Table of contents for 2023-01-23 in Mercury

THE director-general of the Department of Basic Education, Mathanzima Mweli, has urged parents to encourage their children to enrol in subjects related to business studies or the country will soon have to import these skills. While giving a technical briefing on the 2022 Grade 12 performance, Mweli said the country had a problem with the enrolment in some gateway subjects. His briefing, which was delivered shortly before the release of the Grade 12 results on Thursday, covered many aspects of the education system, including the drop-out rate that has seen thousands of pupils being lost from the system over the past 12 years. “We do have a problem in subjects including accounting, business studies and economics. If there is any message that I would like to convey to places of…

Winston Churchill once said: “When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber.” Who are the eagles and who are the parrots? Well, let us look at what is happening all over the world. Politicians once again meet in Davos to discuss – what exactly? They just love having meetings so they can make a lot of noise about nothing. Nothing is ever achieved. Promises are made, but never kept. We are told that Eskom will be sorted out within a few months, but what is being done about it? Are we given information as to what is planned? It is easy to point fingers at the people in charge, but at the same time nothing is mentioned about the longer past, with different people who did not keep…

Mayor Kaunda hits it on the head. He blames the problems in the municipality largely on its lazy workforce. How refreshing that sounds. I think it’s the first time a senior public official has admitted that lazy workers are the main reason for the lack of service delivery in the city. The municipal union is not happy with the mayor calling a spade a spade and has asked him to apologise. If he does not, it will ask its members to topple the bins and trash the city, as they have done so many times in the past. But the mayor is sticking to his guns and gave his reasons for calling them a “lazy, undisciplined bunch”. They are a law unto themselves. They don’t come to work on time,…

THE letter by T Markandan, “Lessons to be learnt about social media” (The Mercury, January 20) begs a response. While I agree totally with the writer’s sentiment that “social media in the wrong hands can be dangerous”, he has misrepresented my social media posts on my recent E coli infection. At no stage did I state that tap water caused my illness. I did report, however, on the opinion of many that municipal water is not safe to drink. I have since learnt that most of the people I know do not drink tap water, which is cause for concern. What about those that cannot afford to buy bottled water? The numerous uninformed social media postings by some politicians around sewer contamination in Durban have left people in a state…

A woman will spend the next two decades behind bars after she tried to sell an albino child to a traditional healer in Manguzi in northern KwaZulu-Natal. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the woman approached James Mthembu in June 2016 and told him that she could arrange an 11-year-old albino child from her area that he could use for traditional medicine. “In exchange, she wanted R100 000 and asked him to contact her if he wanted to see the boy,” said NPA spokesperson in KZN, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara. She said Mthembu informed local police and asked them to accompany him. Ramkisson-Kara said police thought the information could assist with a missing child case they were working on at the time. Mthembu arranged to meet the woman and she was…

Economists warn that more pupils currently at private schools in South Africa could drop out and return to former model C schools in 2023 as parents’ salaries struggle to match high levels of inflation and a higher cost of living. Parents also have to contend with shrinking school budgets, adding more value for children in their health and wellness, and preparedness to take the future Generation Ys to the next frontier of their formal development. The Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa’s (Isasa) executive director, Lebogang Montjane, said that since 1994, private schools had grown exponentially, but there had been a slow-down in in-takes. “Some schools have closed. Some never reopened. Enrolments have plateaued. We cannot predict the future but it is where we are,” he said. Educational psychologist and…

Musician Arthur Mafokate has been met by social-media backlash after he shared his side of the story following news that he is being investigated for alleged misuse of National Lotteries Commission (NLC) funds. This came a few days after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), together with the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU), obtained a preservation order from the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, for three luxury properties, a plot, and a portion of a farm. The SIU said five non-profit organisations received grant funding of approximately R56.3 million for community development projects in South Africa. Among them was SA Art and Development Association (Saada), under the directorship of Mafokate, which applied for grant funding to assist unemployed youth in poor and rural areas of the country to impart skills…

