Table of contents for 2023-02-03 in Mercury

CONSULTING Engineers South Africa (Cesa) yesterday called on the government to commit to increased and informed spending on infrastructure as a key economic driver ahead of the State of the Nation Address (Sona) this month. Olu Soluade, president of Cesa, as he presented his theme “Make a Difference by Collaborating for Change” for 2023 at its presidential media address yesterday, said the government needed to overcome the current supply chain and procurement issues as well as the skills challenges the country faced. He said: “The pace at which this is happening needs to be accelerated when one considers the urgency needed.” Soluade added: “Cesa’s hope is that with the government’s focus on professionalising the State that we will start to see the right people with the requisite skills, experience…

The ANC will deploy some of its key national executive committee (NEC) members to dysfunctional municipalities so they can ensure speedy service delivery to communities. The announcement was made by the party’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula this week, following its lekgotla. Mbalula said in considering the improvement in the delivery of basic services and maintaining infrastructure, the lekgotla discussed that the ANC had adopted the “district development model” to enhance the speed and quality of service delivery. He said the model would be complemented by the re-establishment of local government forums. Mbalula said the lekgotla had directed him to establish a Delivery Command Centre in the secretary- general’s office. “The NEC further identified 42 priority municipalities, which require urgent action where, among others, service-delivery interventions must be expedited. To support this,…

Eager to please, the young man detailed our brunch choices and, after quite a wait, returned without the orders requested. That he was flustered and embarrassed was blatant and he rapidly returned the food to the kitchen. What finally came, despite another lengthy wait, was accurate beautifully presented and tasty. When it was time to pay, I added a healthy tip. This led to an interesting exchange. “No,” he resisted, “why would you leave a good tip when I got the wrong order and you had to wait.” And so it continued. “Please explain,” he said. The young man was in obvious pain, almost on the verge of tears, his confusion clearly melding with a history that predicted hostility and punishment and retribution in the wake of simple errors. I…

An unverified video of a young girl apparently belonging to the marginalised scheduled caste receiving a hiding for attempting to wash herself in a stream apparently reserved for the higher classes of Brahmin Hindus is not an event that surprises one. It’s been the norm for thousands of years in that subcontinent once made up of hundreds of separate “royal” kingdoms and more recently termed as a united India. What is more hurtful is the sheer lack of an outcry from diaspora Indians that once belonged to that same, low-category of discriminated people that emigrated from India for whatever reason, to go abroad either voluntarily or as indentured slaves to faraway places like the West Indies and South Africa. This deliberate forgetfulness is by no means a tragic trait that…

Postbank says cybercrime issues which affected social grant payouts in December are under investigation. It said the issues in December were due to glitches in its system, and trying to prevent cybersecurity breaches. It added it did not anticipate challenges this month with payments. “Postbank does not anticipate any challenges within our control that may impact the timeous payments of social grants during the upcoming grants payment period. The cause of Postbank’s grants payments system performance issues was the result of the security efforts to avert the cybercrime activity targeting our environment,” said Postbank spokesperson Bongani Diako. According to Postbank, progress had been made to upgrade security and the investigation of the cybercrime issues was ongoing. “Most of the beneficiaries have been paid and we are resolving any outstanding queries…

The South African Union of Students (SAUS) says the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (NSFAS) decision to release its funding decisions only after February 6 would cause further delays for first-time and returning students. The organisation expressed this concern this week when it briefed the media about the increase in allowances at tertiary institutions. This after Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande gave a breakdown on Tuesday of allowance increases for universities. “University managed self-catering students will receive a learning materials allowance to the value of R5 460, R16 500 per annum living allowance and accommodation allowance capped at R45 000. “Let me indicate that our living allowance increment across the board will be R1 650 per month, which is a 10% increment as compared to the 2022 figure. Students living…

While Parliament’s portfolio committee on public enterprises has welcomed the proposal to declare the ongoing rolling load shedding a state of national disaster to assist Eskom to manage the energy crisis, opposition members on the committee have reservations. Committee chairperson Khaya Magaxa (ANC) shared the committee’s view during a briefing from the department on progress made in addressing the auditor-general’s audit findings with respect to the department and its associated state-owned companies. However, in a separate statement committee member and Good Party MP Brett Herron described the electricity state of disaster as “theatre without substance”. “The ANC’s proposal to declare an electricity state of disaster reflects its desperation to appear to be doing something, anything, to create the impression it is nominally in control.” He said declaring a disaster would…

