Table of contents for 2022-12-02 in Mercury

IN THE 2021/2022 financial year, Ayo Technology Solutions (AYO) contributed almost R95 million to the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) in the form of dividends. AYO, the country’s single largest most transformed ICT investment company, announced its results earlier this week, and despite posting a loss made the decision to pay out dividends. This, of course, has been greeted with some scepticism by the armchair traders who are vocally outspoken on everything AYO. However, if we look beyond the obvious and remove the disparaging external chatter, there are sound reasons for the technology giant to dip into its reserves to bolster its shareholders’ pockets, especially those of the pensioners whose hard-earned money it is, through the GEPF, which is managed by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC). The PIC is…

TWO beaches in uMhlanga were reopened for swimming yesterday after water quality tests showed that the E coli levels had dropped significantly. EThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said yesterday that uMhlanga Main Beach and Bronze Beach had been reopened for swimming following closures due to sewage pollution. UMhlanga Urban Improvement Precinct (UIP) said they accepted the decision to open the beaches, describing it as the sole responsibility of the municipality. The news of the beaches reopening would be welcome relief for guest houses and B&Bs in the area that were losing revenue as guests were reluctant to make bookings while the beaches remained closed. The city had reported on Tuesday that the water quality of the beaches was improving. The report given by the city showed that on November 4…

EARLIER this week I mentioned a chance meeting with Graham Edwards, former proprietor of the Shamrock, a pub in Durban North in days of yore that epitomised the character and vibrancy as a social gathering point of the traditional Irish or English pub. Graham promised to send me a lengthy piece, Durban – Watering Holes of My Youth, written by David Baird (who I have not met). Baird kicks off by pointing out that his research into Durban pubs combined with his studies at university, which explains why a straightforward degree took a little longer than usual. Quite. There are such things as priorities. He takes us to the beachfront “Golden Mile” where you seldom had to walk more than 60m between one pub and the next, all different, each…

Julius Malema intends opening a criminal case against racist Belinda Magor. With his racist, murderous intentions against the white population – what part of “he is no different to white racists” isn’t he understanding? He is the biggest contradiction – he condemns those who are committing the same criminal offences as himself, yet the justice system looks the other way. Malema openly incites his thousands of followers at every rally to “kill the boer, kill the farmer” and is openly vocal about how much he hates white people in TV interviews and he gets away with it. The same laws and consequences should apply to anyone from any race who spews racist hatred against any race. Until then, society is not going to be freed from the likes of Magor…

For the first time since the declaration of the National State of Disaster for Covid-19 in March 2020, the veil of secrecy over the government’s decision-making processes regarding disaster management regulations will be lifted. This is owing to Sakeliga’s court victory this month, against Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. It concludes a two-year litigation battle. The minister had to deliver the records Sakeliga requested in 2020, its CEO Piet le Roux said. The records relate to the decision-making processes followed in 2020 to place the country under lockdown, and its extensions. “These lockdowns and other measures did unprecedented harm to economic and social activity. “The public will now be able to see for what apparent reasons Dlamini Zuma and her department imposed police state conditions…

As a fluent English speaker, Indian-trained nurse Deepa was surprised to learn she had to sit a language test to practise in Britain, her home for many years. She was even more shocked when she failed it – not just once, but 11 times. Deepa’s story is hardly unique – estimates suggest thousands of qualified nurses in Britain are barred from practising because they cannot pass an English exam which they say even some native speakers would fail. One former National Health Service (NHS) hospital chairman described the situation as “barking mad”, adding it smacked of racism. The nurses – mostly from Asian and African countries – say their skills are being wasted at a time when Britain’s creaking NHS is battling massive staff shortages and high burn-out rates,exacerbated by…

A CHIEF director within the Mpumalanga Education Department has been suspended over a series of complex financial violations that resulted in local students enrolled at Russian universities facing expulsion and eviction from their accommodation facilities. The suspension follows a provincial delegation’s visit to the Russian Federation led by Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, tasked with looking into the long-standing matter. Provincial education spokesperson Gerald Sambo said the chief director was placed on precautionary suspension while the government investigated what went wrong. “The premier’s visit to Russia uncovered a lot of questions that still need to be answered. For this reason, the chief director responsible for the student exchange programme had to be placed on suspension so that there is no interference or any sense of meddling. “Once the investigation is concluded, the…

