Índice para 2023-07-04 em Mercury

It is an important part of South Africa’s economy, contributing 8% of GDP Manufacturing activity in South Africa is expected to remain under pressure in the months ahead after sliding further into contractionary territory in June, in spite of less intense daytime load shedding during the month. Manufacturing is an important part of South Africa's economy, contributing 8% of gross domestic product (GDP), 12% to formal sector employment and at least 40% of the rand value of exports. The seasonally adjusted Absa headline Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dropped further below the neutral 50-point level in June, declined by 1.6 index points to 47.6 points from 49.2 points in May. The June PMI reading marked the fifth consecutive month of contraction in manufacturing activity and was the lowest level…

ANALYSTS expect revenues in Tongaat Hulett’s Zimbabwe listed unit, Hippo Valley Estates, to top $141 million in the financial year ahead after the company secured additional land leases from the government. Hippo Valley opted to forego a dividend payment for its 2023 second half year period to end March, owing to high indebtedness and the tough economic environment. This is despite the board of the Zimbabwe listed entity declaring a US$0.3 cents dividend for the interim period. “In light of the heightened volatilities weighing down the economic and operating environments as well as the increased level of borrowings, the directors have not declared a final dividend for the year ended March 31, 2023,” board chairperson Canaan Dube said. Zimbabwean companies have started to see an uptick in US…

IMPALA Platinum (Implats) is closer to acquiring Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) after RBPlat announced yesterday that the JSE has approved Implat’s listing of the offer consideration shares, a critical requirement in its bid. This was the final condition to officially conclude its offer to buy out RBPlat’s remaining shareholders. “RBPlat shareholders are advised that the JSE has approved the listing of the offer consideration shares thereby fulfilling the condition precedent … Accordingly, as referred to in the Implats announcement, the mandatory offer is unconditional,” it said. The group said the dates and times following the initial closing date will be extended. Last week, Implats was also issued with a compliance certificate from the Takeover Regulation Panel (TRP), another step that brought it closer to finishing its takeover bid. Meanwhile, RBPlats…

IF YOU DO not know the “language” of prompting, you will find it increasingly difficult to communicate with the numerous artificial intelligence (AI) systems that are now part of our everyday life. Suddenly, after the popularisation of AI tools, AI has become an integral part of our lives and businesses. Generative AI, virtual assistants and chatbots are currently present in many things we touch. And the most impressive thing is that AI keeps getting smarter and more capable and has changed the way we interact with humans and, in particular, machines. These dramatic changes gave rise to the need to improve our communication with machines. Therefore, understanding prompting is crucial for effective interaction with AI systems because it forms the basis for communicating our intentions and obtaining the desired outputs.…

SA Football Association (Safa) CEO Lydia Monyepao is caught between a rock and a hard place due to the dispute between the association and Banyana Banyana. The senior national women’s team have been the country’s footballing darlings in recent years after winning their maiden Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) last year to qualify for their second successive Fifa Women’s World Cup this month. Their preparations for the showpiece event took a turn for the worse on Sunday as they boycotted their send-off match, citing Botswana as unworthy opposition and accusing Safa of not meeting their contractual obligations. Since then, Safa has been forced to find ways to come to an agreement with the players before they depart for Australia and New Zealand tomorrow and on Thursday, or they could…

I was entertained by a heading to an article in Monday’s Business Report, “Russia is now our fourth largest BRICS trading partner”. The article went on to state the percentages of South Africa’s trade with the four BRICS partners – Brazil 0.4%, India 4.5%, China 9.4% and Russia only 0.2%. South Africa can only have four BRICS trading partners, because, apart from South Africa, there are only four additional members of BRICS. If Russia is the fourth largest trading partner with 0.2%, it is in fact South Africa’s smallest BRICS trading partner. But for The Mercury, it is the fourth largest trading partner. The article was even topped with the Russian flag in colour. Amusing, isn’t it?…