The Mthonjaneni Municipality in Melmoth has banned all trucks from travelling through the northern KwaZulu-Natal town. The municipality said in a statement that it had resolved in a recent council meeting, which was led by mayor Mbangiseni Biyela, to ban all trucks from using the Piet Retief, R66 and R34 roads that run through the area. It said this action came after complaints from community members about reckless and negligent driving and speeding by truck drivers. The municipality added that there had been three recent accidents on the R66 and all of them involved trucks, adding that a decision to ban trucks was the only resolution that could be taken. “It must be remembered that his worship the mayor in 2022 raised concerns regarding the ability of the road to…

Globally about a billion kids between 2 and 14 are subjected to physical punishment UNLESS you are defending yourself or someone else, hitting a stranger is assault, and assault is illegal. There is no question about it, and there are good reasons why that is so. People have the right to be treated with respect. Hitting someone not only causes physical pain – it is degrading. That’s also why only a few countries use the infliction of physical pain as punishment. When reading news articles about countries caning people for vandalism or stealing, most of us react with indignation: “How barbaric and backward!” We are sick and tired of violence. Humanity has seen too much of it, and hardly ever has it done any good. Violence should be the last…

Ukraine urged the EU yesterday to impose more sanctions on Moscow, as some of the bloc’s top officials visited Kyiv in a show of solidarity that offered no quick path to membership during Russia’s invasion. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen led a delegation of more than a dozen officials that promised military, financial and political aid before the first anniversary of the February 24 invasion. Von der Leyen met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy after her arrival, and the two leaders will hold a summit today with Charles Michel, chairperson of the EU’s 27 national leaders. The West stepped up pledges to deliver more arms to Ukraine in January. But, unwilling to admit a country at war, the EU is set to dash Ukraine’s hopes of being swiftly allowed…

NORTH Korea said yesterday that drills by the US and its allies have reached an “extreme red line” and threaten to turn the peninsula into a “huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone”. According to the Foreign Ministry statement, Pyongyang was not interested in dialogue as long as Washington pursues hostile policies. It cited a visit to Seoul this week by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, who, with his South Korean counterpart vowed to expand military drills and deploy more “strategic assets” such as aircraft carriers and long-range bombers to counter North Korea’s weapons development and prevent a war. The US has pushed to expand military, political, and economic ties across Asia. In Manila yesterday, Austin and his counterpart there announced that the Philippines had granted the US…

Brussels: The European Parliament yesterday lifted the immunity of two MPs targeted in a Belgian probe into suspected bribery linked to Qatar and Morocco. The vote stripping Belgian MEP Marc Tarabella and Italian MEP Andrea Cozzolino of their protection from prosecution followed a demand by Belgian authorities, who have four people in custody. The Belgian probe saw police raid European Parliament MEPs, ex-MEPs and parliamentary aides that turned up €1.5 million. Belgium suspects them of involvement in a bribery scheme in which Qatar and Morocco allegedly funnelled money through NGOs to influence decisions by the European Parliament. | AFP…

THE RAND rallied to a two-week high against the US dollar yesterday as the greenback fell to its lowest levels in more than nine months after the US Federal Reserve (Fed) rates decision ignited hopes that its tightening cycle may be nearing its end. The domestic currency lifted by more than 1% to dip below R17 to R16.97 against the dollar at 3.30pm, its strongest since January 16, having closed around R17.15 to the dollar on Wednesday on a terrible week for the rand as it nearly touched R17.50 on Tuesday. As expected, the US Fed delivered a smaller 25 basis point rate hike to take the range between 4.5% to 4.75% per annum, its highest since October 2007. Fed chairperson Jerome Powell delivered a message that acknowledged the stabilisation…

SA TOURISM acting chief executive Themba Khumalo has defended the move to target international football fans through a reported R1 billion sponsorship deal with English Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur. An impassioned Khumalo addressed journalists yesterday, where he stated that the agency had only one mandate – to promote tourism. He appreciated the media for showing interest in the tourism sector and holding leaders accountable, but refused to confirm the amount involved in the deal with the North London club. “We are under confidentiality; so I can’t go too deep into some of the details there. I can neither confirm nor deny that the numbers that are in the public domain are true.” Khumalo said SA Tourism had not yet signed a contract. “We obtained conditional board approval for the…

Opposition parties in eThekwini say that the outcome of today’s council meeting, where a deputy mayor and council whip are set to be elected, will set the tone for future engagements between the ANC and the parties that want to remove it. Yesterday, the municipality confirmed that eThekwini Speaker Thabani Nyawose had called a special council meeting as a continuation of the meeting that was adjourned from Thursday last week. “It is being reconvened with the purpose of filling the office bearers’ vacancies that exist in the municipal council. These include an executive committee member, deputy mayor and whip of council,” said the statement. For the deputy mayor position, it is expected that the name of an EFF councillor will be put forward with the backing of the ANC, along…