A series loss in England and an embarrassing exit from the T20 World Cup, not to mention that qualification for next year’s 50-over World Cup is still very much in jeopardy – and all this has created a dark cloud over the Proteas men’s cricket team. As they headed to Australia last night for a three-match Test series, that sense of doom and gloom around the national team is understandable – and yet … A look at the ICC World Test Championship table shows that South Africa occupy second place behind Australia and are still very much on course to play in the final of the ICC Test Championship. That suggests that not everything is as bad as it is sometimes perceived to be with the Proteas. South Africa have…

Fighting with heavy weapons erupted between government forces and M23 insurgents in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday, shaking a five-day-old truce, security sources and rebels said. The ceasefire in North Kivu province at the weekend came after a summit between the DRC and its neighbour, Rwanda. It was to have been followed by a rebel pull-out from captured territory, a withdrawal that has yet to take place. The sources said fighting resumed yesterday in Kirima, about 10km from the town of Kibirizi. “Fighting resumed this morning between the FARDC and the M23,” said Paul Lutibahwa, head of civil society groups for the Bambo region. The FARDC stands for the armed forces of the DRC. The rebels have crossed the bridge, heading for Kibirizi ... there’s panic,” he said, an…

Paris: The BQ.1.1 subvariant of Covid-19 is taking precedence over the BA.5 strain in France, a top health expert said. Brigitte Autran, the president of the Committee for Monitoring and Anticipating Health Risks (Covars), said that the latest Covid-19 resurgence was the “beginning of a wave”, even though the increase in the number of cases was not significant yet. BA.5, the subvariant of the original Omicron subvariant that has been prevalent in France, “has already been replaced by the BQ.1.1 subvariant, which is the baby of BA.5”, she said. “This variant is more contagious,” she noted. She called on people to get booster shots. | IANS…

New Delhi: All types of alcoholic beverages, including wine, increase cancer risk but people have low awareness about it and some even perceive alcohol as having health benefits, a new study has revealed. Seven cancer types – including breast, mouth and colon – have been linked to alcohol consumption. The US National Cancer Institute found that awareness of the alcohol-cancer link was highest for liquor, with 31.2% of adults being aware of the risk, followed by beer (24.9%) and wine (20.3%). Ten percent of adults said wine decreased cancer risk, 2.2% said beer did and 1.7% said liquor did. | IANS…

San Francisco: Tech billionaire Elon Musk said yesterday one of his companies would in six months be able to implant a device into a human brain that would allow communication with a computer. The interface, produced by Musk’s start-up Neuralink, would allow the user to communicate directly with computers through their thoughts, he said. “We’ve been working hard to be ready for our first human (implant), and obviously we want to be extremely careful and certain that it will work well before putting a device in a human.” The prototypes have been implanted in the skulls of monkeys. Musk said the company would try to use the implants to restore vision and mobility in humans. | AFP…

MOROCCO powered into the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time in 36 years yesterday with a 2-1 victory over eliminated Canada. Goals from Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri ensured the North Africans finished top of Group F ahead of 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia. In another Group F match played at the same time, Romelu Lukaku missed a string of late chances as Belgium crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage after a 0-0 draw with Croatia which sent the 2018 runners-up into the knockout phase. Croatia had a penalty award controversially cancelled by VAR early in a largely uneventful first half. Morocco will face the runners-up from Group E in the last 16. Morocco put themselves firmly on course for the second…