Attempts by the ANC to win the recent ward 11 by-election in Newlands, eThekwini, failed dismally in spite of a last-minute visit by KwaZulu-Natal Human Settlements MEC Sipho Nkosi and eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda. It is clear that the people of ward 11 have seen through the ANC’s pre-election ploy of fast-tracking the delivery of housing and title deeds – a tactic it employs year after year within strategic areas, for the sake of votes. It is for this reason that the DA has continually called for an open and transparent housing list. This is critical in ensuring fairness when it comes to the issuing of title deeds and housing. KZN’s housing backlog of more than a million people shows no sign of abating. Yet, the Human Settlements Committee 2022/2023…

THE Independent Police Investigating Directorate (Ipid) has dismissed suggestions that poor investigations were the cause of the high number of cases the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) declined to prosecute. Last week it was reported that the NPA decided to prosecute only 53 cases that were referred to it by the police watchdog body in the financial year ending in March. Ipid, mandated to probe criminal offences allegedly committed by SAPS officers and metro police, made 2 093 referrals to the NPA in 2022-23. The prosecuting body declined to prosecute 684 referrals, nine cases were withdrawn and 1 347 referrals were still waiting for responses. Parties had slammed the “alarming” figures and blamed them on poor investigations by Ipid. Ipid spokesperson Robbie Raburabu said the insinuation that cases were declined by…

IN yet another breakthrough for children’s rights, the Constitutional Court gave the final green light to unmarried life partners, to acquire full parenting responsibilities and rights if they go the parenting route via artificial fertilisation. The court declared section 40 of Children’s Act unconstitutional, to the extent that it excludes permanent life partners as automatic recipients of parental rights and responsibilities. As the law stood, dealing with the rights of the child conceived by way of artificial fertilisation, it only allowed for a citation where a man and a woman, married or not, conceive a child by artificial fertilisation. The law did not provide for a situation where two women in a committed relationship conceive a child via artificial fertilisation. The practical effect of amending the section of the Children’s…

“We sadly live in a society where we say ‘don’t get raped’, as opposed to ‘do not rape’.” These are the chilling words from the CEO of the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Response Fund, Sazini Mojapelo, who was speaking about the prevalence of gender-based violence in South Africa. Mojapelo cited different GBV cases that sent shock waves through the country, stating that action is needed more than words. The cases include the brutal murder of 17-year-old Palesa Malatji, a Grade 12 pupil whose body was found in a park near her school in Soshanguve, outside Pretoria. Malatji suffered a brutal sexual assault while walking home from school after attending extra classes. “Reading about these heinous crimes, I was lost for words … What brutality, what total loss of…

MEMBERS of the Public Servants Association (PSA) picketed outside the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital in KwaMashu yesterday over issues including unfair treatment of staff, unpaid overtime and non-payment of medical tax. The PSA said a memorandum of demands had been handed over to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health. The department said it had noted the memorandum and will respond in due course. PSA KZN provincial manager Mlungisi Ndlovu said that they previously had attempted to bring up the concerns of its members with the management of the hospital. “We have members who are nurses that have resigned because of victimisation. Other members said that they have not been paid overtime and we have been calling to have engagements with management to no avail and that is why…

WHEN we were growing up, we were taught about the Bantustan system and its leaders. The overall liberation Struggle entailed the end of the Bantustan system and its leaders. The white minority oppressive government did not just impose its rule but, as time progressed, it studied the mindset of the people it oppressed, black people. Knowing the culture of the people you oppress makes it easy to manipulate them. The story of Nongqawuse was continuing. Transkei was not easy to to turn into a Bantustan. This is because it comprised different houses from the Thembu royalty. Though it is contestable, there were three main houses in the Thembu family: upper house-Dalindyebo/Sabata/Buyelekhaya, Matanzima and Mandela. Without entertaining other issues irrelevant here and now, the first has been proved as an upper…

Demonstrations began at French town halls yesterday opposing nearly a week of violent protests over a teen’s fatal shooting by police, even as the first signs emerged that the unrest was beginning to ease. The government has battled riots and looting since 17-year-old Nahel M was shot dead by a police officer during a traffic stop last Tuesday, reviving longstanding accusations of racism against the French police force. During a sixth consecutive night of unrest, a fireman died while seeking to douse burning vehicles north of Paris but it was unclear if there was a link to the violent protests, the interior ministry said. Yesterday’s demonstrations – called a “mobilisation of citizens for a return to republican order” – came after the home of the mayor of a Paris suburb…