WHILE Eskom is facing a mountain of legal action from civil society bodies, political parties and individuals, outgoing CEO Andre de Ruyter said it would be “practically impossible” to execute calls to immediately end load shedding or to have no tariff increases on a sustainable basis. This as Eskom is facing several court cases seeking to put a stop to the 18.65% tariff increase by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, put an end to load shedding, and hold the government accountable for its failure to provide electricity to the nation. De Ruyter said legal action was “not taken lightly” and they were taking advice on how to proceed. “When we look at any possible legal action, it’s my understanding (the courts) are not going to make orders that…

A member of the SAPS in Mpumalanga was shot and injured after he, and his colleague, had stopped to assist a stranded motorist. “SAPS management in Mpumalanga calls for an end to the barbaric attacks on police officials,” Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said. “Two Witbank Flying Squad members who were on routine patrol offered to render assistance to a motorist who had a breakdown. “While assisting, another motorist stopped in the opposite direction close to the members,” said Mohlala. The police officers went towards the second vehicle, to investigate. “To their surprise, when approaching the second vehicle, they noticed that the road was barricaded with rocks. “The dedicated members then decided to remove the rocks to ensure the safety of other motorists,” said Mohlala. “It is alleged that…

South Africa’s revenue relative to GDP is actually quite high THE one word that they would not mention in the January 8, 2023, statement of the ANC National Executive Committee marking the 111th anniversary of the founding of the ANC, Africa’s oldest continuous political movement, was “revenue”. The document is predictably a statement of intent of the priorities for the governing party in the year ahead, laced heavily with the archetypal rhetoric of aspirations and a “what-to-do” list in danger of defying the gravity of even the most sophisticated policy decision making. One can perhaps excuse the exuberance and the revolutionary zeal of ANC cadres, but the real economy’s pre-eminent custodian, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, all too well knows that government programmes and pledges must be costed and paid for…

Pope Francis’s visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo will remind the world not to ignore decades-long conflicts that have beset the nation and wrecked the lives of millions, the Vatican’s envoy to Kinshasa said. Francis is due to visit Congo from January 31 to February 3 – the first visit of a pope since 1985 when Pope John Paul II visited. Major preparations have been under way in the country, home to the largest Roman Catholic community (45 million) in Africa. Ettore Balestrero, the Vatican’s envoy to Kinshasa, said: “Wars and conflicts continue. He will console the people.” The Catholic Church manages 40% of Congo’s health structure. About 6 million students are taught in schools run by the church. | Reuters…

Bogotá: A woman suspected in the murder of a Paraguayan anti-mafia prosecutor has been expelled from El Salvador and handed over to Colombian authorities. Margareth L Chacon Zuniga, 42, is accused of being involved in the “planning, financing and logistics of the murder of prosecutor Marcelo Pecci”. Yesterday she was due to appear before a supervisory judge, the investigative body said on Twitter. Her capture brings to seven the number of people detained over Pecci’s murder in May last year. The prosecutor was killed in front of his pregnant wife while they were on their honeymoon on the Colombian island of Baru. | AFP…

Moscow’s forces are pushing towards two towns in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, where fighting intensified this week after several months of a stagnant front, Russian state media reported yesterday. Russian-installed official in the region Vladimir Rogov said offensive actions were concentrated around two towns: Orikhiv, around 50km south of Ukrainian-controlled regional capital Zaporizhzhia, and Hulyaipole, further east. “The front is mobile, especially in two directions: Orikhiv and Hulyaipole,” Rogov was quoted as saying by the Ria Novosti news agency. He said there was active fighting in those areas, according to the agency. “The initiative is in our hands.” In its daily report yesterday, the Ukrainian army said “more than 15 settlements were affected by artillery fire” in Zaporizhzhia. Earlier this week, Rogov announced a “local offensive” around Orikhiv and said the…

Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu removed a top minister from office yesterday following a Supreme Court ruling against Aryeh Deri’s appointment which has shaken the nascent cabinet. “It is with a heavy heart and with great sorrow that I am forced to transfer you from your position as a minister,” Netanyahu told Deri during a cabinet meeting. Leader of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish party Shas, Deri was appointed health and interior minister in a coalition deal following Israel’s November 1 elections. Last week the Supreme Court ruled Netanyahu “must remove Deri” due to a tax evasion conviction last year. | AFP…