SOUTH Africa’s most successful football coach Pitso Mosimane and Curro Holdings launched the first of many Pitso Mosimane Soccer Schools programmes yesterday. The 58-year-old has had the dream of contributing to the development of and growth of the country’s football standards and his latest initiative, which includes the education of both young players and coaches, aims to do just that. While parts of the African continent get an opportunity to test themselves against some of the best nations on the globe in the World Cup in Qatar, South African football fans are left to reflect on yet another failed attempt at qualifying for the prestigious showpiece. It has become of the local DNA to criticise, condemn and denounce the national team players, coaches and administrative structures as frustration…

PIETERMARITZBURG environmental advocacy organisation groundWork has welcomed the moratorium on the export of scrap metal by the government, saying it provides sufficient time for proper regulation and elimination of criminal elements in the scrap metal value chain. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition announced on Wednesday that it was imposing a six-month prohibition of export of scrap copper and ferrous metals, as part of measures to address the theft of public infrastructure for resale as scrap metal. The department said the move had been approved by the Cabinet and was borne out of the widespread theft of public infrastructure for resale as scrap metal, causing more than R47 billion in damage annually to the country’s economy. According to the department, new measures to be introduced in future would…

The art of self-love, as in “love your neighbour as you love yourself” and “treat others as you want to be treated”, when promoted, is easily confused with being selfish. If understood and practised, it is the ultimate expression of and the closest we may come to sharing pure love. “Fill your own tank (before you can care for others)” and “first apply your own oxygen mask” – the airline metaphor for self-care that has become a cliché – are good ways to express the importance of self-care. Unfortunately, anxious people get anxious and unsettled at the thought of self-care when there is a world around them in need and the default is to “do something”. Anxiety hardly leaves time or space for planning. A first step to self-care is…

The announcement by mayor Mxolisi Kaunda that all Durban beaches would be opened on December 1 took me by complete surprise. For a start, I am a councillor in the same council as the mayor and records will confirm that the poor condition of the city’s waste treatment plants is contributing to unacceptably high E coli levels found at the beaches. In September this year, an independent water treatment company, Talbot, issued a similar warning. E coli is a type of faecal bacteria commonly found in the intestines of animals and humans and its presence in the water is an indicator of sewage contamination. The main contributor to E coli contamination in Durban is the poor, deplorable state of treatment plants. Despite various warnings issued by municipal officials over the…

The Embrace Project is challenging what it calls problematic definitions of consent and rape in the Sexual Offences Act, as recently amended. The NPO filed papers in the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, against the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities. The second applicant in the application is a rape survivor whose attacker was acquitted based on the amended act. The organisation said in court papers that as the law stood, it was insufficient to prove an accused person committed an act of sexual penetration without the complainant’s consent. It must further be proved that, in the accused’s subjective state of mind, he/she/they intended to rape the complainant regardless of the complainant not having consented to the…

The Disabled People of South Africa (DPSA) says people living with disabilities should be given equal opportunities. DPSA KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Michael Mkhize said people living with disabilities were under-represented in parts of society, including in the job market. “We want to be part of the public, we want to be seen, we want to be employed, we do not want to be discriminated against when opportunities arise.” Mkhize said people with disabilities lacked resources. “We do not have enough support, we do not have enough wheelchairs and necessary resources.” He added that the organisation had raised the issues during a recent walk held in the Durban CBD. He said officials from the Department of Social Development and the Department of Health attended the event. KZN Social Development spokesperson Mhlaba Memela…

Days before the monsoon swept into Indonesia this year, 25 million people from across the country uploaded geotagged selfies on Twitter – their way of reporting for duty in a project to build a crowdsourced map of the impending floods. The initiative by Indonesia’s Yayasan Peta Bencana – or Disaster Map Foundation – highlights Twitter’s role in disaster response around the world, from helping Indians access Covid-19 vaccines to sharing warnings about mass shootings in the US. It is a function some users fear could be at risk if the exodus of technical staff at the social media company under Elon Musk leads to service delays, or even crashes, on the platform. “Twitter allows us to reach millions of people every day and gather crowdsourced information from people on the…