Vietnam has banned the upcoming Barbie movie from cinemas over scenes with a map showing China’s claims to territory in the South China Sea, state media said yesterday. The fantasy comedy film about the famous doll, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, had been set for nationwide release in Vietnam on July 21. China has long used its nine-dash line to illustrate its claims over most of the resource-rich sea, often to the displeasure of Hanoi, which also claims parts of the waterway. State media reported that the nine-dash line scene appeared multiple times in the movie. The South China Sea is home to oil and gas deposits and shipping lanes, and several of China’s neighbours have voiced concern that Beijing is seeking to expand…

Hong Kong: The police yesterday offered large bounties for information leading to the capture of eight prominent democracy activists based abroad and wanted for national security crimes. All eight fled Hong Kong after Beijing imposed a national security law on the financial hub in 2020 to quell dissent after violent pro-democracy protests in 2019 were quashed. All eight are alleged to have colluded with foreign forces to endanger national security – an offence that carries a sentence of up to life in prison. Some have also been accused of subversion, incitement to subversion and secession. The law has the power to hold accused people across the world accountable. | AFP…

Caen: The last surviving Frenchman to participate in the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944 died yesterday, aged 100, local authorities said. Leon Gautier was among 177 Frenchmen who participated in the landings on June 6, 1944, which started the rollback of Nazi Germany’s domination of western Europe. He belonged to a commando that battled the Nazis with other Allied forces even after the French government surrendered to Germany in 1940. After the war, Gautier became a peace campaigner. | AFP…

By ADDING a bullet-proof level of consistency to his talent, and Red Bull’s reliability and speed, Max Verstappen showed on Sunday that he could remain invincible this season. A revived Charles Leclerc led a Ferrari challenge that was never strong enough to suggest any other outcome than a 42nd career win for the Dutch double world champion on a day when Formula One was described as farcical and embarrassing. A post-race protest from Aston Martin resulted in a welter of penalties for contravention of track limits that changed the result hours after the event. Here, we look at three things we learnt from a chaotic weekend at the Red Bull Ring in the Styrian Alps. Trapped in post-race turmoil Many team bosses were angry at the ‘embarrassing’ chaos created after…

THE PRICE of petrol (95 ULP and LRP) will fall by 17 cents per litre tomorrow, while the price of diesel (0.005% sulphur) will increase by 18c per litre, a statement from Department of Mineral Resources and Energy said yesterday. South Africa’s monthly fuel price changes are informed by international and local factors. Including the rand exchange rate and that South Africa imports both crude oil and finished products at a price set at the international level, including importation costs, eg shipping costs. FNB Senior economist Koketso Mano said they expect continued slight upward pressure on oil prices in the months ahead due to their belief the rand would remain under pressure in the short term, the possibility of further oil production cuts by major oil producers as global…

PAPER and packaging group Mondi said yesterday that all the approvals for the sale of its three Russian converting operations to the Gotek Group, for 1.6 billion roubles (R335.5bn), had been received and the sale was completed. On December 15, 2022, the group had announced that an agreement had been reached for the sale of the packaging converting operations. “Mondi has received net proceeds of €30.4 million (R625m) from this disposal into its Austrian bank account,” the group said in a statement. Net proceeds from the sale of all the group’s Russian assets would be distributed to shareholders “as soon as reasonably practicable following receipt, once our exit from Russia has been completed”, the group said. The proposed disposal of Mondi Syktyvkar, Mondi’s most significant facility in Russia,…

