Table of contents for 2023-01-20 in Mercury

Pupils from Nkandla’s Bizimali High and uMlazi’s Menzi High, who bagged eight and seven distinctions in the matric exams, have attributed their success to the hard work of their teachers who inspired them to excel despite challenges. Menzi High has obtained a 100% pass rate for 11 years and was expecting the same this year. Matric pupils who obtained seven distinctions told The Mercury yesterday that their success was “special” as they had to overcome several obstacles. Siyabonga Mchunu said it had been a tough year as he had to move out of his home and live with his mother in order to focus on his studies. “I worked so hard last year, I had so many sleepless nights. We used to have a study group where we would stay…

It’s a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack, You taught me all I know and I’ll never look back, It’s a very strange world and I thank you, Master Jack. Nobody is quite sure who Master Jack actually was, but those of us long enough in the tooth can recall the Four Jacks and a Jill singing it here in Durban 30-odd years ago – as groups were also singing it in America and elsewhere – until eventually it reached the Top Twenty in the US. What we do know is that it was written – possibly while he was still underground – by local songwriter David Marks, who at the time was employed on the gold mines of the Witwatersrand. That stint also accounts for his Mountains…

An interesting point has been raised by Mr V A Volker (The Mercury, January 19). The next generation has an easier time than the previous. I am uncertain about the accuracy and exact sequence, but definitely all over the world the present younger generation leans heavily on the present old one. The expense of navigating a child from birth all the way to adolescence in an ideal or semi-ideal manner has become, internationally, near- impossible. But the population of the world continues to grow. The Chinese, up to recently having restricted birth to one child per family, have now altered that to three. “Not enough labour force to sustain the economy,” they advise. Meanwhile, the question arises in the rest of the world: why do we need to have more…

I bet there are many among us who remember that famous “unholy” trumpeting from the ANC a number of years ago, when they were floundering to maintain their incompetent grip on the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality: “We shall reign until the Second Coming of Jesus.” My, how many of us believers, even of different faiths, agnostics and the like must be wearing our knees out, praying for that Second Coming to happen. After all, the ANC passing circus masquerading as “fit and proper in understanding to govern” has proved itself to be the wrecking ball of everything that was handed to them “on a plate, in good working order”. Every institution and entity required to ensure that South Africa succeeds in remaining the powerhouse of industry and sound financial governance…

Parents have an important role to play to help their children choose what they want to study and to adapt to the different environment in tertiary institutions. Atelisha Harilal, head of student recruitment and marketing at Stadio, said her advice to parents differed from family to family. “There are two types of parents I generally encounter,” she explains. “The first has a vision for their child’s life, which may or may not be one that the child shares.” Harilal said as the world continued to develop rapidly, the most important role of higher education was to promote critical thinking, rather than technical skills only, because technical training can quickly become obsolete. She added that it was also important that parents recognised that every child is different and will follow a…

The liquidator of the embattled VBS Mutual Bank, which was placed under liquidation in November 2018, has obtained a court order in terms of which he can recover more than R6 million advanced by the bank to a man who wanted to buy a multimillion-rand home in Midstream, Centurion and a Porsche Cayenne. While the liquidator did not claim that Mmuso Pelesa was involved in any fraudulent scheme, he told the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, that he was obliged to recover loans made. He asked the court to order Pelesa to pay back R200 722 loaned to him to buy a Porsche as well as R6 247 582 to buy property. In a bid not to pay back the loans, Pelesa pulled out all the stops, stating that the…

Residents in uPhongolo (Pongola) in northern KwaZulu-Natal are not allowing trucks to use the road leading to the town, due to their concerns over reckless and negligent driving and speeding. The residents closed the road to trucks on Monday ahead of the opening of schools on Wednesday. The incident comes after last year’s horror crash that claimed the lives of 20 people, including 18 schoolchildren, after a truck smashed into a bakkie on the N2 to uPhongolo. After that incident, KZN’s Transport Department said there would be a focus on trucks, including random assessments of vehicles, checks on drivers’ documentation, fitness of drivers, and their conduct on the road. Yesterday, the uPhongolo Municipality confirmed that residents had closed the road as they claimed the truck drivers were not following the…