THE KwaZulu-Natal tourism industry has fears that the December holiday period will not yield the expected economic benefits for the province due to load shedding. Some accommodation establishments have purchased generators and moved to go off the grid in a bid to keep their businesses afloat. Eskom is currently implementing Stage 2 load shedding from 4pm until 5am. Brett Tungay, East Coast chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa), said load shedding was having a devastating impact on the tourism industry in the province. “The issue is that bigger establishments that provide accommodation can rely on generators, but what do the smaller establishments do during these times? It’s a big concern as we have a lot of tourists booked in for the holidays and we need a…

The only question is how long his foes will allow him to remain in power “President Cyril Ramaphosa must immediately step aside,” is Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma’s radio interview reaction after reading the section 89 independent panel’s report. It found evidence that Ramaphosa may have committed serious misconduct and violations of the law in that he had millions of dollars in US currency stashed at his game farm, and that he had started an off-the-books investigation after the theft of the money. The panel’s investigation has been so long in the making – after Speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa- Nqakula extended its 30-day deadline to November 30 – that the rumour mill had gone into overdrive over what it might say. In the end, the report still makes for grim…

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron were celebrating more than 200 years of US French relations yesterday but simmering in the background is a dispute over new US subsidies that has riled Europe. Biden, 80, is hosting Macron, 44, at the first state visit since the US leader took office in early 2021. Macron is expected to raise French and European concerns about subsidies in Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, a $430 billion (R7.5 trillion) bill that offers massive subsidies for US-made products and is aimed at addressing the climate crisis. European leaders say the legislative package signed by Biden in August is unfair to non-US companies and would be a serious blow to their economies as Europe deals with the fallout from Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine.…

MADRID: Bomb disposal experts defused a letter bomb at the US Embassy in Madrid yesterday, the sixth such device sent to high-profile targets, including the prime minister and the Ukrainian ambassador in Madrid. All of the packages were reportedly sent from within Spain, the deputy interior minister said. One of the devices had detonated, injuring a security officer at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid, three others were detonated by security forces and one had been kept intact for investigative purposes. Spain’s High Court has opened an investigation. | Reuters…

China is set to announce an easing of its Covid-19 quarantine protocols in the coming days and a reduction in mass testing, sources said, a marked shift in policy after anger over the world’s toughest curbs fuelled widespread protests. Cases nationwide remain near record highs but the changes come as some cities have been lifting their lockdowns in recent days, and a top official said the ability of the virus to cause disease was weakening. The protests are the biggest show of civil disobedience in China for years. The measures due to be unveiled include a reduction in the use of mass testing and regular nucleic acid tests as well as moves to allow positive cases and close contacts to isolate at home under certain conditions, the sources familiar with…

AUSTRALIA’S series loss to the Proteas in 2018 and all the drama associated with it, may have been a chastening experience for the ‘Baggy Green’ brigade, but Dean Elgar doesn’t expect it to make the current Australian team a ‘soft touch’ in their three-match Test series. The ‘Sandpaper affair’, which caused ructions across the sport, led Australian cricket to undertake serious introspection. From pre-match handshakes to ‘elite honesty,’ to Pat Cummins’ toothy grin, Australia has sought to sell itself as a less boorish team. However Elgar isn’t buying a new friendly approach from the Australians. “Purely because we are playing there, I think it will still be pretty feisty,” Elgar said. The first Test starts on December 17 at the Gabba, with the series then heading to Melbourne for the…

The rock and surf scene has gone to summer mode. The fishing is picking up and the conditions are starting to settle enough that we can predict the better days. The North Coast has seen most of the inedible action mostly around Richards Bay. Some big diamonds and a number of sharks were hooked along the far north. These fish can be targeted using an FMJ trace and a 9/0-10/0 circle hook. Big fleshy baits with a lot of smell is the way to go. In terms of wire for the FMJ, 150lb carbon-coated steel is more than enough for 99.9% of the fish you are likely to hook. The central coast has seen a bit of edible action. There have been a few garrick taken at Blue Lagoon on…

