve Bank’s weekly report warning in its latest Financial Stability Review that the rising cost of living could lead to…

Some no-fee schools in the country are dropping the subject Computer Applications Technology (CAT) due to not having computers, a report of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) has revealed. The information emerged just weeks after Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga insisted the country would not lag behind in introducing Fourth Industrial Revolution education at schools. Motshekga, in a parliamentary written reply last month, said: “The DBE does not believe we are falling behind in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, since we are the country that is among the first in the world to develop a formal coding and robotics curriculum, which provides learners with the necessary skills and competencies.” The department started piloting the coding and robotics curriculum in Grades R to 3 and 7 during the third term of…

A SIXTY-three-year-old man in the Mahlabathini area of Ulundi, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, is said to have shot dead his two sons and wounded his estranged wife in a dispute over a new bed. The man shot his sons, and wounded his estranged wife, another son and a neighbour before killing himself on Saturday. Reports from the induna in the area, Celi Zungu, suggest the man was estranged from his wife and had abused her. The sons did not live with their mother but the mother had remained in the original home, he said. “On the day in question, the sons bought their mother a bed and groceries. The husband was furious about the bed and told them he did not want the bed in 'his' house,” said Zungu. The sons…

A security expert says the sudden rise in the number of killings and drive-by shootings in KwaZulu-Natal reflects the easy access to guns and bullets, and points to the poor state of the police’s Crime Intelligence Unit. In recent days both Durban and Pietermaritzburg have seen a spate of shootings which vary from gang rivalry to apparent hits by lone gunmen. On Friday, a police officer was shot dead at a Hillcrest restaurant in an apparent hit while there has been a series of shootings in Imbali township, Pietermaritzburg, and in Chatsworth, Durban. KZN violence monitor Mary de Haas said the rise in killings did not come as a surprise, and pointed to an under-resourced police force, which needed specialised skills and adequate financing to ensure law and order. “One…

The EFF has slammed the government and the justice system after the Department of Correctional Services confirmed remand detainee Philemon Lukhele – held for the murder of Hillary Gardee – was found in possession of a cellphone. Lukhele and two co-accused have been charged for the murder of Hillary, the daughter of the EFF’s former secretary-general Godrich Gardee. The trio are behind bars. EFF national spokesperson, Sinawo Thambo, said Lukhele being in possession of a cellphone in prison showed that he was being assisted by influential individuals to subvert justice. “It is unclear how long he has had it and what nefarious reason he has used it for,” said Thambo. The EFF said Lukhele, who worked as a research senior manager in the Mpumalanga ANC chief whip Fidel Mlombo’s…

Abuja: More than 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede in southern Nigeria during an overcrowded church charity event where food was being distributed. Shoes and slippers lay scattered on the ground after the disaster in Port Harcourt city in southern Rivers State when people tried to force their way into the event, witnesses said. A church organisation was offering food and gifts for the poor at the Port Harcourt Polo Club when a “mammoth” crowd got out of control, Rivers State police said. Police said a criminal investigation was under way. |…

China has signed a deal with Samoa to strengthen diplomatic relations, while Australia’s new leader said he had a “comprehensive plan” for the Pacific, as Beijing and Canberra continued their rival campaigns to woo nations in the region. China is building on a security pact it recently signed with the Solomon Islands, which has alarmed the US and its allies such as Australia as they fear a stepped-up military presence by Beijing. Australia’s new centre-left government has made the Pacific Islands an early diplomatic priority. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who was sworn into office last Monday, said that his Labor government’s plan included a defence training school, support for maritime security, a boost in aid and re-engaging the region on climate change. “We will be proactive in the region, we…