Vuyisa Mqosomba, 29, was recently found dead in Stellenbosch in what seems to be a killing of a driver on Uber. He is one of the few drivers on Uber who have become victims of people targeting e-hailing drivers in townships. This begs the question, what is Uber and Bolt doing about attacks on drivers who are using the platform? As drivers decide to avoid township trips, how should township residents handle the fact that Uber and Bolt may not be available in townships? E-hailing platforms have tried various ways of improving passenger safety but little has been done to protect the driver. Is it impossible to develop a feature on e-hailing platforms to protect drivers? An Uber feature in this case can form part of the app or the…

ANC KZN spokesperson Mafika Mndebele said the relationship between Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube and party provincial chairperson Sboniso Duma was fine. Mndebele was reacting after users on social media suggested the premier was sidelined at an event to honour the province’s top matriculants in Durban last week. “There are those on social media who want to drive a wedge between them. They have referred to a certain image and used it out of context.” Mndebele said eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and all MECs, including Duma who heads economic development, tourism and environmental affairs (Edtea), had been invited to the event. “Duma was there in his capacity as MEC and not as chairperson. Someone took a picture which depicts the premier as being isolated … this was not the case. “The mayor…

When I am callous, short-tempered, sarcastic, indifferent, I know it is time for me to stop and step aside. It’s time to take stock and get back in touch with my humanity. The edginess, bristling, my snarky comments, are my warning signs. They warn me that I am getting pulled away from my humanity, that I am avoiding something deep within me, and I am ready to ignore your humanity. My anxiety or busyness or odd feelings of elevated self-importance are doing what they always do, isolating me from who I really am, who I want to be. This false sense of being is isolating me from you, all fellow travellers on this amazing shared journey. If I catch myself in time, humble myself, recalibrate my goals, restate my vision,…

Once again there is a lengthy postponement of a court case involving senior political personalities. The serious question is: Why? The public has a right to know. These frequently recurring cases are being postponed and postponed, and postponed again. Without taking political sides, I am inclined to have sympathy with the people involved (on a basis of principle). Justice delayed is justice denied. Is it because: a) Prosecuting staff are overworked? b) They are incompetent? c) The prisons are too full? d) Or (I hope not) is it for political reasons? These cases – the Free State asbestos case, the Durban waste case and also the former president’s case – are not only a few years outstanding, they have been dragging on for much, much longer. This, is extremely…

HAS the BBC taken to enlivening its sports coverage with a soundtrack suggestive of sexual hijinks? Not quite. It’s apologised after a live FA Cup broadcast was interrupted by loud moans and panting. Gary Lineker was presenting when he was interrupted by the sounds in the studio. He later revealed on Twitter that the sound had come from a hidden cellphone that had been “taped to the back of the set”. “As sabotage goes, it was quite amusing,” he tweeted. “We apologise to any viewers offended during the live coverage of the football this evening. We are investigating how this happened,” a BBC spokesperson said. The incident took place during the BBC’s live coverage before a match between Wolves and Liverpool. Lineker was previewing the match, along with pundits Paul…

The devastating effects of load shedding has prompted the Public Servants Association (PSA) to request the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) to consider bringing back a “work-from-home” policy for public workers. It said many workplaces in the public-service domain, including schools, police stations, Home Affairs, and health facilities, were severely affected by load shedding, despite their duty of rendering direct public services. “Most often there are no alternative energy solutions, creating health and safety risks to employees owing to non-functioning equipment, including air conditioning. Employees are exposed to verbal and physical abuse by clients as they are unable to perform most duties during load shedding.” The PSA said the public service had to contribute to immediate solutions to ease the burden on the Eskom grid. “Measures include staff…

