Table of contents for 2023-05-09 in Mercury

With less than 60 days to adhere to a court ruling to ensure public health-care facilities, schools and police stations are exempted/protected from load shedding, the Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan, has opted to lodge an “urgent appeal” to set aside the ruling due to the risk on the country’s grid. The judgment, which ordered the uninterrupted electricity supply for all public health-care facilities, schools and police stations, was handed down by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on Friday but has been criticised by government and energy analysts for its nearly impossible implementation. The overwhelming sentiment was that even if government and Eskom were able to adhere to the ruling, the risk of a national blackout would become severely higher and would come at a staggering cost to Eskom and…

THE damsels of the Street Shelter for the Over-Forties have been twanging out a lament on their knicker elastic following the Sharks’ dismal showing against Leinster. To be sure, it’s difficult to explain. You get as far as the URL quarter-finals – Yay! – and then the battery goes flat. Okay, some key players were missing, but that’s rugby, it happens. We need the reserve strength plus the spirit to prevail, whatever. But môre is nog ’n dag, gals. Soon enough John Plumtree will be back as coach, where he belongs. En dan sal die poppe dans! Unique generation A SOMEWHAT triumphalist formulation comes this way for those of us of, er, mature years. “We were born in the 40s – 50s – 60s. “We grew up in the…

The IFP in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature reiterates its call that, as per the Constitution, government institutions must “promote and create conditions for, the development and use of sign language”, by employing sign language interpreters, where reasonably practicable. We welcome the decision to make sign language the 12th official language in the country, considering that South Africa’s deaf community consists of more than 4 million deaf and hard-of-hearing people. As such, the IFP is of the view that the government should consider the importance of having sign language interpreters in public institutions such as police stations, hospitals, clinics, courts, and that paramedics and social workers should have access to them. We also implore the private sector to consider programmes to introduce their staff to basic sign language. If we are to…

THE delay in appointing the board of the SABC has come back to haunt the public broadcaster as the entity could not finalise and submit its corporate plan to Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele in time for submission to Parliament. It has now emerged that Gungubele wrote to Parliament requesting to be granted an extension to submit the corporate plan and annual performance plan for the broadcaster. Gungubele made the request in a letter to National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and National Council of Provinces chairperson Amos Masondo. In terms of the Public Finance Management Act, the SABC board is required to submit its corporate plan and budget for 2023-24 to 2025-26 to Gungubele and National Treasury at least one month before the start of the financial year,…

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has rebuked assertions he should vacate his post due to the dismal showing of the department. Last week, the office of the auditor-general (AG) made a presentation before Parliament’s public enterprises portfolio committee where they criticised the department amid the decline of state-owned entities (SOEs). One of the key issues mentioned by the AG was that the department was saying the state was cracking down on the vandalism of infrastructure, but the situation was getting worse. The annual performance plans of public enterprises must be aligned to their mandate and objectives, the office of the AG said. Following the presentation, the DA’s Ghaleb Cachalia called for Gordhan to “resign with immediate effect”. “Despite casting himself as an anti-corruption crusader who was going to clean up…

Political experts say the ANC has not heeded the advice and warnings of former president Thabo Mbeki after it said it intended to use its majority to block the establishment of an ad hoc committee to provide oversight on the work of the Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. Last week, the DA tabled a draft resolution at a mini-plenary session calling for an ad hoc committee to be established, but ANC deputy chief whip Doris Dlakude said such a parliamentary committee was not necessary. The ANC said it would not support the resolution when it was put to the vote later this month. In March, Mbeki sent a 17-page letter to ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile questioning why the ANC had consistently blocked any parliamentary probe into the Phala Phala scandal…

AN advocate appearing for two of the accused in the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial told the former soccer star’s best friend that he would show the court that there were no intruders in the house on the night Meyiwa was killed, and that those who were present, got together to fabricate the story. Mthokozisi Thwala was yesterday grilled in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, about what happened prior and after Meyiwa was shot at his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo’s home in Vosloorus on October 26, 2014. Defence advocate Sipho Ramosepele told Thwala: “I put it to you that it is a fabricated story … There were no robbers in the house.” He accused Thwala of having several versions about what happened that night. He said the version given in court by…

LET ME first take this opportunity to congratulate you and your families for reaching this milestone, a pinnacle of your studies by reaching matric. When you began your schooling 12 or so years ago, this day was a distant dream and today it is a reality. Congratulations! It has come to this. Allow me to begin with familiar words from Marianne Williamson. We have heard and read them so many times, but they are worth repeating: Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your…

