Table of contents for 2023-09-18 in Mercury

ALTHOUGH public participation meetings were held on September 14 and 15 to discuss the Tubatse pumped storage scheme, Eskom said yesterday at the weekly implementation of the energy action plan briefing that the Tubatse pumped storage scheme was still in the development phase, so questions posed by Business Report could not be answered. To cope with the morning and evening peak demands, Eskom uses pumped storage schemes such as Ingula and expensive-to-run diesel-fueled Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OCGT). Pumped storage uses off-peak power to pump water to an upper dam and then releases this water to a lower dam to generate power during peak periods. OCGT use diesel to power turbines, but this is more than 20 times more expensive than coal-fired power. The commitment to “keep the lights on”…

Former Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane has been announced as the new co-host of the educational talk show, Daily Thetha. Mswane is set to make her debut appearance on the show on October 23, joining Mxolisi Masango. Daily Thetha is an edgy, audience-driven educational talk show that seeks to inspire the youth. “I am so elated to join the Daily Thetha team and have been warmly embraced by the entire team. Being on set the past couple of weeks has brought me great joy and knowledge,” said Mswane. She said the talk show enables the youth of South Africa to take charge of their lives where attitude is vital. “I’m grateful to SABC 1 and the Daily Thetha team for this wonderful opportunity and honoured to be trusted with this…

The process of appointing the Zulu traditional prime minister needs to be handled with care because it is one of the most influential positions in KwaZulu-Natal. Following the burial of long-serving Traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi this past weekend, several names have been bandied about as his successor in that role. Some of those suggested included members of the royal family and former KZN premier Dr Zweli Mkhize. Spokesperson for King Misuzulu, Prince Afrika Zulu, said while there had been speculation on the next traditional prime minister, the royal household was not focused on the matter. “We are still mourning the nation’s greatest prime minister, the monarch and the Buthelezi family deserve some respect, it is not right that people are already…

AT LEAST one person has died and another left with minor injuries owing to the impact of damaging swells caused by the spring tide at the weekend. The high tide battered several establishments along the Eastern and Western Cape coastline on Saturday, including restaurants and houses. Cape Town Disaster Risk Management Centre spokesperson, Charlotte Powell, said initial assessments indicated damage to garage doors of eight properties in the Bikini Beach area of Gordon’s Bay, as well as sand and debris across the affected areas. “The City’s solid waste department started with clean-up operations in Bikini Beach, while Traffic Services and Law Enforcement assisted with road closures. Reports of damage to the St James tidal pool have been received, with excessive sand and rocks being deposited in the passenger tunnels,”…

The ANC, led by, Cyril Ramaphosa, have failed to stabilise South Africa. The country will soon run out of money, ideas, vision, electrical energy and determination to extricate us from the morass that we are in. History reminds us that governance guided by ideology without any concern for moral outcomes is a dangerous and deadly trap. The humiliation suffered by 20 million Sassa grant pensioners this month will cost the ruling party its power to govern in 2024. South Africa is morally bankrupt, economically destroyed, politically comprised, while Mr Ramaphosa struts the world’s stage fully aware that our broken country is in intensive care. The past years have produced bungles, catastrophic failures and questionable decisions by those in power. The government has forfeited its moral authority to talk about corruption.…

Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has been laid to rest, let us remember his legacy, strongly influenced by his Christian belief. In 1970s he stood against apartheid, refusing the offer of a KwaZulu homeland. In the 1980s Buthelezi published an article calling for racial reconciliation based on shared Christian belief. He opposed economic sanctions and Marxist revolution. He refused the patriotic front alliance with the ANC, knowing it would lead to de facto one-party rule. He tried to negotiate at the KwaZulu-Natal indaba, sadly snubbed by the apartheid government. In the 1990s, he stood against abortion, and his political strongholds continued to resist it. He was faithful to one wife against the pressure of polygamous Zulu royal culture who wanted him to take more, an example at a time the state through…

Eleven suspects have appeared in the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo on charges of fraud relating to disability grants. The suspects aged between 38 and 61 were arrested following a sting operation in Tzaneen by the Hawks. Among the suspects are two former officials from the SA Social Security Agency (Sassa). The provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, Lieutenant-Colonel Matimba Maluleke, said the sting operation was conducted by the Serious Corruption Investigation team assisted by Sassa officials. In 2018, Maluleke said, the two former Sassa officials in their capacities as administration clerks allegedly recruited members of the public to apply for disability grants although they were not disabled. After the applications were successfully processed, the first few payments received would be given to the former Sassa officials as gratification. The unlawful…

KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza has condemned the murder of a teacher at her home in the Island area of Gamalakhe Township, on the KZN South Coast last week. The MEC conveyed her heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, pupils and colleagues of the deceased. The department said Mooi Mbili was a dedicated educator at Gamalakhe Lower Primary School. According to the department, it was reported that Mbili was last seen at the weekend with people who were assisting her with home renovations. “Regrettably, it is believed that she met her untimely demise on Monday night,” it said. The department said the teacher’s absence from school was noticed by the principal, who became concerned when she did not attend work or report any challenges she might be facing. “The…

The city of Durban has been selected as the host for the 19th World Water Conference taking place in 2025. EThekwini Municipality said that the conference would provide a significant boost to the local economy. The municipality said that city manager Musa Mbhele, who was in Beijing received the symbolic baton from the president of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), Li Yuanyuan and the Minister of Water Resources in Beijing, Li Guoying. Mbhele said this important event comes at a crucial time when the city and other parts of the country faced substantial water challenges. “We can confirm that the 2025 event in the city of Durban will be co-hosted with our partners in sub-Saharan Africa and the African continent as a whole, reinforcing our commitment to finding regional…

WHEN Eskom ramps up load shedding to stage 6, one wonders whether President Cyril Ramaphosa genuinely intended to tackle the power crisis with urgency, or it was a decision to make him look like he was doing something with the establishment of the Ministry of Electricity. Ramaphosa’s justification was that Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s “primary task will be to significantly reduce the severity and frequency of load shedding as a matter of urgency.” But Ramokgopa has failed in both tasks since his appointment in March. Data released by Load Shedding Notifier shows that South Africa has had more days of stage 6 load shedding in 2023 than in any other year, including days of stage 5 in 2022 and 2023 combined. Just a week ago, Eskom announced stage 5 and 6…

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Russia yesterday after a rare six-day visit that appeared to solidify his country’s ties with President Vladimir Putin, fanning Western fears that Pyongyang could provide Moscow with weapons for its assault on Ukraine. Kim’s tour of Russia’s far eastern region, which began on Tuesday last week, has focused intensely on military co-operation, including a symbolic exchange of rifles with Putin and an inspection of state-of-the-art Russian weapons. Kim’s first official visit abroad since the coronavirus pandemic has sparked concerns that Moscow and Pyongyang will defy Western sanctions to secure an arms deal that could help the Kremlin continue its assault against Ukraine. Before departing Vladivostok, Kim was presented with five explosive drones, a reconnaissance drone and a bulletproof vest as gifts from the…

LONDON: British comedian and actor Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse during a seven-year period, according to the results of a media investigation published on Saturday. Four women have alleged sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013 when Brand was at the height of his fame working as a presenter for BBC Radio 2, Channel 4 and acting in Hollywood movies, a newspaper said. According to the investigation, others have made a range of accusations about Brand’s controlling, abusive and predatory behaviour. Brand, 48, denied the “very serious criminal allegations” that he said will be made against him. According to the findings, one woman alleged Brand raped her in his Los Angeles home while another claims he assaulted her during a three-month relationship while she…

NEW YORK: The Group of Seven industrialized nations plans to establish a framework to encourage private-sector investment in health in emerging and developing countries to coincide with the UN General Assembly meeting this week. The Impact Investments Initiative for Global Health framework is aimed at mobilizing private sector funds to provide sustainable support for the health and sanitation sectors, in the wake of an aid shortfall for emerging and developing countries amid the pandemic. The investments are expected to focus on immunisation against infectious diseases and drug-resistant bacteria for which antimicrobials are ineffective. | Reuters…

KHARTOUM: Violent confrontations resumed on Saturday between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in various areas of the capital Khartoum as the clashes in Sudan entered the sixth month. The RSF launched violent attacks targeting the headquarters of the SAF’s General Command in central Khartoum and other military bases in nearby Omdurman and Bahri cities. The military said the SAF repulsed an attack by the RSF on the army’s general command and that the SAF has inflicted heavy losses among the paramilitary forces in lives and equipment. Since April, clashes have resulted in 3 000 deaths. | Xinhua…

An estimated 820 million people (or 11% of the current world population) are undernourished in terms of energy intake, and 1.3 billion people (17%) suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Rapid increases in food prices are arguably to blame for the affected livelihoods of millions of people. The Sustainable Shifts to Healthy Diets and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa study claims increased urbanisation and rising disposable incomes support a quick transformation in lifestyle and economy in sub-Saharan Africa. The sub-Saharan African population is consequently becoming more and more susceptible to the dual burden of malnutrition and obesity. Whole grains play an important role in health and nutrition, and many countries’ food-based dietary guidelines recommend that individuals should increase their wholegrain intake. But do South Africans know how to choose products with whole…