Russian Foreign Ministry spokes- person Maria Zakharova said on Saturday that the Western statements about Russia blocking foreign ships in the Black and Azov seas were unfounded, as Moscow opens two humanitarian corridors every day, but the Ukrainian authorities refuse to co-operate. The port in Mariupol has resumed work after Russian forces gained control of it, “so the navigating channel was unblocked, and the conditions were created for the ships to leave”, Zakharova said. “The Ukrainian authorities “refuse to interact with representatives of foreign states and shipowner companies to ensure the safe exit of the blocked ships, practically holding the crews hostage”, she said. The head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, said that shipowners had ignored opportunities to withdraw their vessels from Mariupol port…

Despite their recent struggles on the pitch, SuperSport United midfielder Jesse Donn insists that his team are determined to beat Orlando Pirates in their final Premiership game at Lucas “Masterpieces” Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville tonight. A win will be sufficient to see Matsatsantsa usurp Golden Arrows into eighth position and would earn them qualification to next season’s MTN8. “It gets difficult to remain motivated at the end of the season,” said Donn. “We are still fighting for a top-eight position. We know that we have to win because Arrows beat AmaZulu. We are determined to get a result because we want to finish in the top eight. They will be sharp because they have been playing regularly, but they have had a heavy schedule.” Pirates have had a frustrating season…

It’s going to be a big rugby weekend for South Africa. The United Rugby Championship quarter-finals take place on Friday and Saturday, with three South African teams competing in the top-eight battle - an impressive feat considering their struggles when first joining the competition. The Bulls will host the Sharks in what should be a thrilling all SA contest in Pretoria on Saturday, while the top finishing SA team and Shield winners, the Stormers will host Scottish side Edinburgh at Cape Town Stadium later in the day (7pm kickoff). In the other quarter-finals, Leinster host Glasgow and Ulster will have home-ground advantage over Irish rivals Munster. The Stormers secured second spot on the standings and hosting rights to a semi-final, should they beat Edinburgh this weekend. After a thrilling contest…

African Equity Empowerment Investments (AEEI), the black owned and controlled investment holding company, said on Friday net asset value per share fell 11.49 percent to 1 058.40 cents in the six months to February 28. No interim dividend was declared, so cash could be used to reduce debt. The company has interests in fishing, events and tourism, technology, health and beauty, biotherapeutics and it holds other strategic investments. Directors said they were confident strategies were in place to yield positive shareholder gains in the long term. In the six months, the basic loss per share increased to the equivalent of 23.71c from 12.33c, mostly due to a reduction in operating profits from the technology division due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and a restructuring. Technology…

A REPORT on the state of the Msunduzi Municipality by former administrator Scelo Duma paints a picture of a council that is struggling to deliver on the most basic of services, like keeping the city’s streets clean. The first few pages of the report detail what it lists as “persistent challenges” faced by the municipality. Some were part of the concerns that led to the municipality being placed under administration almost three years ago. The problems persist despite the intervention. They are partly the reason some opposition parties have claimed that despite years of the municipality being under administration, they have seen no improvements and are now calling for the national Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) to take over. Duma after several years at the helm, resigned…

THE most important aspect of the Covid-19 experience was that a cabal within the ANC government was permitted to exploit what was never “a state of emergency”, so as to engender fear as the basis to suspend constitutional rights. Now that the KwaZulu-Natal administration is “on high alert for monkeypox” (The Mercury, May 27), are we going to witness a new, contrived “emergency” to justify a new round of unconstitutional regulations and restrictions? Measures to extend government control over populations featured prominently at the Davos meeting of the elites of the World Economic Forum. In principle, as a major step towards this for world governments, the globalists endorsed the transfer of individual state sovereignty on health issues to the World Health Organization, making it the sole arbiter of policy and…

MASS shootings, expressions of rampant prejudice, attacks on places of worship, attacks on schools – I could go on! These unsettling events get our attention. They should. They make any reasonable person and group ask the question: “What can I/we do?” Please consider these ideas: Read the reports on these events, the ones that catch your attention. Meditate on the fact that there are innocent people involved. There are young children involved. Let the horror hit you, even if it is something that occurred on the other side of the planet. This is not an invitation to baptise oneself in horror but to allow oneself to grow in compassion and the capacity to identify with suffering. May the inhumanity of some help you and me become more humane, more human,…