THERE was growing demand for credit in the fourth quarter of last year after the CreditSmart Financial Services’ 2023 Financial Savvy Survey highlighted a 9% year-on-year expansion in unsecured debt. This was the fastest growth since 2019. The survey showed that 33% of respondents confirmed their usage of credit cards for “everyday and everything” purchases, 32% said they had no extra money to put away, and 24% said the unsecured debt cycle was something they could not escape. The impact was also evident in figures from the National Credit Regulator-NCR (Credit Bureau Monitor and Consumer Credit Market Report – December 2022). More than 9 million consumers reflected having impaired credit records and a 4%-plus increase was registered in credit applications compared to previous quarters’ statistics. CreditSmart Financial Services MD…

TEXT-BASED AI models, formally known as Large Language Models, have been enjoying widespread media coverage this year. By being trained on arguably the largest set of text data assembled (made possible in large part by the internet), the models do an impressive job of mimicking humans on a wide range of tasks. They can write essays, hold back-and-forth conversation, and brainstorm. Importantly, recent language models have also proved to be effective at writing and explaining computer code. The potential applications of the technology are too wide-ranging to detail here, but a useful case that shows great promise is AI tutors. General-purpose tools like ChatGPT are good at helping users understand topics but this scratches only the surface of what is possible. Khan Academy, a non-profit organisation whose high-quality free tutorials…

As countries around the world work to reduce carbon emissions, there is great potential for South Africa to establish and develop new industries. For us, reducing our carbon footprint is critical to the health and well-being of our people, the sustainability of our society, and ensuring that our goods and services remain competitive into the future. At the same time it is a great opportunity to grow and diversify our eco- nomy and create employment. We have said that our transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient eco- nomy must be just and inclusive. We have, therefore, produced a Just Energy Transition Investment Plan to direct resources both to supporting workers, communities and industries affected by the shift towards renewable energy sources, and to investing in new industries like green hydrogen and…

THE speculation over Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s health, has taken on a political dimension with the ANC and IFP exchanging blows, accusing each other of seeking to obtain political capital using the monarch’s health. The war of words stems from two statements, one from Zulu Traditional Prime Minister Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi on Saturday evening claiming that the king was unwell and getting treated in eSwatini, and another by the king’s spokesperson, Prince Africa Zulu, issued on Sunday disputing the king’s reported ill-health. Zululand District mayor Thulasizwe Buthelezi yesterday entered the fray, accusing Prince Africa Zulu of undermining Buthelezi by issuing a contradictory statement. He labelled the statement as a politically calculated ploy that was sponsored by the ANC to discredit Buthelezi. The mayor cited Buthelezi’s many years as prime minister…

It’s a quiet morning in my neighbourhood in the US. I can hear children playing with a ball in the street and the sheriff who lives directly across from our home is decorating his yard in honour of today’s July 4th celebrations. While most of the immediate neighbours have met each other and look out for each other, we don’t live in each other’s pockets. This small-town neighbourhood, and millions like it across the nation, are seemingly far removed from the frequent random mass shootings that occur almost daily in the US. When travelling to other countries, I am often asked why guns are so freely available to people in the US. My reply is that it is a multi-layered and very complex issue. The constitutional right to own a…

THERE isn’t much that we, lay people, who just happen to be in the majority worldwide, can do about climate catastrophes such as floods, landslides and tornadoes. But perhaps we can stop for a moment and contemplate that the probability of being next in the path of a natural calamity is higher than ever before. The reasons are probably complicated. Too complex to analyse. Too difficult to prevent. Is there anything that can be done to reduce the impact of a house being washed away, a roof flying off, a car disappearing under water? Nobody is safe anywhere. So what do we do? Possibly save as much as possible for a rainy day, instead of being lavish on unnecessary rituals. Like religious festivities that actually encourage the obscene show of…

A case of culpable homicide is being investigated after 15 people, including two infants, died in what has been described as a “freak accident” in the Eastern Cape. The accident occurred along the N9 road in Middelburg on Sunday evening and involved a minibus taxi and a heavy-duty truck. The Eastern Cape Transport Department confirmed all occupants of the minibus taxi died during the collision at around 11pm. “It is alleged a heavy-duty truck hit a stray animal and the driver lost control. As the driver was trying to regain control, its trailer fell over, right at that moment as a fully loaded taxi was parallel to it, driving in the opposite direction,” the Transport Department said. The minibus taxi was travelling from the Eastern Cape to the Western Cape…