The headline on page 1 of The Mercury (February 1) underlines the sad state of affairs regarding the attention to maintenance and repairs of one of our most precious resources – water. For years I have witnessed leakages in our neighbourhood alone, from burst water pipes underground, go unattended for days or even weeks, even after numerous calls have been made requesting urgent repairs to them. This while we are being informed, in a sanctimonious manner, what a precious resource water is. And another concern seems to be that multiple crews are then sent out to attend to the same problem. We are curtly informed that the reason for this is that too many people report the same fault. My response to this is twofold. Firstly, if we don’t report…

Amid the gloom, doom and never-ending load shedding, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. I was impressed with the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital, on my first visit to this magnificent structure, on Sunday, to see a relative. From the security to the reception area, it was courtesy par excellence. The neat and spacious waiting rooms and wards were a welcome sight to behold. One just hopes that this healing centre on the periphery of KwaMashu and Phoenix remains a beacon of hope for the future.…

The police ministry has to cough up R300 000 plus interest after a foreign national was unlawfully arrested and detained on allegations that he had produced false documentation when trying to get a new SIM card. Geophonse Mabiala, a Congolese man employed as a fire marshal on a valid asylum seeker temporary permit, was awarded the order in the Western Cape High Court. Mabiala has lived in South Africa since 2004. On June 11, 2013, he had attempted to do a SIM swop for his phone, and had gone to an SAPS kiosk to obtain an affidavit. But during this process, an officer believed Mabiala might have been an illegal immigrant, and he wanted to verify his documentation. Mabiala then discovered that he had left his permit at home.…

A Doctors Without Borders (MSF) employee, caught on camera at the scene of a looting incident in KwaZulu-Natal, has been granted bail. Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala confirmed that two people appeared in the Melmoth Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday in connection with the matter. They were granted bail of R1 000 bail. She added that the matter was postponed until March 6. Gwala said police were investigating charges of theft out of motor vehicle, robbery and looting after a meat-carrying truck was looted on January 19. “The truck suffered a mechanical breakdown in Ndundulu in Melmoth. “Suddenly, a group of unknown suspects, armed with a knife and a four-pound hammer, allegedly forced the padlock open. They took meat and loaded it in their vehicles. Two suspects, aged 40 and…

THE Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) yesterday expressed its concern that the Home Affairs portfolio committee deferred the discussion on the submissions made on the Electoral Amendment Bill to next week. The committee was meant to discuss submissions today, but allowed parties to consult their caucuses on the bill that will provide for independent candidates to contest elections in Parliament and provincial legislatures. IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said they wanted to obtain clarity as to what the impact would be on the proceedings to be finalised next Tuesday. “It is absolutely critical, as the minister indicated, and we do think it is important for all of us to avoid another delay. We are anxious that finality is had,” Moepya said. Committee chairperson Mosa Chabane said they agreed there was…

The deadline for South African businesses to sign up for the roll-out of the four-day work week has closed, with 29 businesses set to begin their reduced working week on March 1 for the next six months. Companies participating include social housing giant Communicare and Tax Ladies. Karen Lowe, director of 4 Day Week SA, said there would be a four-week intensive programme to get participants ready for the start on March 1 and the trial would run for six months, guided by experts at the global entity conducting trials around the world – 4 Day Week Global. The trial was underpinned by research conducted by Boston College and Stellenbosch Business School, which would be further conducted during and after the trial. Lowe said: “To have 29 companies joining…

With the financial year-end fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to open your heart and use a portion of your taxable income to help someone’s pathway off the streets. It may seem rare for a person experiencing several years of chronic homelessness coupled with progressively heavy substance addiction, to overcome and go on to become a lawyer. At U-turn Homeless Ministries, that’s a norm. I’m one of their many living testimonies – I used to sleep under bridges with a filled-up tik pipe as my only companion. But with U-turn, I managed to shrug all that off, soldiered on to an LLB and am now a candidate attorney at the Equal Education Law Centre. With your support, more people could leave the streets for good, and achieve even greater success…