THE conflict in Ukraine is escalating out of control. The US is led by a president who has no grasp of the potential for the conflict to go nuclear. When you read the news, it seems mankind is always at war somewhere. Nato and Putin are shadow boxing for a full-blown conflict that could envelope the entire world. War is almost considered inevita ble, and peace is only a vague utopian dream. It was US general Douglas MacArthur who issued this solemn statement at the end of World War II: “Military alliances, balances of power, league of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be the way of the crucible of war. The utter destruction of war now blacks out this alternative. We have had our last…

Basra: One person was killed and dozens injured yesterday when a stampede broke out outside a football stadium in Iraq hours before the Gulf Cup final, medical and security sources said. Long banned from hosting international football matches, war-torn Iraq had been counting on its hosting of the Gulf Cup to burnish its image. Thousands of fans without tickets gathered outside the stadium in Basra since dawn in the hope of entering the stadium to watch the final between Iraq and Oman. “There has been one death and dozens of injuries,” a medic said. |…

Lagos: Nigeria security forces have rescued the last two of 20 hostages from a train station kidnapping and arrested seven people, including two village chiefs, officials said. In the latest mass kidnapping in Nigeria, gunmen attacked the rural train station in southern Edo State earlier this month, abducting dozens of passengers, including chiefs. The train station abduction highlighted the spread of insecurity in Nigeria, which will be a major issue for voters in next month’s election to replace President Muhammadu Buhari. Edo State communication commissioner Chris Nehikhare said in a statement that seven people were being detained. |…

Geopolitical instability is exacerbating the risk of catastrophic cyber- attacks, according to the Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2023 report, which was launched at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) five-day annual meeting in Davos. More than 93% of cybersecurity experts and 86% of business leaders believe “a far-reaching, catastrophic cyber event” is likely in the next two years and that there is a critical skills gap that is threatening societies and key infrastructures, the forum said. The Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2023 findings were based on surveys, workshops and interviews with over 300 experts and executives. Half of the companies surveyed said the current landscape is making them re-evaluate the countries in which their organisation does business. It said despite challenges, organisations were improving cyber-resilience, which is one of the key priorities of…

Barcelona: French President Emmanuel Macron met Spain’s Pedro Sanchez in Barcelona yesterday, with Paris seeking Spanish support for its uncompromising stance on a dispute over US protectionism. The two leaders signed a friendship and co-operation treaty reinforcing bilateral ties on issues such as migration, defence and energy. Paris is seeking to cement stronger ties with neighbours, notably those in southern Europe, at a time when the Paris-Berlin alliance underpinning EU unity is showing signs of strain. Macron’s main aim is to seek “a joint position with Madrid” over Europe’s response to the US’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act, a massive investment plan to accelerate the US transition to green energy. Europe fears the plan, which will pour billions of dollars into climate-friendly technologies, will distort transatlantic trade to give American companies…

SPEAKER of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has not yet responded to a request by the United Democratic Movement (UDM) to consider appointing a retired judge to look into information or evidence that the state capture commission might have missed. The request was acknowledged by the Speaker’s office, but the UDM is yet to get a response. UDM leader Bantu Holomisa sent a letter to the Speaker saying that his party submitted evidence of state capture to the commission, but the information may have been ignored. In his letter, Holomisa refers to a story in The Mercury sister newspaper the Sunday Independent, published earlier this month, which alleges that an explosive affidavit implicating several high-profile individuals and politicians in corruption was disregarded by the commission that was chaired by Chief Justice Raymond…

DEAR Rod In your column of January 17, you encouraged your readers to write something beautiful. I did not write this. My daughter, Kate, did years ago when she was a teenager. She wrote me a letter on Mother’s Day. This excerpt is taken from that letter: “In King Lear, Cordelia, the king’s daughter, remained silent while her sisters lied as they flattered their father, just to get land and power out of him. When he asked how much she loved him (and she was his favourite) she didn’t say a word as she felt she could not heave her heart into her mouth. This is exactly how I feel about you. I’m just giving you this gift as a token of my appreciation for all that you’ve ever done…

city councillor Visvin Reddy has caused a nasty stink on social media. Addressing family and friends, he said he got very sick with “explosive diarrhoea, uncontrolled nausea, vomiting and stomach cramps” and had to be hospitalised. He had never experienced anything like this before. The reason? According to his doctor, he had an E coli infection. Reddy said he picked it up from water. Shame, you do feel sorry for him and hope he is recovered completely. At first thought, it seems a reasonable cause for his illness. For several months, Durban has been unable to contain its raw sewage spills and has been grabbing nationwide headlines for its heavily polluted rivers and beaches. When Reddy suddenly fell ill, he assumed it was the polluted tap water that was responsible…

The Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, has congratulated the class of 2022 for a job well done after they achieved top marks in spite of the many challenges faced by the country’s young people. Motshekga was speaking during a ministerial breakfast ceremony that honoured the 2022 national top achievers, held at the MTN offices in Fairlands yesterday. She said she was proud of the class of 2022 matriculants as they had to deal with several challenges in the lead-up to their final year of schooling, including the aftermath of Covid-19. “You were in Grade 10 when we were hit by the Covid-19 storm, and when we sent learners back to school that year, you were the last group to go back to school in July. “So we were really…

TOP Durban achievers who wrote the National Senior Certificate matric exams and obtained eight and nine distinctions advised the matric class of 2023 to make the most of the year by doing what they love while focusing on school. Daniel Kreuzer of Durban High School, who achieved nine distinctions, said some exams were easier than others. He said what was a challenge for him was balancing school work with extramurals. “I do quite a lot outside of school hours and I struggle sometimes with procrastination. Just holding myself accountable was challenging,” he said. Daniel’s advice to the 2023 cohort of matrics was to remember that there was time to do everything. However, he said it was important to schedule when you would like to study. “Especially when it comes to…

The four men accused of killing former eThekwini ward councillor Sunil Brijmohan will remain behind bars. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the four men appeared in the Umlazi Magistrate’s Court this week. NPA provincial spokesperson Natasha Kara said the matter was postponed to February 1 for a bail application. “Accused three and four have opted to apply for bail. We will not be naming any of the accused at this stage.” Brijmohan, 46, a father of two, was killed in eManzimtoti on October 21. A chilling video of the shooting went viral on social media. It shows two men walking up to Brijmohan. One of them produces a firearm, shoots him and then they briskly walk away. At the time, police said the motive for the shooting was unclear…

Missed opportunities as president returns to SA amid self-inflicted energy crisis Is there no end to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s absenteeism from the world stage? His transformation in a space of two years from being the “preferred choice” African leader the West can do business with, to a “deferred choice” partner is as revealing as it is remarkable. Fresh from his conspicuous absence at the 2022 US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington DC in mid-December – the most important annual gathering for African leaders at the nexus of global political, economic and security power – the president has done it again. This time, it is a humiliating volte-face regarding his participation in the World Economic Forum (WEF) – the annual beauty parade at the Swiss luxury ski resort of Davos, of the…

Davos: US climate activist Al Gore has backed campaigner Greta Thunberg’s fight against a German coal mine in a fiery speech. At the WEF in Davos, Gore praised Thunberg, who was briefly detained by police on Tuesday near the German village of Luetzerath, which is being razed to make way for an expanded coal mine. He underlined the difficulties activists have in understanding why the head of the United Arab Emirates’ national oil company has been named as president of this year’s COP28 climate talks. “The appearance of a conflict of interest undermines confidence at a time when activists … have come to the conclusion that the people in authority are not doing their job.” |…

Tens of millions in China headed to their rural home towns for the Lunar New Year celebrations yesterday. It is also the Spring Festival holiday, an occasion when Chinese people traditionally travel home for family reunions. President Xi Jinping said he was “concerned” about the nation’s ability to weather a Covid surge in its rural areas. China’s transport authorities predict that more than two billion trips will be made in a 40-day period from January to February – nearly double the figure last year and 70% of pre-pandemic levels – in one of the world’s largest mass movements of people. But the exodus from big cities hit hard by Covid is widely expected to cause a spike in cases in under- resourced rural areas. According to officials, as at Wednesday,…