A father of two minor children, who “purposely resigned” from his job as an accountant in an apparent attempt to renege on paying maintenance fees, has been ordered to pay R20 000 each month. Western Cape High court Judge Babalwa Mantame’s judgment read: “On 31 January 2014, the respondent is alleged to have purposefully resigned from his position as an accountant and chief financial officer at (a finance and risk insurance company).” At the time, he earned a salary of R107 665 per month. During court proceedings a list of recommendations, in two comprehensive reports, were submitted by a social worker and the Office of the Family Advocate. The parents of the children, aged 17 and 12, and who had divorced in 2010, said they would abide by the recommendations…

Crime-combating operations carried out across all 11 districts within KwaZulu-Natal during the month of June yielded positive results as more than 9 400 suspects were arrested for various crimes. Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said the operations included arrests made during High Density Operations (Operation Shanela). “During the month of June, 9 416 individuals were arrested in KwaZulu-Natal during police operations,” he said on Monday. Arrests made by KZN police during operations in June include: 2 809 people arrested for contact crimes, which included 189 for murder, 142 for attempted murder, 226 for robberies, 187 for rape and 1 864 for assault. 477 were arrested for property crimes such as burglary and theft. 1 387 were arrested for drug-related crimes, 472 for driving under the influence of…

The three latest accused to be added to the Thabo Bester prison escape saga, appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The G4S employees, Joel Makhetha, Moeketsi Ramolula and Thabang Mier, were all arrested on June 26. Bester faked his own death and escaped from the G4S-operated Mangaung Correctional Centre in May last year. He was re-arrested in April by Tanzanian authorities in Arusha with his lover, Dr Nandipha Magudumana. The State said Mier faces a charge of aiding the escape of a prisoner, and because he had no previous convictions or pending matters, the State was not opposed to his bail. Mier was granted R10 000 bail. Ramolula and Makhetha face charges of violating a corpse and corruption. They will lodge a bail application on July 11.…

Bela, or the Basic Education Amendment Bill (B2-2022), has had many up in arms. However, a closer look at Bela indicates that the bill attempts to deal with practical challenges faced within public schooling. Former Model C schools tend to use their admission and language policies to exclude non-white learners from the schools. School governing bodies (SGBs) in suburbs have used catchment area and huge admission co-payments as a requirement for admission. The amendments should not be viewed as taking power away from SGBs but rather to ensure that all SGBs buy into equal education for all. Bela attempts to avoid misuse of powers by SGBs and will enable transformation at all schools. All schools are required to submit their admission policies to the head of department. Former Model C…

BEEFING-up security at the country’s borders must be attended to among other measures to stem the tide of human trafficking. In a new study titled Human Trafficking in South Africa, the author, Professor Philip Frankel, says the country has become a “paradise for human traffickers”. This is mainly due to SA’s economic dominance in the region and its porous borders that includes a 3 000km shoreline. Frankel says one of the main attractions for traffickers is South Africa’s long and easily penetrable borders, which are not well guarded. He says human trafficking has become so serious in the country that people are arriving in boats. “Not to the extent of the situation in the Mediterranean to Europe, but people are coming in by boats along the south coast,” says…

Explosions again rocked Sudan’s capital Khartoum yesterday as the army rallied civilians to take up arms against a renewed onslaught by its paramilitary foes. The sound of artillery fire shook the dawn in north-west Khartoum and progressed towards the centre and east of the city, witnesses said. The war-torn capital barely saw a few hours of respite after heavy clashes on Sunday between troops loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The army announced yesterday that it was ready to “receive and prepare” volunteer fighters, after Burhan last week urged Sudanese “youth and all those able to defend” to join the military. War-weary civilians have largely rejected the call, pleading for an end to the relentless war between Burhan and his former deputy,…