“Istanbul!” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shouted to the sea of supporters he gathered for a show-of-force rally ahead of next Sunday’s election – the toughest of his two-decade rule. “If you say okay, we will win for sure!” The masses were packed shoulder-to-shoulder across the tarmac of Istanbul’s old Ataturk airport at the weekend – a tidal wave of Turkish flags and banners with the 69-year-old president’s face. Erdogan was the mayor of this city before leading his Islamic-rooted party to power and ending half a century of secular rule in the mostly Muslim but officially secular state. The loss of Istanbul to the opposition in 2019 mayoral elections cracked Erdogan’s aura of invincibility and sounded the first warning bell for the approaching vote. The latest polls suggest that Erdogan…

The death toll from floods that devastated two villages in east Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last week has more than doubled to 401, the provincial governor said yesterday, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in the country’s recent history. More bodies were being recovered yesterday, adding to the scores of others wrapped in bags and piled into mass graves over the weekend, local civil society sources said. The villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi in Kalehe territory, South Kivu province, were inundated on Thursday after days of torrential rain triggered landslides and caused rivers to break their banks. The central government in Kinshasa has not yet communicated a death toll. It declared yesterday a day of national mourning. | Reuters…

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has condemned a “shootout” involving Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) officials delivering humanitarian aid in Myanmar. It was unclear who was behind the incident in Hsi Hseng township in the western Shan State. Myanmar has been trapped in violence and economic turmoil since the military in 2021 overthrew an elected government and launched a brutal campaign to crush dissent. Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, allied with the anti-junta militias,said it was not involved in the incident. Indonesia has for months been engaging the Myanmar junta, shadow government and armed ethnic groups to kick-start a peace process. | Reuters…

Canberra: Millions of Australians will receive rebates from their energy bills under a cost of living relief package. Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced the federal budget for 2023-24, which he will hand down today, will include about 1.5 billion Australian dollars (about R18.6bn) to subsidise the energy bills of pensioners, welfare recipients and small businesses. Chalmers also said the budget would include changes to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax paid by oil and gas companies on their offshore liquefied natural gas projects. The changes are expected to yield an additional 2.4 billion Australian dollars. | IANS…

Africa’s Travel Indaba kicked off yesterday with acting CEO for Tourism KwaZulu-Natal Nhlanhla Khumalo saying he was encouraged by the hundreds of international delegates from key tourist source countries who were expected at the event. Tourism KwaZulu-Natal said that there were 91 buyers from the US, 47 buyers from India, 42 buyers from the UK, 22 from Australia, 19 from Germany, 18 from France and 16 from Brazil. Khumalo said the Indaba provided a platform to showcase the province’s tourism offerings to international buyers and the media. “We are also creating job opportunities for young people as we employed 40 unemployed graduates as ambassadors to assist delegates for the duration of Africa’s Travel Indaba. They will also assist law enforcement to ensure the safety of delegates.” Khumalo added that…

The eThekwini Metro has rejected proposals that could lead to it losing strategic portions of land which include King Shaka International Airport and the industrial area of Cato Ridge to neighbouring municipalities. If the proposals get the green light, the airport would fall under KwaDukuza Municipality, while Cato Ridge would be incorporated into the uMgungundlovu District Municipality. The position by the City to reject the proposals was first expressed at its executive committee level and was confirmed at the full council’s last sitting. The report comes after the Municipal Demarcation Board called for public comment on a range of proposals regarding changes to municipal boundaries across the country. In the report tabled at the council sitting last month, eThekwini contended that the move, if approved, would take away a sizeable…

In recent years, the practice of coalitions of convenience has become increasingly prevalent in local government, especially since the ANC is fast losing its majority in most municipalities. In essence, this means that political parties form alliances based on necessity rather than shared values or principles. One of the unfortunate outcomes of the approach is that it often leads to weak councillors with no experience becoming mayors, as has been the case in the Johannesburg Metro. This is in stark contrast to my experience when I became a councillor during the transitional phase of local government in 1993. Back then, only the most experienced leaders were entrusted with the role of mayor. The mayors were seen as the first citizens of the city and were responsible for leading a team…

I don’t like Russian President Vladimir Putin. He launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine, killing thousands of soldiers and civilians since the start of his invasion in February last year. The reason for the attack? He didn’t want an unfriendly neighbour aligned to the West. He wanted to bring Ukraine back into the Russian fold. His stockpile of nuclear weapons has given him a sense of security, knowing that the West wouldn’t get directly involved in the Ukraine conflict and risk a nuclear war with Russia. There is no justification for the brutal war against an innocent country and the war-mongering dictator could be charged for atrocious war crimes at the end of the Ukraine war. The International Crminal Court (ICC) has issued a warrant of arrest for Putin. The…