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government has fired 13 soldiers from his security detail following violent anti-government riots for which he pointed the finger again this week at his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. A notice in the official gazette said the 13 troops were dismissed from the institutional security office attached to the presidency. This followed the removal of another 40 soldiers earlier in the week from the presidential detail at Alvorada palace, where Brazil’s presidents live. Just days after the attack on the presidential palace, Supreme Court and Congress by backers of far-right ex-president Bolsonaro, Lula said the rioters likely had inside help and hinted at security force involvement. He ordered a thorough staffing review, saying he was “convinced that the door of the Planalto (presidential) palace…

Please remember to leave the areas that you fish in a better condition than when you got there. Take a few moments to pick up some litter and take it to the nearest bin. With the holidays over, we are back to having less time to fish. This means making sure we make the most of the time we get to on or next to the water. Best way to do this is to make sure your tackle is ready to go (not broken or missing) and that you have everything you need to enjoy the time you have. The rock and surf fishing has been focussed on the big inedibles and for this most anglers have travelled north. The north coast has seen the most of the inedible action…

KWAZULU-Natal recorded a stunning improvement in its Grade 12 results, making the province the third best performing province in the country. The results released last night by Minister Angie Motshekga showed that the province recorded a 6.2 percentage point improvement from around 76.80% in 2021 to 83% in 2022 and was the most improved province. The 2022 NSC overall national pass rate was 80.1%, an improvement of 3.7 percentage points compared with 76.4% achieved in 2021. The number of candidates nationally qualifying for admission to Bachelor studies at universities, is 278 814 – an improvement of 8.9% from 2021. “We must state that KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng contributed the most Bachelor passes with 69 849 – an increase of 12.9% from 2021; and 58 119 – an increase of 4.1% from…

Let us take the time to celebrate the success of our matriculants, who will be basking in their glory. We need to fully support them as they enter the next critical phase of their lives. I am sure all The Mercury readers would like to extend sincere congratulations to those who have achieved success. The Independent Examinations Board matric candidates obtained a 98.42 percentage pass which is slightly higher than that of 2021. My plea to our MEC for Education is that she surrounds herself with top education experts to plan a way forward. I am positive we will achieve a turnaround strategy. For those who did not fare well, they must be encouraged to pursue other options available to them. I urge parents to fully support their children…

Dear President Cyril Ramaphosa, statements recently made by the ministers of energy and finance both seem to have the answers to your Eskom problem and it would behove you to get these ministers to please explain to all and sundry in this country just what their plans are. The energy minister says it will take six to 12 months to fix the load-shedding problem; the finance minister says 12-18 months. Most other people who have specialist experience in the industry of electricity have said it will take years. Can you please explain what these two ministers know that the specialists do not? We all would love to know why, if the minister of energy has said it would take six-12 months to fix the problem, it has not been done.…

A man from the Caribbean island of Dominica says he survived 24 days lost at sea by eating tomato sauce before being rescued in Colombian waters. “I had no food. There was only a bottle of ketchup on the boat, garlic powder and (bouillon cubes) Maggi. So I mixed it with water to survive 24 days at sea,” Elvis Francois, 47, said in a video released by the Colombian Navy. The islander had the word “help” carved on the hull of the boat when he was found 120 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Bolivar. Francois saw boats pass by and tried to flag them down, even lighting a fire on his vessel, but they did not see him. “The final days, about January 15, I saw a plane. I had…

Potholes remain an increasing problem on the country’s roads, but motorists can hold local authorities accountable for injuries or damages caused by these obstacles. However, they will have to prove their case, as a motorcyclist who was severely injured when he hit a pothole discovered. Jaco Schlebush, 40, turned to the Mpumalanga High Court, sitting in Mbombela, to claim millions of rand from that province’s Public Works, Roads and Transport MEC for general damages and loss of income. He said that he could no longer perform his job as a motorbike mechanic. In May 2020, he hit a pothole on the R40 while riding a motorbike. In the accident, his protective clothing was damaged and he was injured. He was treated at the Nelspruit MediClinic. Schlebush argued that the MEC…

LEFT and right originally referred to where people sat in the French National Assembly, the legislature that was established in France following the French Revolution, in 1789: to the right, as seen from the Speaker’s vantage point, were nobles and higher-ranked religious figures – those disposed to preserving existing conditions and institutions, with nationalistic viewpoints including fascism and some oppressive ideologies. The seated commoners and clergy were to the left – who represented more radical viewpoints related to attaining greater social and economic equality. That became the birth of left-wing and right-wing politics as we know it. Major turning points in politics globally have been generally driven by and associated with the left. In recent years, however, as the world becomes more polarised than ever, right-wing politics have shown more…