BRAZIL coach Tite is set to follow the lead of France and rest key players for their final World Cup group game against Cameroon tonight with their place in the last 16 in Qatar already secure. The World Cup favourites meet Cameroon at the Lusail Stadium needing just a draw to secure top spot in Group G after starting their campaign with wins over Serbia and Switzerland. Even a defeat would not stop them topping the section so long as the Swiss fail to win at the same time against Serbia, but France have already shown that changing most of your starting line-up does not necessarily work out. The holders made nine changes for their final group game against Tunisia on Wednesday and put in a disjointed performance in a…

AFRICAN Equity Empowerment Investments’ (AEEI) headline loss per share (Heps) widened 68.36% to 37.16 cents from 22.07c a share for the year to August 31 as the weakening global economic environment and resulting disruptions impacted the operations and valuations of the group’s diversified investments. Net asset value per share fell 9.9% to 993.32c per share from 1 102.54c per share. The board did not declare a dividend. The group’s directors said revenue fell slightly by 0.24% due to a challenging global economic environment characterised by increasing pressure on prices, resulting in lower margins and this, coupled with accounting adjustments on investments, led to an overall loss of R330 million. The basic loss per share increased to 45.78c from a loss of 26.48c a share in 2021, mainly…

President Cyril Ramaphosa is under unprecedented pressure to resign or provide more details on why the Section 89 independent panel found that there is prima facie evidence of serious misconduct against him over the foreign currency that was held at his property. In a day of drama yesterday, Ramaphosa was due to hold an evening “family meeting” but this was postponed with his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya saying the president was still consulting. An ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting that was scheduled for last night has been postponed to today. Earlier, Ramaphosa postponed a question-and-answer session in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) where he would have faced a barrage from the opposition benches. There was intense speculation that Ramaphosa was poised to resign or that the NEC would recall…

From the perspective of a black person, generally, white people appear to be great animal lovers. One can see them follow a dog on the beach, in case the dog messes up. On TV documentaries and other visual platforms that show wildlife, black people can see white people show extraordinary care for animals, injecting the creatures with all sorts of things, taking them to labs to do experiments and feeding them. Then, of course, to the horror of many conservative black people, white people can keep snakes and wild cats or reptiles as pets because they are the greatest lovers of animals. And white women, in particular, seem to have a deep affection for “vulnerable” animals as they often volunteer in animal shelters and become vets or animal doctors. And…

The killing of civilians in Europe, Iran, Palestine, Asia and Africa continues unabated as 2022 draws to a close. The psychology of killing and witnessing such raw violence will affect humanity for decades to come. These bloody horrors will never recede in our collective memories. These massacres are directed against civilians and are executed with beastliness. As the sword of Damocles hangs over the people, the so-called civilised world watches. History will not be kind to us. It will judge us harshly. The world is shocked to see images of unimaginable horror. The pictures reveal unspeakable brutality and search for the truth as to what permits this to occur without intervention. The genocidal campaign against warring parties is a crime against humanity. There are clear moral imperatives to stop the…

Tragedy has struck the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in African penguins undergoing rehabilitation at its centre in Table View, Cape Town. The endangered species already faces multiple threats, causing its population to decline. The centre has well over 400 African penguins undergoing rehabilitation at present that could be affected by this outbreak. One penguin died and four were euthanised to reduce their suffering and risk of transmitting the virus to other birds since staff started seeing symptoms on November 21. SANCCOB clinical veterinarian David Roberts said all five suffered from seizures and 30 other African penguins have been isolated after showing signs of corneal oedema, but there may be others that were exposed that have not…

A coal truck driver and his supervisor from a transport company subcontracted to haul coal to Eskom were arrested at the Matla power station after the driver was found in possession of sub-grade coal destined for the facility. Advocate Karen Pillay, general manager for security at Eskom, said the coal swopping allegedly took place at a known illegal coal yard in Mpumalanga prior to the delivery at the Matla power station. “The specialist team of investigators from Bidvest Protea Coin, who are contracted to Eskom to investigate coal, diesel and fuel oil theft cases, detected the truck as it entered and left the illegal coal yard heading towards the power station, where it was stopped. During questioning, the truck driver admitted to offloading the ‘good-quality’ coal he had received from…