And that, Mr T Markandan (The Mercury, May 27), is it, in a nutshell. Where to, from here? Unfortunately, BEE was the beginning of the slide to where we find ourselves, today. Instead of retaining white expertise, the government got rid of it. BEE still eliminates white employees from government employ. A good start would be to entice back engineers who have left our shores for greener pastures, or those who have retired and have a wealth of knowledge. Scrap BEE. The more diverse a labour force, the less likely corruption will flourish.…

The Department of Social Development will soon be taking its Green Paper on comprehensive social security reforms to the Cabinet and this would determine whether the government considers implementing the Basic Income Grant. Acting director-general in the department Linton Mchunu told members of the portfolio committee on social development that the issue of the basic income grant was not yet finalised. The government has allocated billions of rand to the department for social grants. Mchunu said the introduction of the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant, for millions of the unemployed, has provided them an opportunity to look at whether the government can introduce a Basic Income Grant. Currently, there are over 10 million people who are receiving the R350 SRD grant. The SRD grant was introduced in 2020,…

A MAN has been arrested at OR Tambo International Airport trying to smuggle rhino horns out of the country. The 41-year-old was arrested by members of the police while trying to board a flight to Singapore. A security official at the airport alerted police to suspicious-looking items in the suspect’s hand luggage. On further investigation and interrogation, police found that the man was carrying rhino horn weighing 26kg in his carry-on bag. They also confiscated two cellphones that were in the man’s possession. The man will appear before the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court today, to face a charge of contravention of the Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004 which prohibits the illegal trade of the rhinoceros horn. In April, customs officers of the revenue service, together with other government departments at…

A 76-YEAR-OLD pensioner has triumphed over a farm owner who wanted her off his farm on the grounds that no one in her family could any longer provide labour. Mothi Evelina Zuma applied at the Randburg-based Land Claims Court to be declared a labour tenant of farm Maritzdal 940 in uMngeni. Such a declaration was critical to Zuma’s resolve to rebuff farm owner Ian Sinclair’s threat to kick her out despite her working for him since 1974. Zuma worked on the farm and for Sinclair’s family from 1957 when she was 12. She was born there in 1945. She testified that she was removed from school at age 12 to perform domestic duties at the farm. This was after her mother, Letta Zuma, got married and left the farm. The…

Shoprite and Checkers are recalling 170g tins of Cape Point light meat shredded tuna in water due to the possibility of defective double seams. The retailers said that to date they had not received complaints and that the recall action was being taken out of caution. The recall is limited to products with the production code: EEJCK BPHGS01. The production date is 23/07/2021 and best before date is 23/07/2024. To locate the production code, consumers should look on the bottom of the tin. Consumers who may have purchased the product listed should return it to Shoprite or Checkers for a refund, they said. The retailers advised consumers to consult a doctor if they had concerns after consuming the product. For assistance with finding the code or returning a product, contact…

Colombo: Cash-strapped Sri Lanka took delivery of Russian oil at the weekend to restart operations at the country’s only refinery, energy minister Kanchana Wijesekera said. The island nation is suffering its worst economic meltdown since independence, with shortages of fuel and other vital goods making life miserable for its 22 million people. The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation refinery was closed in March when the government was unable to finance crude imports. The Russian crude oil delivery had been waiting offshore as the country tried to raise $75 million (about R2 billion) to pay for it, Wijesekera said. |…

It was banned for years and its authors – including the celebrated Ngugi wa Thiong’o – imprisoned, but after more than four decades, Kenya’s most famous play is finally home. As the lights dim and a hush settles over the Nairobi audience, the theatre explodes into song and actors dance down the aisle. It is a scene few could have imagined. The tumultuous history of the drama Ngaahika Ndeenda (I will marry when I want) means it has not seen the light of day on a Kenyan stage since 1977, when it was performed by peasants and factory workers in the central town of Limuru. Its withering take on the exploitation of ordinary Kenyans by the country’s elite hit home and the government wasted no time in shutting down the…