Zimbabwe’s upper house of parliament has approved legislation that critics say will gag civil society groups, placing them under the threat of harsh sanctions and strict government control. The senate voted this week in favour of the Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill, which needs to be ratified by the president before passing into law. The text sailed through the country’s other chamber of parliament, the National Assembly, late last year. Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the law was a “necessary measure to improve the administration, accountability and transparency” of charities working in the country. He accused some of “directing money to favoured political parties”. Rights groups and opposition parties complain of an increased government clampdown on dissent as the country heads towards general elections later this year. The bill…

PESHAWAR: The suicide bomber who killed more than 100 people at a mosque in a police compound in the Pakistan city of Peshawar this week wore a police uniform and entered the high security area on a motorbike, a provincial police chief said yesterday. The bomber behind Monday’s attack had been identified as a member of a militant network, Moazzam Jah Ansari, police said. The bombing took place as hundreds of worshippers gathered for noon prayers at a mosque that was built for the police and their families. Pakistani officials say they suspect a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) called Jamat-ul-Ahrar was involved. | Reuters…

Nairobi: Kenyan police said yesterday that they had arrested six teachers over a viral video of primary school pupils simulating sex as punishment in an incident that caused an uproar. The footage showed four boys in school uniform simulating sexual acts under a tree in the school compound as the teachers watched. The six are heard chatting in the background of the 29-second clip and bursting into laughter as one shirtless child wipes tears from his face. Police said the clip “exposing school pupils in an indecent act” was recorded in Nyamache, a rural town, 300km from Nairobi. Six teachers, five women and a man, have been arrested, police said. | AFP…

WE have made it through the first month of 2023 with very little drama and quite a lot of fish being caught. The year is looking good! The summer heat has been vicious. The conditions have lined up beautifully for the flatfish and sharks, which most rock and surf anglers took advantage of this past week. The north coast has been the place to go to hunt your next personal best inedible. From the Umgeni River to the Mozambique border. The deepwater points and the beaches with broken sandbanks are your best choice for inedibles. The broken sandbanks allow the bigger fish passage through to the shallower areas to feed. Look for breaks in the waves and rip currents. These areas are hotspots for summer inedible action. The banks have…

A team of investigators has been established to probe the murders of four people at KwaMashu men’s hostel after 20 armed men stormed the property on Wednesday afternoon. During the shooting, five other people were wounded and were rushed to a local clinic. Kwanele Ncalane, spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Community Safety and Liaison, said the department was saddened by the incident and conveyed their condolences to the affected families. He said the department would work closely with law enforcement to help them bring the perpetrators to book. “There is currently a police task team that is investigating the incident. “To us, at the department, it is clear that those people were on a mission to kill. “We are still waiting for the investigation, but we are calling for…

A LOVELY song comes this way, its origins in a game of golf between actor Clint Eastwood and country and western singer Toby Keith. It’s called Don’t Let the Old Man In. I’d never heard it before, so why not share it? At one point Eastwood said to Keith: “I turn 88 on Monday.” “What are you going to do?” “I’m going to shoot a movie, with filming due to start the following week.” “What keeps you going?” “I get up every day and don’t let the Old Man in.” Keith went home and wrote a song, he sent it to Eastwood, asking if he would be interested. He was. I didn’t realise Eastwood could sing. Don’t let the Old Man in, I wanna leave this alone. Can’t leave it…

To my mind, we might be saddled with an inefficient ANC government for at least the next 18 months and possibly even thereafter with their involvement in a coalition arrangement. On my desk I have a flip calendar with the verse “Don’t find fault. Find a remedy.” It is in that spirit that I would like to make a suggestion. To my mind, the issue that is more important than all (if not most) other issues is the need to be able to provide guaranteed efficient and sufficient power 24 hours a day and seven days a week so as to enable the present and future industry to grow the economy and to encourage more internal and foreign investment to create more quality employment opportunities. Our present erratic power availa…

If there’s anyone you can lift your arms up to, it must be the auditor- general. She’s just one of the people in the government you can admire. Time and time again, the auditor-general has produced scathing reports on the municipalities in our country. With a few exceptions, they paint a grim picture of municipalities in shambolic disarray. Like crime, corruption, rape and murder in the country, it’s become a familiar story of graft, gross mismanagement, inefficiency and indifference. At the heart of the problem is cadre deployment. But the president of our country sees nothing wrong with cadre deployment. It is here to stay, he says. It’s good for the party; that’s all that matters. So what do you think the municipal officials do when the auditor- general gives…