Disbarred from being an advocate, Malesela Teffo, showed up in full robes at the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial last week. Teffo was disbarred in September last year by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, but this seemingly did not deter him from appearing in court last week and requesting to speak with the judge in the Meyiwa matter. Teffo pitched up at court dressed in his robes and insisted on speaking to Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela in chambers. He also called a “media briefing”, during which he said President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Cabinet “have an interest in the Senzo case”. But the Legal Practice Council (LPC) – the watchdog over the legal profession that had him disbarred – said it was going to take action against him. LPC spokesperson Kabelo Mabalane…

An Eastern Cape man who won more than R20 million in the Lotto Plus 1 jackpot said he was in absolute disbelief when he found out. The man, who played via quick-pick on the Standard Bank app, was stunned when he received the call to say he had won. He won R20 995 899 from the May 3 draw. The winner, who works as a sales representative, told Ithuba: “I was in complete disbelief when I was informed I had won the jackpot. I kept on checking the numbers and the Standard Bank SMS notification. “I phoned my wife to tell her the big news. I also didn’t waste any time, and I went straight to the Ithuba office to confirm that I had indeed won.” The winner said he…

The astute observations of a KwaZulu- Natal primary school teacher have led to the arrest and conviction of a man who raped a 12-year-old girl. The Madadeni Regional Court in Newcastle sentenced Mandlenkosi Ace Jiyane to life imprisonment on May 5. KZN provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Jiyane was convicted for the rape of a 12-year-old girl at Section 3 in Madadeni on October 19, 2020. “The girl’s teacher had noticed that something was wrong with her and, with the involvement of her parents, the girl spoke of her rape ordeal at the hands of Jiyane, 46, who was duly arrested,” he said. Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant- General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi applauded the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) officers for their meticulous investigations which secured…

The five countries have maintained stable monetary policies and can issue treasury bonds IT HAS been 29 days since I landed at Shanghai Airport to continue with unfinished work at Zhejiang University International Business School (ZIBS), where I was a visiting professor in 2019. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns put paid to returning to ZIBS in 2020 and 2021. Arriving at the campus in Haining in Zhejiang Province, I was met with a new environment. Now, in 26 more days, or as my granddaughter, Lolwethu (or Lolu for short) keeps reminding me every day how many more sleeps before I return home. I miss my three grandchildren, and especially Lolu. As I prepare to return home, I must think about buying gifts. I thought about the Duty-Free shop…

IF ANYTHING, the Minister of Electricity has proven to be nothing more than just a public relations stunt. Saturday marked exactly three months since the appointment of Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as the country’s electricity minister. His primary role was to drive the government’s programme of significantly reducing the “severity and frequency of load shedding as a matter of urgency” and to expedite the government’s work to ensure the full implementation of the Energy Action Plan. In nearly 100 days in office, Ramokgopa appears to be nowhere closer to that goal. Just yesterday Eskom announced another severe Stage 6 load-shedding bout, warning that this was anticipated to persist throughout the week as a result of the failure of additional generating units and the delay of several units to return to service. In…

Sudanese are pinning their hopes on talks in Saudi Arabia between envoys of the warring factions to end the bloodshed that has killed hundreds and triggered a mass exodus, but there is no sign lasting relief will come anytime soon. There has been no word on progress in the talks which began on Saturday between the army and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah. The combatants have said they would only try to tackle humanitarian issues like safe passage, not an end to the war. Numerous ceasefires have been violated since the conflict erupted on April 15. The sound of air strikes and clashes echoed anew across the capital Khartoum yesterday, witnesses said. “If the Jeddah negotiations fail to stop the…

Harare: Prominent Zimbabwean novelist Tsitsi Dangarembga, 64, yesterday won an appeal against an “inciting violence” conviction she received for staging a silent protest. The award-winning author and film-maker was given a Z$70 000 (about R3 600) fine and a six-month suspended sentence last year over the small demonstration when she held up a sign calling for reform. A High Court in Harare yesterday overturned the verdict saying that it was erroneously reached. She was arrested in July 2020 as she walked the streets of Harare with a placard reading: “We want better – reform our institutions.” | AFP…

Tehran: Iran yesterday executed two people convicted over desecrating the Qur’an and insulting the Prophet Muhammad, the judiciary said. Sadrollah Fazeli Zare and Youssef Mehrdad were hanged. In March 2021, one of the accused had purportedly confessed during a court session to publishing content on his social media account admitting to the insults committed. The pair were also accused of administering social media channels and groups that promoted atheism and insulted Islamic “sanctities”. Iran hanged 75% more people in 2022 than the previous year, two rights groups said in April. At least 582 people were executed. | AFP…