OPPOSITION parties have slammed the government’s plans to create a new state-owned entity to oversee struggling state-owned enterprises (SOEs), saying this is not the solution for accountability and governance. The draft National State Enterprises Bill was recently published for public comment in the Government Gazette. In terms of the bill there would be a new shareholder model with SOEs like Eskom and Transnet falling under the newly created State Asset Management Company. Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan had said that the model would have the advantage of separating the state’s ownership functions from its policy and regulatory functions, minimising the scope for political interference, and introducing greater professionalism into the entities. The new model would replace the Department of Public Enterprises, which would cease to exist, he said. It is…

“My son and his wife seem to be really struggling with their relationship. They have only been married seven years. I have tried to help by suggesting they each don’t work so much and that they don’t spend so much time on their phones and take little walks together. They sometimes go separate ways for weekends and holidays. They have never said there is a problem. I offered to dog-sit while they go out and spend time together. I don’t know what else to suggest. Please help.” There is no doubt you are well intentioned and desire what is best for your son and his wife. I suggest you make clear to them how much you care and then trust them to find their unique path as husband and wife…

Is there an agenda behind eThekwini’s apparent preference for the policy of repairing instead of replacing? This question arises from the regular occurrence of water pipe ruptures which are the result of an infrastructure that needs replacing, not repairing. If there is an agenda behind the policy of ad hoc repairs, then it would appear to favour the plumbers, not the ratepayers and residents. It must be very lucrative for those plumbers contracted to the municipality, as much of the repair work seems to occur after hours and at weekends when higher call-out rates apply. Based on the report by the public accounts committee (The Mercury, September 14), that proper supply chain management procedures are not followed and that fraud and corruption are common, it is difficult to dismiss the…

The headscarf that Muslim women wear is not a cultural dress nor is it an optional piece of clothing but an instruction from Almighty God. The covering of the hair for Muslim women is an obligatory command in Islam. Denying nurses, or any Muslim female, for that matter, the right to wear headscarves while on duty raises concerns about religious freedom, inclusiveness, and institutional and organisational diversity which are all enshrined in the Bill of Rights of the South African Constitution. Hence, it is important for the Department of Health to revisit its proposed ban on headscarves in South African hospitals as it is essential for workplaces to take practical and constitutional measures towards promoting religious freedom, diversity, equality and inclusivity. No individual should be deprived of choosing a career…

South Africa recycled just under 1.3 million tons of paper and paper packaging in 2022. If baled and laid out, this would cover 161 rugby fields. Communications manager of the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (Pamsa), Samantha Choles, said the amount was the equivalent to the weight of 208 553 mature African elephants, or would fill 1 502 Olympic-sized swimming pools. “More importantly, it saved 3.8 million cubic metres of landfill space, and ensured that the paper industry could re-use the fibre in cardboard boxes, grocery bags, egg boxes, newspapers, and tissue products. We are certainly seeing more paper packaging entering the market as several brands are shifting to paper, especially in primary packaging – the packaging that contains the item,” she said. Choles said the paper recycling rate…

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has confirmed that South Africa will host the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) summit in November. This is despite earlier threats that the summit could be moved from South Africa to another country after calls by US lawmakers to move the summit because of Pretoria’s alleged involvement in the supply of weapons to Russia. Senator Chris Coons and other lawmakers in the US wrote to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Trade Representative Katherine Tai and national security adviser Jake Sullivan early this year and asked for the Agoa summit to be moved from South Africa because of allegations of arms sales to Russia. This was due to comments made by US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety who had claimed that the…

DISASTER relief organisation Gift of the Givers (GOTG) says it will be assisting in Libya, following one of the worst floods reported. In a statement, GOTG founder and director Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said the organisation would be sending aid to flood victims via a cargo plane from South Africa, and another airlift from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Libyan capital. “Gift of the Givers has been receiving calls … to assist their distraught nation, who have had an extremely difficult week brought on by Storm Daniel and the collapse of two dams resulting in a ‘tsunami-like’ impact. Thousands of lives have been lost with many thousands missing. Thousands are in need of healthcare with decomposing bodies putting the population at high risk of water-borne diseases in an already…

Two families from the Eastern Cape have died at the weekend in separate incidents when their shacks caught alight. The provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the fires occurred in Ndevana and Algoa Park. The first incident occurred on Friday morning. A 40-year-old woman and her three children died when their shack burnt down in Tshabo, Ndevana. The three children, two girls and a boy, were aged between 3 and 10. Naidu said neighbours had tried to extinguish the fire, but the roaring flames were too intense. “Names will be released once the next of kin have been informed,” Naidu said. In the second incident, a family of six died after their shack in Jack Street in Missionvale, Algoa Park in Gqeberha burnt to the ground. Two adults…