Bangkok: Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn opened parliament yesterday following a shock election result in which the pro-democracy opposition trounced army-backed parties that have ruled the kingdom for nearly a decade. The Move Forward Party won the largest share of votes in the May 14 election but its radical platform, which includes reformation of a royal defamation law, may see it struggle to form a coalition government. Its eight-party coalition bloc is short of a majority in the lower house to surpass the non-elected Senate chamber and nominate a prime minister. The election was seen as a rejection of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former army chief who came to power in a 2014 coup. | AFP…

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia said yesterday it was extending a voluntary oil production cut of one million barrels per day (bpd), and Russia said it was slashing exports by 500 000 bpd. The moves were the latest attempts by major producers to stabilise markets rocked by the continued fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s faltering economic recovery. The cut by Saudi Arabia, took effect at the weekend. Also yesterday, Russia unveiled its export cut of 500 000 bpd for August “to ensure that the oil market remains balanced”. Since the outbreak of war, Moscow has pivoted energy exports from Europe to India and China.| AFP…

New York: Women must be involved in developing new artificial intelligence (AI) systems to prevent bias from these technology tools, US philanthropist Melinda French Gates has said. French Gates, the ex-wife of billionaire Bill Gates, said she was “very nervous” about how incorporating AI into as many products as possible would play out for women, because they were not taking the view of women. “The system needs to take all people’s points of view, and see society, and quite frankly, see the world writ large as it is,” she said. AI models have been criticised for their ability to perpetuate biases. Even the new generative AI tool like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, trained on vast troves of online data, also carries the same biases. | IANS…

NEW VEHICLE sales surprised on the upside for the second month in a row as electricity supply stabilised, rising by a significant 14% from a year ago last month, in spite of dwindling exports, the impact of rising interest rates and weak economic growth. This comes as the aggregate domestic new vehicle sales rose to 46 810 units in June, from the 41 052 vehicles sold in June 2022, reflecting an increase of 5 758 units. The Automotive Business Council (Naamsa) yesterday said that the upbeat new vehicle market performance was encouraging given the multiplicity of negative considerations which still outweigh positive ones during the month of June. The unexpected extent of the upswing in the new vehicle market for the second month in a row exceeded…

NORTHAM Platinum Holdings said yester- day it had restructured its banking facili- ties by settling and cancelling the term loan facility and increasing the revolving credit facility (RCF). The RCF was increased to R10 billion from R7.2bn. The R2.445bn term loan facility had been fully settled and cancelled. “As a result of the restruc- ture, Northam’s total available banking facilities now amount to R11bn, comprising the increased RCF of R10bn and existing general banking facilities of R1bn. “The remaining terms of the RCF remain un- changed, including the maturity date being August 2027,” a statement read. The term loan had a staggered maturity profile of four equal tranches, commencing in February 2026 and ending in August 2027. The restructure increased North- am’s available banking facilities and removed…

THE COMPETITION Tribunal has unconditionally approved the proposed merger, a global transaction, whereby Anchorage Merger Sub, a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation intends to acquire Activision Blizzard. In a statement yesterday, the Tribunal said the reasons for its decision would be issued in due course. The commission said it had recommended that the proposed $68.7 billion (R1.29 trillion) transaction whereby Anchorage, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation, intends to acquire Activision, be approved without conditions. Anchorage is controlled by Microsoft. It is a global technology company that provides information technology-related services. Its gaming activities are relevant to the proposed merger. Activision develops games for computers, consoles, and mobile devices and publishes them in most countries around the world. Its most notable content is the Call of Duty series…

Last week, South Africa took an integral step towards laying a solid foundation in creating an artificial intelligence (AI) driven society. Although there are AI companies in South Africa, the country is limited by a lack of data. The Spatial Economic Activity Data (Sead) initiative was launched by the National Treasury and Human Sciences Research Council to close the data gap in South Africa by leveraging tax and other administrative data sources. For the first time, granular spatial data exists to help answer vital policy and research questions about urbanisation, uneven development, territorial disparities, productivity and economic conditions of municipalities, cities, towns and suburbs/wards. The creation of robust disaggregated and granular economic data is not only essential for monitoring changing economic conditions but for the advancement of the AI industry…