Jerusalem braced for a controversial “flag march” yesterday as Israelis mobilised to commemorate the city’s unification and Palestinian groups threatened retaliation over the annual rally that sparked a war last year. Tensions were high in the Old City, and at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Al-Aqsa is Islam’s third holiest place and also Judaism’s holiest site which Jews call the Temple Mount. Israeli police said a small group of Palestinians threw rocks at officers from inside the mosque. There were no reported injuries. Last year on what Israelis call “Jerusalem Day”, Hamas fired rockets at the city, prompting retaliatory strikes and triggering an 11-day war in the Gaza Strip. The fighting cost the lives of 260 Palestinians and 14 people were killed in Israel. Hamas warned last week against marchers passing…

KLOOF residents are calling on the eThekwini Municipality to jail land invaders to send a clear message to would-be invaders. This as residents grow frustrated over attempts to invade protected land close to their homes. The land is close to the Motala informal settlement. The city is faced with the challenge of a growing population and not enough housing, which has led to a spate of land invasions and the mushrooming of informal settlements. It has been said the city has hundreds of informal settlements. “An arrest should be made, that is what the municipality should do to send a clear message that this is not going to be tolerated,” said Mzamo Khuzwayo, a resident in the Kloof area, who said that last week the city’s land invasion unit had…

THE government has defended the R373 million salary increases for its senior management service (SMS) members in the 2021/22 financial year. Former public service and administration minister Ayanda Dlodlo said in a parliamentary reply that the pay hikes for SMS members in the public service were just, equitable and an efficient use of public money in the current economic climate “similar to what was granted to employees below the SMS”. “If the salaries of members of the SMS are not adjusted, it will result in employees below SMS earning more that senior managers”. DA MP Leon Schreiber had asked Dlodlo about the total cost of the salary increases for SMS and whether she found the salary increases “just, equitable and an efficient use of public money in the current economic…

TO MY shock and dismay I have discovered that many of the beautiful old trees in our neighbourhood are regularly being cut down. Many of my friends have noticed the same thing and it has all of us worried. Not only does it disfigure our surroundings, but it makes the rain do much more damage, by washing away the soil on the banks in the area, thereby increasing the risk of greater damage being caused during times of flooding. I have appealed to the local authorities, but have had no reply from them, and absolutely no action has been taken. Either the wood is being used as fuel, or the locals have no appreciation of the beauty of nature which surrounds us, but is dwindling by the day. I appeal…

AMERICAN film-maker and activist, Michael Moore, in his numerous documentaries, interviewed top dignitaries, film producers and actors in a bid to expose how rampant the runaway gun presents itself in US society. The recent killing of children and adults in the US implies that nobody watches these documentaries, or is not moved by them. The one primeval instinct that humanity is born with and cannot shrug off is fear. Fear in parents that a decent education may see their child without some career, sees them horsewhip their offspring until distinctions begin to ooze out of his/her ears . Meantime, all over the world, it seems that adults too, have to watch their backs. Fear of hijacking and petty crime follow us throughout the day. Even in a supposedly safe place,…

IN A major victory for South Africa’s estimated 30 000 gun owners who failed to renew their licences before the expiry date, the Constitutional Court has ruled that they were not barred from reapplying. The court, in an unanimous judgment handed down on Friday, found that there was nothing in the Firearms Control Act which prevented a person with an expired firearm licence from renewing it. In the groundbreaking judgment, the apex court found in favour of not only Fidelity Security Services, which initiated the application, but all South African gun owners who failed to renew their firearm licenses before their expiration date. The court determined that those who were unable to renew their firearm licenses in time and were subsequently barred from further applying, were allowed to follow the…