A week after a tsunami-sized flash flood devastated the Libyan coastal city of Derna, sweeping thousands to their deaths, the international aid effort to help the grieving survivors slowly gathered pace yesterday. Search-and-rescue teams wearing face masks and protective suits kept up the grim search for bodies or any survivors in the mud-caked wasteland of smashed buildings, crushed cars and uprooted trees. Traumatised residents, 30 000 of whom are now homeless in Derna alone, badly need clean water, food, shelter and basic supplies amid a growing risk of cholera, diarrhoea, dehydration and malnutrition, UN agencies warn. “In this city, every single family has been affected,” said one resident, Mohammad al-Dawali. Another, Mohamed al-Zawi, 25, recounted how he saw “a large mountain of water bringing with it cars, people, belongings... and…

Thousands rallied in Australia yesterday to support recognising the country’s Indigenous people in the constitution, a proposal that is struggling ahead of a referendum next month. If approved on October 14, the measure would enshrine indigenous people in the constitution and set up an advisory body to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people input on policies that affect them. Indigenous Australians, who account for 3.8% of the population, face disadvantages including discrimination, poor health and education outcomes and high incarceration rates. But the “Voice to Parliament” proposal appeared on track for defeat, a poll showed last week, the fifth monthly survey in a row to find voters against the change. Yes23, the group behind “Walk for Yes” events, said around 20 000 people attended in Brisbane, Australia’s third-biggest city,…

DUSSELDORF: Britain’s Prince Harry grew emotional as he thanked a “haunted” bagpipe player for his performance at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany, at the weekend. During the closing ceremony, the royal paid tribute to Master Corporal James Gendron as he said how much he loved the sound of the instrument, realising how difficult it was for the soldier because of the memories it brought back of all the military funerals he played for. The prince praised the competitors for inspiring people around the world. | Bang Showbiz…

PARIS: French fashion house Balmain has lost dozens of pieces due to be unveiled at a Paris show later this month after a lorry carrying the clothing was hijacked, its creative director Olivier Rousteing said. Rousteing said in an Instagram post that thieves seized the vehicle carrying some 50 items from Balmain’s new collection between a Paris airport and the label’s headquarters in the French capital. The lorry driver was safe, he said. Balmain is due to present its 2024 spring-summer collection on September 27 during the Paris fashion week, which features high end labels including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel and Hermes. | Reuters…

The Springboks ticked all the boxes in the second game of their defence of the Rugby World Cup when they smashed hapless Romania 76-0 in Bordeaux yesterday, with hat-tricks for wing Makazole Mapimpi and scrumhalf Cobus Reinach in the 12 tries scored. The tenacious Reinach scored three tries in a match for the Boks at the 2019 World Cup in Japan, and he scored his first yesterday almost straight from the kick-off. It was always going to be a romp for the Boks against the tier two team from eastern Europe, and what coach Jacques Nienaber wanted to get out of the match was some experimentation in positions where the Boks are exposed for depth, notably hooker and flyhalf. It was strange indeed to see Nienaber use no less than…

OH BOY, here’s something really scary. It seems that a year ago a Russian fighter pilot tried to shoot down an RAF surveillance aircraft in international air space over the Black Sea, according to the BBC. Two Russian fighters were shadowing the RAF’s giant Rivet Joint aircraft, which has a crew of about 30 and has sensory equipment that allowed it to listen to the radio conversation of the Russian fighters and their ground command. It seems one of the Russians misinterpreted a ground command order, thinking he’d been told to fire on the RAF plane. His fellow-pilot in the other fighter thought exactly the opposite and swore furiously as his colleague released a missile that did not hit the target. Russia claimed the incident last September was caused by…

According to a report in a Joburg daily, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is probing whether the former CEO of Eskom, André de Ruyter, can be prosecuted for not following legal protocol when he investigated Eskom. The greatest sin De Ruyter is guilty of is that he happens to be a white man whose efforts to get to the bottom of the rot at Eskom exposed malfeasance on a mind-boggling scale, with those implicated being mainly people of a darker hue. South Africa is a race-sensitive country, as I read somewhere lately. Several black newspaper editors and commentators wanted him out of Eskom. Well, he has gone, of his own volition, for the sake of his health, as he euphemistically put it in that sensational TV interview. Immediately after that…