FRUSTRATED with steep tariff increases and inefficient delivery of services, the Westville Ratepayers’ Association (WRA) has lodged a dispute with the eThekwini Municipality, warning that its members will boycott payments until the matter is resolved. The ratepayers’ association states, in a letter to the municipality, that the municipality failed to provide the organisation with a fair hearing before it imposed the new tariffs on July 1. Chairperson of the WRA, Asad Gaffar, confirmed the letter, saying that they would withhold their payments and had set up an account where the money would be deposited. He said the contributed funds, meant for the payment of rates and services to the City, would not be handed over to the municipality until the dispute was settled. The WRA indicated its next step following…

IF THE Department of Public Service and Administration could have its way, heads of departments (HODs) and senior management reporting to them would be barred from holding political office in political parties. This emerged from the Public Service Amendment Bill the department introduced in Parliament recently after approval by the Cabinet. According to the bill, an HOD or senior management staff member may not hold political office in a political party, whether in a permanent, temporary or acting capacity. It said a person who has been appointed as an HOD, or affected employees, should comply with the new legislation within one year of commencement when it is passed into law. A memorandum of the bill states that the term “political office” has been defined to reflect the decision-making echelon of…

The NFP is deeply saddened and outraged by the tragic news of the death of Mr Moosa, a prominent businessman and esteemed community leader whose life was ruthlessly cut short during a robbery at Austerville Pharmacy in Wentworth, leaving our community shaken and mourning the loss of a remarkable individual. The NFP extends its deepest condolences to the grieving family and loved ones of Mr Moosa. Our hearts go out to them during this immensely difficult time. We share in their pain and anger over this senseless act of violence that has deprived us of an extraordinary contributor to our community. This tragic event underscores the urgent need for decisive action to combat the prevailing gun violence epidemic that plagues South Africa. The recently released crime statistics for the first…

I am deeply saddened by the unacceptable abuse, desecration and burning of the Qur’an in Stockholm, Sweden. Such bigotry and offensive acts of provocation, hate and intolerance only fuel disorder and lawlessness and must be condemned. Desecrating the Qur’an is not only a transgression against the Islamic faith and Muslims, but a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a crime against humanity. Muslims consider the Qur’an the direct speech and sanctified words of the Almighty and view any intentional damage or show of disrespect towards it as extremely offensive and hurtful. Let us stand together as conscious human beings in condemning this atrocious action of burning the Qur’an, stop the unnecessary increasing hostility towards Islam and Muslims and promote coexistence, respect, peace, understanding and rule of law.…

The neighbours of a 19-year-old who was allegedly caught with R1.6 million in cash are said to have tipped off the police. This follows the arrest of Nedzanani Vhugala Thivhilaeli, who was arrested after money was allegedly found stashed in plastic bags at his home. Thivhilaeli appeared in the Vuwani Magistrate’s Court and faces charges of money laundering. The Hawks’ Limpopo spokesperson, Warrant Officer Lethunya Mmuroa, said the money had been packed in a number of plastic bags. “The Hawks received information about suspicious illegal activities at a certain house in Vuwani. After conducting a preliminary investigation, a search warrant was applied for,” Mmuroa said. “The search-and-seizure operation led by the Thohoyandou-based Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation, assisted by the serious corruption crime investigation, tactical response team, local criminal record…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the newly elected ANC Youth League (ANCYL) structure to be brave and help fight youth unemployment. Ramaphosa addressed the 26th ANCYL national elective conference, which elected its new leaders on Sunday. The Youth League held its first national elective conference after eight years of interim structures, with Collen Malatji emerging as the league’s new president. Phumzile Mgcini was elected deputy president, while Muntuwoxolo Ngudle emerged as secretary-general. Tsakani Shiviti was elected first deputy secretary-general; Olga Seate took the second deputy-secretary position; and Zwelo Masilela was elected treasurer-general. Ramaphosa said young people should be allowed to lead themselves. “It is only when the ANCYL lives and leads the youth that the renewal of our movement, the fundamental transformation of our country, and the renaissance can…