A 64-year-old woman from Ndwedwe used a bush knife to fight off an attacker who broke into her home, strangled and punched her, and attempted to rape her. Fikile Magwaza says she doesn’t know where she got the strength to strike the intruder in the head with a bush knife, at her age. Magwaza, who lives alone, heard someone outside her home at 9.30pm on Friday. “When he entered the house he told me not to scream, pushed me onto the bed and asked for money,” said Magwaza. She said she told him she didn’t have any money, and that is when he started to strangle her and punch her in the face repeatedly. “When he went to check if the door was closed properly, that is when I saw…

Load shedding has been suspended due to a “marginal improvement” in the generation capacity. In a statement released yesterday, power utility Eskom announced that load shedding would be suspended for the time being. It noted that the system was still constrained and the shortage of generation capacity persisted. Eskom said there would be “an elevated risk of load shedding over the coming weeks”. Meanwhile, ANC’s head of economic transformation, Mmamoloko Kubayi, said the party acknowledged that Eskom had to be fixed. “For energy and mineral resources, we are saying load shedding is crippling South Africa and that is an acknowledgement. We have to restore energy security as it is critical for lifting confidence and investment and creating jobs because as more are lost the more the country is not productive.…

ANC hasn’t removed any corrupt individuals in its ranks, and is unlikely to do so THE ANC members who are opposed to corruption and factionalism do not need any new information to judge whether individuals implicated in the Zondo Commission’s reports or standing trial on criminal charges are fit to stay in office. Since the ANC hasn’t removed them yet, there is a good chance it never will. How should ordinary citizens receive the news that ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile sent a document entitled “Terms and Conditions” to provincial and regional structures? The document, which makes official the “step-aside rule” that members indicted in a court of law cannot stand for election in any leadership position in the party or hold government positions, illustrates an already known story. It says…

Bangkok: More than a thousand sacked Thai garment workers who made bras at a factory supplying lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret have received a landmark $8.3 million (nearly R130m) settlement, labour rights activists said. Brilliant Alliance Thai closed its Samut Prakan factory in March last year after going bankrupt. But the 1 250 laid-off workers – many of whom had worked at the factory for over a decade – did not receive severance payouts mandated under Thai law. Victoria’s Secret confirmed in a statement that an agreement had been reached, but did not mention the amount involved. |…

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Uvalde yesterday to console residents mourning 19 children and two teachers who were gunned down at a school in the small Texas town. Biden called for action to prevent future massacres in a country where efforts to tighten firearms regulations have repeatedly failed. “We cannot outlaw tragedy, I know, but we can make America safer. We can finally do what we have to do to protect the lives of the people and of our children,” Biden said on Saturday in a speech at the University of Delaware. Demands for accountability in Uvalde increased at the weekend after officials acknowledged that law enforcement officers improperly waited an excruciatingly long time before rushing the classroom where gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, killed 19…

LOS ANGELES: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s daughter Lilibet will celebrate her first birthday in England. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will fly to the UK from their home in California with Lillibet and 3-year-old Archie to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. While Lilibet will turn 1 on June 4, it is unclear how the family will mark the birthday as the royals will be busy with Jubilee events. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Harry and Meghan will want to celebrate Lilibet’s birthday somehow with their family. But diaries are full on Saturday. There isn’t much wriggle room to fit in a birthday party for a 1-year-old. “These events have been planned far in advance and the Sussexes have not exactly made their plans clear or public.”…

Proteas women’s coach, Hilton Moreeng, hopes that his players can transfer their recent good performances in T20 Leagues to the international stage as they embark on a lengthy tour to Ireland and England. Those players based in South Africa recently, headed for Ireland yesterday, ahead of six match tour, that includes three T20 Internationals, the first of which will be played on Friday. While the squad lacks the household names like Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk and Lizelle Lee, it is still a strong one, with Sune Luus, Laura Wolvaardt and Ayabonga Khaka fresh from playing in the Women’s T20 Challenge in India. The only new face is Delmi Tucker, for whom there are big expectations. “She has been training with the squad when the players have been in…