Washington: Nasa launched two small satellites designed to track tropical cyclones hour by hour from a base in New Zealand yesterday in a project that could improve weather predictions on devastating storms. The new storm trackers, sent into orbit on a rocket built by US company Rocket Lab, can fly over hurricanes (or typhoons in the Pacific) every hour, compared to every six hours with current satellites. Researchers will be able to see storms evolve on an hourly basis. The information gathered on rainfall, temperature and humidity could help scientists determine where a hurricane will make landfall and how intense it will be, helping better prepare for evacuations. | AFP…

A host of senior United Rugby Championship players could return to their Currie Cup teams to provide more impetus to the competition. After being dumped out of the URC playoffs by the Stormers and Leinster, respectively, the Blue Bulls and Sharks can call on their big-name players to help them push for a semi-final spot in South Africa's premier domestic competition. It’s especially the Bulls who need all the help they can get as they have lost twice in a row in the Currie Cup and have been slipping down the standings. They second from bottom after only winning three of their nine matches. The Sharks on the other hand have been doing quite well without their senior players and have managed to stay among the top four sides. They…

HEAVY-DUTY plant equipment belonging to the eThekwini Municipality has been “parked-off” on the Bluff for the past six months allegedly because a municipal official lost the key to the vehicle. The equipment is believed to be managed by City Fleet. The revelations have stunned opposition party councillors who have labelled it as another waste of City resources and called on those involved to face disciplinary action. The Mercury has seen internal social media communication between City officials about the matter. In one text, an official warns about the embarrassment that would occur should the circumstances of this vehicle be made public. One of the messages explains that the equipment was parked off on the Bluff allegedly because the key for it was lost. The message questioned why a locksmith was…

Things to try for a few days in the hopes you will soon see they are lifestyle habits worthy of developing: Plan your day. Plan who you will seek to empower and encourage. Write down (using a pencil and paper) a few ideas about how you will empower others, no matter your station in life. Oddly, the more you plan, the more you will allow for a serendipitous life. Besides, getting yourself ready for a great day will sharpen your eyes to recognise when great days come your way. Plan your day as if planning a great day is within your power to do. Write a few notes to yourself about how much money you will spend, and how much you will try to save. Plan what and who you…

Is the silence of The Mercury concerning fossil fuel energy discoveries off the Namibian coast and the Orange River Basin, part of the narrative that the Green energy/renewables lobby maintains on such discoveries? James Lorimer, writing in the Daily Friend, says two new oil wells of vast potential off the Namibian coast rate among the most-promising fossil fuel sources anywhere in the world. Further south, in what is called the Orange River Basin, off the Northern Cape, an oilfield there has an estimated capacity of 10 billion barrels. The other bonanza of the area is the existence of a vast gas resource estimated at 50 trillion feet in capacity which could generate 1 000 megawatts for 25 years. Besides the significant employ ment opportunities possible from the exploitation of the…

KATLEGO Bereng’s funeral was finally held at the weekend, with mourners paying tribute to the soccer fanatic. While the media had initially named him as Bereng-Mpholo, the family confirmed his surname was Bereng. Bereng, the father of two young children, was described as a loving person, a leader and a vibrant singer by mourners who gathered at the Leslie Monnanyane Hall in Rocklands, Bloemfontein, on Sunday. His inconsolable mother, Monica Matsie, wept for most of the funeral; she reached for his photograph and embraced it. “Since March 2022, I have been searching for you; we went to the police station looking for you. I am heartbroken. Katlego was a good child who was well-behaved. I love you, my son,” said Matsie, in a moving tribute. Bereng’s charred body was found…

Frustrated with what they call “extreme delays” at the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), a South African/Chinese couple took to social media to cast a spotlight on a five-year wait for them to live together as a family. The DHA hit back, saying it was only able to resume permanent residence applications in 2022 after Covid-19 travel restrictions eased globally. But this is of little to no comfort to the couple, who were married in South Africa in 2017 and are still living apart. Kraaifontein resident Francois Oosthuizen, 37, is separated from his husband and son, both of whom had to return to China late in 2019 because of the delay in processing their permanent residence application. Oosthuizen said getting married was the easy part, what followed had been an…

WHILE the country’s only licence-printing machine is once again out of order, AfriForum is gearing-up for its legal challenge in August, which deals with the expiry of driving licence cards. According to the Department of Transport, the machine broke down due to a technical problem that required a part to be replaced by the original manufacturer. AfriForum will be in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on August 7 and 8 to demand a declaratory order stating that the five-year validity period of driving licences is unconstitutional. It will also ask that all fines issued for expired licences be declared unconstitutional. According to Ernst van Zyl, campaign officer for strategy and content at AfriForum, the least the government could do was to grant a grace period to those who are…