BERLIN: Germany’s new defence minister said yesterday it was his task to strengthen the armed forces so that they could do their job at a time of conflict in Europe with Russia waging war against Ukraine. Boris Pistorius was officially made minister yesterday as Germany is under pressure from Western allies to allow German-made battle tanks to be used in Ukraine to strengthen its defence against the Russian invasion. Pistorius, a Social Democrat, will meet the Nato defence leaders from about 50 countries today as they gather at Germany’s Ramstein Air Base to discuss how to supply Kyiv with more weapons. |…

Lima: Protesters from all over Peru gathered in Lima for two days of demonstrations against the government of President Dina Boluarte, as one demonstrator died in clashes with police in the country’s south. The country has been rocked by more than five weeks of deadly protests since the ousting and arrest of Boluarte’s predecessor, Pedro Castillo, last month. The latest death brings the number of people to have died in clashes between protesters and security forces to 43, largely in the country’s south and east, according to Peru’s human rights ombudsman. |…

France’s government faced a day of strikes and protests yesterday that disrupted transport and schooling across the country as workers oppose an unpopular pensions overhaul. French workers across the private and public sectors joined the nationwide strikes, snarling the rail network, closing schools and halting refinery deliveries. The changes presented by President Emmanuel Macron’s government last week would raise the retirement age for most people to 64 from 62 and increase the years of contributions required for a full pension. France’s trade unions called for a mass mobilisation and protest action, which is to be the first time they have united since 12 years ago, when the retirement age was hiked to 62 from 60. The strikes brought much of the capital’s public transport to a standstill and halted a…

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, a global figurehead of progressive politics, shocked the country yesterday by announcing she would resign from office in a matter of weeks. The 42-year-old – who steered the country through natural disasters, the Covid pandemic, and its worst-ever terror attack – said she no longer had “enough in the tank”. “I am human. We give as much as we can for as long as we can and then it’s time. And for me, it’s time,” she said at a meeting of members of her Labour Party. Ardern said she would step down by February 7, less than three years after winning a landslide election to secure her second term in office. “I believe that leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could…

With less than 200 days to go until the Netball World Cup, the Spar Proteas are hard at work to make sure they are at their best come July. South Africa will start their preparations with a quad series which gets under way in Cape Town tomorrow. The world’s top netball nations, New Zealand, Australia and England, will compete in the event which should be just the test the host nation needs as the Proteas prepare for the World Cup. The quad series will give the team some insight into where they are in their preparations for the Netball World Cup. SA coach Norma Plummer says the team is continuing to make strides in all areas of the game. “The improvement is coming daily so it’s more about the intensity…

THE Sharks’ Springbok World Cup winner Makazole Mapimpi has been banned for two weeks for making “reckless” contact with the eye of Bordeaux-Begles’ Maxime Lucu last weekend, the Champions Cup organisers announced yesterday. Mapimpi, 32, was cited after his team’s win in Durban at the weekend with the sanction handed down following Wednesday’s independent disciplinary hearing. “The committee upheld the citing complaint, finding that Mapimpi had made reckless contact with Lucu’s eye area which warranted a red card and it determined that the offence was at the low end of World Rugby’s sanctions and four weeks was selected as the appropriate entry point,” European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) said. “Due to the player’s clear disciplinary record, it was decided to grant him the full 50% mitigation and the committee therefore…

REFEREES will explain VAR decisions to stadium crowds and television audiences in a 12-month trial starting at next month's Fifa Club World Cup in Morocco, football's law-making body said on Wednesday. The International Football Association Board (IFAB) failed to agree, however, on trialling rugby-style temporary concussion substitutes. The players' union Fifpro had lobbied for such a trial in the English Premier League, France's Ligue 1 and Major League Soccer in the US. IFAB said in a statement after a meeting at London's Wembley Stadium that it also discussed clarifications relating to the laws of the game, including the guidelines on 'deliberate play' in offside situations. Fifa has invested heavily in VAR technology since it was introduced at the 2018 World Cup in Russia but controversy remains. Japan's victory over Spain…