Bungling by Home Affairs has left a 10-year-old girl and her 18-month-old cousin without birth certificates, depriving them of access to social security grants. The children’s guardian and grandfather, Zolani Hermans, has been struggling to get the department to issue birth certificates to the children. Both children were born at a Cofimvaba hospital in the Eastern Cape, but later moved to stay with their grandparents in Mfuleni, Cape Town. The family applied for a birth certificate in 2019 for the child but was instead issued a notice of birth form. “We were told we would have to present it whenever a birth certificate would be required as proof of identity. But it’s not accepted when applying for a social grant. At school my granddaughter is not able to take part…

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) says it will be welcoming over 8 000 first-time entering new students (FTENS) for the 2023 academic year. UKZN said it had about 8500 places available for FTENS in undergraduate academic programmes. The university said that it received more than 250 000 applications from about 110 000 prospective students for these places. “This high number of applications is because most students apply for admission to more than one programme. Due to the high number of applications received, the university is thus unable to accommodate ‘walk-in’ applications.’’ UKZN said the most popular courses applied for included bachelors of education, nursing and science. It added that all registration processes would be completed online and from remote locations. “Immediately after the matric results were released,…

A US woman, 76, shot dead her terminally ill husband in his hospital room on Saturday after they agreed she would end his suffering because he was too sick to kill himself, law enforcement said. The woman then barricaded herself inside the room, shutting down some hospital operations at Advent Health hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida, for a few hours on Saturday. She was arrested at 3pm after a standoff and faces a first-degree murder charge. The woman, Ellen Gilland, and her husband, Jerry Gilland, 77, who was dying, had allegedly agreed that she would kill him and then herself, police said. “They planned this three weeks ago. The woman shot her husband in the head, but ‘couldn’t go through with’ the suicide.” | The Washington Post…

THE world is going through a crisis of a dwindling middle class where income gap and wealth disparities have come to reflect downward spiralling economic and social development. Developed nations have for the past century managed to sustain their economies through a strong middle class that served as a buffer between the super-rich and those living on the poverty line. However, as a strong middle class is threatened into the oblivion of poverty, these economies are no longer stable as income disparities pervade them. China as the new economic leader with 1.4 billion citizens has to fight the scourge of a dwindling middle class. How will China manage to close the effects of huge income gaps and disparities between the rich and poor as witnessed all over the world? “Since…

Lima: Peru closed the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu over the weekend amid steady anti-government protests, stranding hundreds of tourists for hours, as authorities expelled protesters from a Lima university where they have been holed up as part of the crisis engulfing this divided country. Protests demanding the resignation of Peruvian President Dina Boluarte have been ongoing since early December, leaving 46 people dead and prompting the government to impose a state of emergency in some areas. This crisis triggered by the ouster of leftist Indigenous president Pedro Castillo last month stems largely from a gaping inequity between Peru’s urban elite and poor rural indigenous people. | AFP…

Eritrean forces have been leaving towns in the war-torn region of Tigray, locals say, as the US hailed a pullout seen as key to a landmark peace deal. Fighting between federal troops and Tigray rebels erupted in northern Ethiopia in November 2020 and raged for two years before the two sides signed a peace deal in South Africa’s Pretoria on November 2, 2022. Under the agreement, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) agreed to disarm and re-establish the authority of the federal government in return for the Ethiopian government reopening access to the war-torn region in dire need of food and aid. But the Pretoria agreement made no provision for the withdrawal of Eritrean troops, who fought on the side of the federal government and who were accused by the…

POLICE were at the scene of a shooting in southern California that has caused a number of casualties, including deaths, US media reported yesterday, citing law enforcement. There were scant details, and no immediate confirmation from police in Monterey Park, about 13km east of downtown Los Angeles. The area is home to a large number of ethnic Asians. The Los Angeles Times, citing a police source, said there were “multiple” victims. One law enforcement source told the paper there were more than a dozen casualties. City News Service, a reputable local news wire, citing authorities, said there were dead and injured in the incident. It gave no toll. The agency said it happened about an hour after a Lunar New Year Festival had finished. “It is an isolated incident,” a…