Legislation has been proposed to regulate companies dealing in cryptocurrency, namely Crypto Asset Service Providers. However, the legislative process will have to wait until after next year’s elections. The move was announced at last week’s Crypto Variable summit in Cape Town. DA Western Cape provincial spokesperson on Finance, Economic Opportunities and Tourism Cayla Murray said: “With multiple recent international financial scandals involving crypto companies, the need for such legislation has become clear.” She said if South Africa were to escape its Financial Action Task Force grey list status, it was crucial that the new wave of financial service providers related to crypto were properly regulated. Murray’s remarks come on the heels of a declaration by the Western Cape High Court that Stellenbosch-based Bitcoin firm Mirror Trading International (MTI) is…

Nobody likes to talk about it because we all feel holier than thou, but the anti-gay laws in Uganda once more stink of just another infringement of basic human rights! Even in this technologically advanced “modern”world, hypocrisy thrives. Religious leaders continue quoting holy books to prove that gay behaviour is an abominatiion. So what exactly do they do when faced with – God forbid – their own children born with this problem? Honour-killing? Most people learn from an early age to behave similarly to one another. We “all” want to get rich. We “all” hate work. We “all” love handsome boys. Beautiful girls . Except some. This normal primate behavioural rule may just meet up with exceptions. Call it a quirk. A quark. A lepton. Call it the God-particle.…

Russia launched its biggest swarm of drones for months against Ukraine yesterday, the eve of Russia’s May 9 holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany, which Kyiv marked a day earlier in a symbolic new break with Moscow. Kyiv’s mayor said Russia had fired 60 Iranian-made kamikaze drones at Ukrainian targets, including 36 at the capital, all of which had been shot down. Debris hit apartments and other buildings, injuring at least five people. A food warehouse was set ablaze by a missile in the Black Sea city of Odesa, where officials reported three people were injured. It was the biggest drone swarm yet in a renewed Russian air campaign unleashed 10 days ago after a lull since early March. Kyiv said Moscow was also making a final push to…

Indian security personnel are escorting back to their homes thousands of people who fled to temporary camps after rioting and ethnic clashes in the north-east that killed about 70 people last week, officials said yesterday. Fierce fighting broke out in the state of Manipur bordering Myanmar when members of about 30 tribal groups clashed with a non-tribal group, the ethnic majority Meitei, over the economic benefits and reservation status extended to some tribes. “We are trying to ensure villagers return to their homes as leaders from opposing sides have started holding peace talks,” said Lorho Pfoze, a member of parliament from the state. Civilians were taken home after the completion of operations near the border areas, a senior officer of the Indian Army said, adding that the dawn-to-dusk curfew was…

LONDON: King Charles thanked singers who performed at a coronation concert in his honour at Windsor Castle for a “great treat” as a long holiday weekend of celebrations drew to a close yesterday. Celebrations culminated in the Coronation Concert featuring singers including Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, as the royals joined a 20 000-strong audience at Windsor, the king’s palace to the west of London. In a surprise comedy sketch after the concert, Charles and Camilla interrupted Richie and Perry as they were relaying their experience of the weekend on TV show American Idol, on which the singers are judges. Charles asked Richie whether the singers will be there “all night long”, in reference to one of Richie’s hits. After a weekend of street parties and celebrations, yesterday, which was…

Copenhagen: Six crew members kidnapped by pirates last month from a Danish oil tanker off the Congo have been rescued from Nigeria, the ship’s owner said yesterday. The Liberian-flagged Monjasa Reformer had 16 sailors on board when it was attacked by pirates on March 25. When the 135m-long tanker was found by the French navy the following week off the coast of Sao Tome and Principe in the Gulf of Guinea, the remaining crew said six of their colleagues had been kidnapped. Monjasa did not specify if ransom was paid. Monjasa had previously said it had lost contact with the crew after pirates boarded the ship. | AFP…

As Manchester City plot a revenge mission against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals they can draw confidence from the presence of Erling Haaland as the major difference from when the teams met 12 months ago. City seemed set for a second consecutive final when they led 5-3 on aggregate heading into stoppage time of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu last season. But they were stunned by two goals in two minutes by Rodrygo before Karim Benzema’s penalty completed the comeback in extra-time as Real went on to lift the European Cup for a 14th time. A late defensive collapse was only part of the story. City also paid for not taking a series of chances to kill the tie off over both legs without a natural…