As preparations for next year’s general elections take shape, seven political parties who form part of the “Moonshot Pact” will meet next month to finalise their agreement to unseat the ANC. In a joint statement yesterday, the political parties said they had chosen Emperor’s Palace as the venue because of its historic significance, as it is where Codesa talks were held that heralded a democratic South Africa. The political parties to take part in the convention are the DA, IFP, Freedom Front Plus, ActionSA, National Freedom Party (NFP), United Independent Movement and the Spectrum National Party. The parties said the 2024 election presented an unprecedented opportunity for the people of South Africa to elect a new government that could steer the country out of the multiple crises it faced.…

Voting population finds itself displaced by constant need to struggle for survival THE dust is settling on last Wednesday’s by-elections, and the announced results are making interesting headlines in the mainstream and social media platforms. But one of the big stories doing the rounds in election observer networks highlighting last week’s experience is not the vote results. It is about the dwindling numbers of people participating in the voting process, even by by-election standards, which are usually significantly lower than in general elections. Many municipalities that held by-elections after the November 2021 local government elections face the embarrassment of coming bottom of the league for voter turnout. For example, last Wednesday’s by-elections affected 99,711 registered voters in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. Five independent and 54 party candidates…

Israel launched extensive air and ground attacks on Jenin yesterday, striking what it called a militant “operational command centre” in a further escalation in the occupied West Bank city that is a hub of armed Palestinian resistance. The assaults were the start of an “extensive counter-terrorism effort” centred on a densely populated Jenin refugee camp, according to Israeli officials, and were ongoing as of yesterday. At least eight people were killed and 50 injured, said the Palestinian Health Ministry, with 10 in critical condition. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF), which entered the area with about 1 000 soldiers, said the operation would continue indefinitely. The camp, a warren in the city centre, has been the site of frequent IDF raids targeting alleged militants. The clashes have grown more intense in…

An international office to probe Russia for the war crime of aggression opened in The Hague yesterday in what Ukraine called a “truly historic” first step towards a tribunal for Moscow’s leadership. The centre will investigate and gather evidence for any future trial that could bring Kremlin and Russian military figures to justice for invading their pro-Western neighbour. Its aim is to plug a legal gap left by the fact that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no mandate to prosecute aggression, the core war crime of launching a war against another country. The new International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine (Icpa) features prosecutors from Kyiv, the EU, the US and the ICC. Speaking as the centre opened, Ukraine Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said…

Islamabad: Terrorist activities in Pakistan have soared by 79% during the first half of 2023, according to a statistical report by independent think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies. It said that at least 271 militant attacks took place during the past six months, resulting in the loss of 389 lives and injuring 656 individuals. The situation in the same time frame last year was better, as the first half of 2022 saw 151 attacks and 293 deaths, and 487 injuries. These figures are a 79% increase in militant attacks during the first half of this year compared with the same period last year. The latter half of 2022 recorded 228 attacks, 246 fatalities and 349 injuries. | IANS…

LONDON: The UK this year has seen its hottest June on record, the British Meteorological Office said yesterday. “The average mean temperature of 15.8°C for June 2023 in the UK is the highest since 1884,” it said. The average temperature in June 2023 was 0.9°C higher than a previous joint record of 14.9°C registered in June of 1940 and 1976. On the hottest day in June, the temperature reached 32.2°C. Scotland, England Wales and Northern Ireland all reported their respective warmest June on record. Water use restrictions have been imposed in parts of south-eastern England amid record demand for drinking water. | AFP…

Newcastle confirmed the signing of AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali yesterday for a reported £60-million (about R1.4-billion) fee that will make the 23-year-old the most expensive Italian player of all time. Tonali, who joined Milan in 2020 from Brescia, helped the club to their first Serie A title in a decade in 2022 and to the semi-finals of the Uefa Champions League last season. But the financial muscle of the Premier League was too good for Milan or Tonali to turn down as the Magpies made their first major move of the transfer window. Newcastle, who are controlled by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, will be back in the Champions League next season for the first time in 20 years. | AFP…