A man who pretended to be a woman on Facebook and lured his victim to Melmoth where he kidnapped and raped her, has been sentenced to life and an additional eight years’ imprisonment. The Eshowe Regional Court in KwaZulu-Natal sentenced Bhekani Mlaba, 32, for the kidnapping, assault and rape of the woman in the Melmoth area between May and July 2019. Mlaba pretended on social media to be a woman and befriended his victim on Facebook, KZN National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said. “After speaking online for a while, the complainant confided in him, saying she was experiencing financial problems,” Ramkisson-Kara said. “Mlaba told her he would give her R10 000 to start her own business but she must travel to Melmoth to fetch the money. All their communication…

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) has announced its approval of a new oral drug for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 infections, reducing the chances of hospitalisation due to the virus. Last week, Sahpra said it had registered Paxlovid, an anti-viral medicine manufactured by Pfizer, for the treatment of Covid-19. Paxlovid consists of two separate medications, Nirmatrelvir (150mg) and Ritonavir (100mg), and is used for the treatment of mild to moderate Covid-19 in adults who do not require supplemental oxygen and who are at a high risk of severe disease, the drug regulatory body said in a statement. The treatment consists of tablets for a five-day regimen to be taken in the morning and evening. Some of the side-effects include hypersensitivity reactions, diarrhoea, vomiting and altered…

THE ANC in KwaZulu-Natal says it is encouraged by the “optimism” and “groundswell of support” ahead of the party’s provincial birthday celebration this Sunday. The governing party will hold its January 8 statement anniversary celebrations rally in Mpumalanga Stadium, Hammarsdale, where newly elected ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula will deliver the keynote address. The party’s provincial chairperson, Siboniso Duma, is also expected to outline the province’s action programme as part of its celebrations. ANC KZN spokesperson Mafika Mndebele said they expected a massive turnout for Sunday’s event as they had been garnering public support over the past days. “We are encouraged by the enthusiasm and the groundswell of support for the ANC. Thousands of ANC supporters and ordinary members of society will come together to draw inspiration from the departed great…

Israeli aircraft struck in Gaza yesterday in response to Palestinian rocket fire, days after the US called for calm, but there was no immediate sign of a wider escalation in violence following days of tension. With no reports of serious casualties, the exchange followed a familiar pattern that signalled neither side was seeking a wider conflict. Separately, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel, which collects taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA), would use 100 million shekels ($29 million) from PA funds to compensate victims of Palestinian militant attacks. There was no comment from the PA. The military said its air strikes targeted rocket and weapons production sites used by Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls the blockaded strip, in response to Wednesday’s rocket launch. Powerful explosions…

Pope Francis yesterday urged tens of thousands of young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)to work towards a better future and shun corruption in the deeply Catholic country, which is plagued by violence in its east. The 86-year-old pontiff arrived at Martyrs’ stadium in the capital, Kinshasa on his popemobile, offering blessings to an ecstatic crowd, who roared and danced in the stands. Young people started to flock to the 80 000-capacity stadium overnight. Yesterday, organisers put the size of the crowd at 65 000, on the third day of the Argentine’s visit to Africa’s biggest Catholic country. About 60% of the central African nation of roughly 100 million people are under the age of 20, according to UN figures. As well as conflict, young people face persistent…

London: The Bank of England (BoE) yesterday hiked its interest rate for a tenth time in a row as global authorities race to combat sky-high inflation. It also forecast a shallower-than-expected UK recession this year as the country faces a cost-of-living crisis. The BoE voted at a regular meeting to lift its key interest rate by a half-point to 4.0%, the highest level since late 2008. The hike was double the lift announced by the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday, while the European Central Bank was also set to raise its rate again yesterday. Policymakers voted 7-2 in favour of the rate increase, with a minority calling for no change. | AFP…

BANGKOK: Air pollution in Bangkok and neighbouring Thai provinces spiked past safe levels yesterday, prompting authorities to urge people to stay indoors and avoid strenuous outdoor activity. The concentration of small and hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 was at 14 times the level recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), making it the sixth-worst in the world, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality tracking platform. The country’s pollution control department said “stagnant weather conditions” were exacerbating vehicle emissions and seasonal fires on agricultural lands. Residents complained of poor visibility. | Reuters…

ORLANDO Pirates have their sights set on playing African football next season and to do that they need to end the season among the leaders. Pirates started the season on high, winning the MTN8 crown. But they struggled late last year and early this year in the DStv Premiership. However, the Sea Robbers have since turned the tide, winning their past three games in a row – although they remain out of the title race. The Bucs currently trail leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by 24 points, with only 12 games left to play in the season. So, with the title all but in cabinet at Chloorkop for a sixth successive term, teams such as Pirates are chasing second spot. And should Pirates achieve that finish, that would guarantee them a return…