Madrid: An Iranian chess player who fled to Spain after she took part in an international tournament without the mandatory hijab said yesterday she is “not myself” when she wears the headscarf. In December Sara Khadem, 25, appeared without a hijab – which is compulsory for women under Iranian law – at the International Chess Federation (FIDE) World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Her action was seen by some as a show of support for the protests that have gripped Iran since the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22. Amini had been arrested by Tehran morality police for an alleged breach of the country’s strict dress code for women. In an interview published yesterday in Spanish newspaper El Pais, Khadem said that before the…

The Competition Commission says they are keeping a keen eye on price gouging and fixing in the solar-energy sector and has urged businesses and consumers who are going off the grid to report incidents to them. South Africans with the means to do so are exploring solar or alternative energy as the crisis at Eskom deepens and an 18.65% tariff increase granted by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to the power utility will lead to the cost of electricity increasing. In a system update yesterday, Eskom said the October 2022 failure of the chimney system at the Kusile Power Station was the major cause of the elevated stages of load shedding. It said it was working with the government to acquire additional generation capacity from existing…

THE SA Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu) – a labour union representing medical practitioners – is planning marches in four provinces to bring attention to the plight of unemployed doctors. The marches are to be held on Thursday, in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and Free State. However, the National Department of Health said the planned protest marches by Samatu were unprotected. Samatu secretary-general Dr Cedric Sihlangu was adamant yesterday that the marches would go ahead. “We have qualified doctors sitting at home. This is not acceptable, they have completed their five-year internship and two years’ community service and need to be employed,” Sihlangu said. Sihlangu challenged the department to act. “We have health-care facilities across South Africa where they are operating on skeleton staff. There is a huge need…

Given our history, we cannot abandon our attempts to help the people of Chatsworth. My question is: Where are our councillors when our people need them most? It seems they have no passion for their jobs. The DA is all talk but no action. This is an injustice. In so many areas in Chatsworth, the street lights are not working, there are potholes, water outages, litter ... the list goes on and on. This is of great concern. The principles of Batho Pele have been thrown out of the window. The hope for a better life for all has faded. Our levels of inequality have widened and people are stifled by the many challenges they have to overcome. Our people need to change their mindset. At the moment, the…

Two extremely interesting letters were published in The Mercury last week on January 19 and 20 respectively, from VA Volker and Ebrahim Essa. Both these gentlemen point out that the reasons for all our present woes, being inflation, global warming, food shortages, wars, land invasions, racist prejudices, etc, all stem from the fact that there are just too many people living on this planet. This should be glaringly obvious to one and all, and yet the issue is always overlooked or sidestepped. Instead of building small, strong families, more and more babies are being born to children, some as young as 10 years old, who have no hope of giving their offspring a happy, fulfilling life. All they can look forward to is a life of poverty, suffering and…

The law is about to get tough on white-collar crimes. Intelligence experts have said the focus has been shifted to professionals who have managed to evade the law because of a lack of regulation. This week, the SA Revenue Service (Sars) said they noted an increase in crimes, from false refund claims for VAT and PAYE to non-payment of taxes and customs offences. They revealed that their Criminal Investigations Unit was currently investigating close to 800 cases. In all, 173 dockets had been delivered to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) last year, with more than 400 cases currently in the trial phase. In a case at the Bellville Commercial Crimes Court this month, the former chief financial officer of one of the biggest jewellery wholesalers and distributors of gold and…

As some provinces experience hot temperatures, pet owners have been urged to take extra care of their animals. Pet owners have been urged not to walk their dogs between midday and 4pm, either along the beach or on concrete pavements. In addition, they should not be left outside unattended and exposed to the sun. Cape of Good Hope SPCA spokesperson Marisol Gutierrez said many pet owners were unaware that excessive heat is dangerous for both cats and dogs, and can kill animals. “Pet owners must be extra cautious as summer temperatures are potentially dangerous for pets. Keep animals cool, ensure free access to cool drinking water at all times and avoid walking dogs during the hottest times of the day. Never leave pets in a car, even if the windows…