The ANC’s electoral committee chairperson, Kgalema Motlanthe, has announced the top 200 nominations for the party’s national executive committee (NEC), which consists of 80 members. Among the nominees are Mduduzi Manana, who was convicted of assault, and suspended ANC member Andile Lungisa, who was released on parole after being jailed for assault. Other nominees for the NEC include former KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala, Ronald Lamola, Malusi Gigaba, David Makhura, Stella Ndabeni Abrahams, Fikile Mbalula, Thoko Didiza and David Masondo, among many others. “This list is a work-in-progress because the vetting process is ongoing and therefore it may change. “If anyone of those names does not meet criteria as spelled out in the rules including the constitution of the ANC, those names will with no doubt be disqualified,” said Motlanthe. The…

Is Ramaphosa subversive? Many suspect Phala Phala to be a scheme to “finance votes” at the upcoming ANC December conference. Load shedding, to “facilitate opportunities” to privatise Eskom, for example, in his brother-in-law Patrice Motsepe’s hands. What makes you think the Covid -19 lockdown was legit? Is it because the mainstream media told you so? The same media that said Ramaphosa was too rich to be corrupt. Well, the lockdown was not legit, far from it! I have been locked in a three-year legal saga, Maarman versus Ramaphosa, asking Ramaphosa to “Show Us the Virus”. Before I explain what I mean, I am sure you can guess the outcome of the court battles against Ramaphosa, the mafia-like “Teflon Don”. The courts never asked Ramaphosa to “Show Us the Virus”; similarly…

Geneva: The severe inflationary crisis, combined with a global slowdown in economic growth, is causing a striking fall in real monthly wages in many countries, reducing the purchasing power of the middle classes and hitting low-income households hard, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said. In its Global Wage Report 2022-2023, the ILO said that global monthly wages fell in real terms to minus 0.9% in the first half of 2022, the first time this century that real global wage growth has been negative. Real wages in the G20 countries in the first half of 2022 are estimated to have declined to minus 2.2%, whereas real wages in emerging G20 countries grew by 0.8%, 2.6% less than in 2019. | IANS…

SANA’A: Two months after Yemen’s truce expired, fighting largely remains on hold but a series of attacks by Huthi rebels could have serious repercussions for a country crippled by war. At least three drone strikes at ports on Yemen’s southern coast have disrupted oil exports, the main source of income for the Arab world’s poorest country and its Saudi-backed government. The strikes launched by the Iran-backed rebels since late October caused no casualties but stopped some tankers from docking at the government-controlled harbours of Qena and Al-Dabah. They followed the failure to extend a UN-brokered truce that was in place for six months until October 2. | AFP…

Natural and man-made catastrophes have caused $268 billion (about R4.7 trillion) of economic losses so far in 2022, chiefly driven by Hurricane Ian and other extreme weather disasters, reinsurance giant Swiss Re estimated yesterday. Insured losses covered $122bn –less than half – of the total economic losses to date this year, said the Zurich-based group, which acts as an insurer for insurers. “Hurricane Ian and other extreme weather events such as the winter storms in Europe, flooding in Australia and South Africa as well as hailstorms in France and in the US resulted in an estimated $115bn of natural catastrophe insured losses this year to date,” Swiss Re said. There were $7bn of insured losses from man-made disasters. It is the second consecutive year in which total insured losses from…

ENGLAND have gathered momentum at the World Cup and are happy to bring some succour to their countrymen suffering the winter cold, soaring costs and industrial strikes, midfielder Declan Rice said yesterday. “It makes me happy seeing the videos of them celebrating us scoring. We’re going to try to keep going, keep pushing, keep trying to lift everyone,” Rice said at the England training camp in Qatar two days before their last-16 clash with Senegal. “We’ve really pulled the country together ... It’s obviously really close to Christmas now so hopefully we can deliver them the best Christmas present.” Gareth Southgate’s team gave an enormous lift to the nation last year, after the gloom of the Covid-19 pandemic, in their run to the European championship final. Now they are one…