From fingerprints, to driving licences and IDs being scanned, gaining entry into some of the country’s residential estates can be quite a feat. The Residential Communities Council (RCC), which comprises some 200 residential estates across South Africa, is looking to amend its code of conduct regarding how personal information is handled in South Africa. The RCC is the representative body for the Residential Community Industry, which includes estates, complexes, gated communities, homeowners associations (HOAs) and others. The new proposed code of conduct from the RCC was published by the Information Regulator earlier this month, as the regulator has to give notice when it is considering issuing a code of conduct as per section 61(2) of the Protection of Personal Information (Popi) Act. Founder and director of the Association of Residential…

KwaZulu-Natal Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Siboniso Duma has announced a campaign to protect local and honest entrepreneurs in the liquor industry from the criminal syndicates behind illegal alcohol manufacturing in KZN. This comes after a joint operation by the police and the KwaZulu-Natal Liquor Authority resulted in the arrest of four suspects at Westmead, near Pinetown, for the manufacturing of illegal alcohol. Duma said the operation included the KZN Liquor Authority, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Diaego South Africa, a spirits company with a manufacturing plant in Isipingo. He said that on average, regulated alcohol production contributed R72 billion to the South African economy through taxation, VAT and excise. “Apart from the fact that more than R11.3bn of tax revenue is lost due to…

Eastern Cape police top brass have hailed the breakthrough in an insurance scam murder plot following the arrest of seven suspects believed to be behind at least 11 murders. The suspects, aged between 40 and 52, were expected to appear in the Kariega Magistrate’s Court on charges of at least 11 murder cases, of which two were double murders in Kwanobuhle. They have also been charged with racketeering and fraud relating to several insurance claims on 11 people, as well as illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. A multidisciplinary operation was conducted on Friday, where arrest warrants were executed at the residence of six suspects in Kwanobuhle and Despatch in Gqeberha. During the arrests, the team consisting of the Commercial Crimes Units from Cradock, Uitenhage and Gqeberha; provincial Anti-Gang Unit…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana facing a thankless task AS FINANCE Minister Enoch Godongwana prepares for his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in Parliament on November 1, 2023, one of his major considerations will be reining in spiralling public debt. The MTBPS traditionally sets government policy goals and priorities, forecasts macroeconomy trajectory, and projects the fiscal framework over the next three years by outlining spending and revenue estimates, among others. That timeline is crucial both in the context of South African sovereign indebtedness and the fact that global debt is returning to its pre-pandemic rising trend, according to the latest blog by Vitor Gaspar, director of the Fiscal Affairs Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “Global debt, which remained significantly higher than its pre-pandemic level in 2022, may return to…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday visited the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is struggling with a surge in migrant arrivals, and promised a 10-point EU action plan to help Italy deal with the situation. Nearly 126 000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, almost double the figure by the same date in 2022. The small island of Lampedusa has recently seen a sharp rise in the number of people arriving by boat, with more than 7 000 landing this week, more than the island’s permanent population. Von der Leyen was accompanied by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the car carrying them to Lampedusa’s migrant reception centre was briefly blocked by locals protesting over the burden facing the island. “We’re working on it ...…

Fourteen people were killed at the weekend when a plane crashed in the Brazilian Amazon while trying to land in stormy weather in the tourist town of Barcelos, leaving no survivors, officials said. The small plane’s pilot was approaching the remote town on Saturday in heavy rain, with low visibility, and appeared to inadvertently start landing halfway down the runway, Amazonas state security secretary Vinicius Almeida told a news conference. The plane ran out of landing strip and crashed, killing all 12 passengers and two crew, he said. Initial investigations indicated the passengers were all Brazilian men traveling to the region for sport fishing, the state government said. The plane was on its way from the state capital, Manaus, to Barcelos, about a 90-minute flight. Officials said two aircraft approaching…

GENEVA: The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he was ready to send a new mission of experts to China to investigate the origins of Covid-19. The international community has been unable to determine with certainty the origins of the Covid pandemic. The first cases were detected at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, China, suggesting two opposing theories: an escape from a laboratory in the city where such viruses were being studied or an intermediate animal that infected people at a local market. A team of specialists led by the WHO and accompanied by Chinese colleagues had investigated in early 2021. | AFP…

WASHINGTON: The United Auto Workers chief warned yesterday that a historic strike at the top three US car manufacturers will expand if the companies do not raise their wage offers in ongoing negotiations. “If we don’t get better offers and … take care of the members’ needs, we’re going to amp this up even more,” UAW president Shawn Fain said, adding that saying General Motors, Ford and Stellantis have “no excuse” for not resolving salary disputes given their massive profits of recent years. The UAW is demanding improved conditions for its workers, including a 40% pay rise over the next four-year contract. The companies are offering around 20%. | AFP…