SANParks ranger, Joe Nkuna, who was trampled by an elephant at the Kruger National Park (KNP), is recovering well in hospital. Nkuna, 57, was on patrol with his colleagues at the park in December when a breeding herd of elephants crossed the road in front of them. He was hospitalised on December 20 after he was charged by one of the elephants at the Pretoriuskop section of the park. Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy visited Nkuna in hospital on Saturday, where she said he was well on the road to recovery. SANParks said Nkuna was in the Intensive Care Unit at a private hospital in Joburg. “The medical team is pleased with his progress and is excited that he will be starting physiotherapy soon,” SANParks said.…

A WOMAN died after her vehicle plummeted down Voelklip in Herolds Bay in the Western Cape. The woman was one of two victims in just a week, who died along the private stretch of road on Friday. Earlier this week, the body of a 65-year-old man, believed to be from Mossel Bay was found in the sea below. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie confirmed the incident, saying a passer-by noticed tracks that left the gravel roadway. “The discovery of the body of a deceased woman was made by a motorcycle rider who was driving on the Voëlklip gravel road at about 12.15pm on Friday. “Witness report suggests that the rider was driving on the gravel road when he noticed vehicle track marks on the first sharp bend, indicating that a vehicle…

While the 80.1% matric pass rate gives us a real reason to celebrate, the excessively high dropout rate is very concerning for the future. The announcement of the improved matric pass rate has sparked widespread celebrations. This is particularly important since the 2022 matrics had to overcome tremendous odds, including Covid-19 lockdowns and devastating floods. The worsening economic situation and rolling blackouts mean that the matric class of 2022 had to contend with difficult situations at home. All of this makes their achievement truly inspiring and remarkable. However, while we celebrate, we should not be blind to the fact that the dropout rate for the 2022 matric class was 31.8%, which translates to 337 364 learners. The real concern here is that the learners who drop out of the…

Stockholm: Sweden’s prime minister has condemned as “deeply disrespectful” the burning of a Qur’an in Stockholm, which has raised tensions with Turkey as the Nordic country courts Ankara over its Nato bid. Far-right politician Rasmus Paludan set fire to a copy of the Muslim holy book in front of Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm. Furious that Paludan had been permitted to do so, Ankara cancelled a visit by Sweden’s defence minister and summoned Stockholm’s ambassador. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson tweeted: “To many burning holy books is a deeply disrespectful act. I sympathise with offended Muslims.” On Saturday, protesters burnt a Swedish flag at the Swedish consulate in Istanbul. | AFP…

Brazil and Argentina will announce this week that they are starting preparatory work on a common currency, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The plan, set to be discussed at a summit in Buenos Aires, will focus on how a new currency which Brazil suggests calling the “sur” (south) could boost regional trade and reduce reliance on the US dollar, FT reported citing officials. “There will be … a decision to start studying the parameters needed for a common currency, from fiscal issues to the size of the economy and the role of central banks,” said Argentina’s economy minister Sergio Massa. Initially starting as a bilateral project it would later be extended to invite other Latin American nations. | Reuters…

At least five people were injured in a blast yesterday at the gates of the mayor’s office in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu and gunfire sounded, an ambulance man and a witness said. Somalia’s Islamist group al-Shabaab claimed the attack. Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of Aamin Ambulance Services, said ambulance staff had evacuated five injured people from the scene of the blast. Gunfire was still ongoing in the area, he said. “We were deafened by a blast, we ran out, gunfire followed,” said Farah Abdullahi, who works in the mayor’s office, located in a well guarded area of Mogadishu. Roads in the area have concrete barriers and multiple roadblocks. The building is about 1.5km away from Villa Somalia, the president’s office. Security forces put the area under lockdown but an exchange of gunfire…

New Zealand’s incoming prime minister Chris Hipkins criticised the “abhorrent” treatment endured by Jacinda Ardern and yesterday vowed to shield his own family, three days after her shock resignation. Hours after being unanimously endorsed by Labour Party MPs as the party’s leader and the nation’s next prime minister, Hipkins attacked the personal abuse suffered by Ardern during her more than five years in the top job. Ardern sparked a national debate about the pressures she faced when she revealed on Thursday that she was stepping down just nine months before the October 14 general elections, saying she no longer had “enough in the tank”. Politicians and other public figures have lined up to criticise the “vitriol” Ardern was subjected to as prime minister, notably on social media, although she did…