Índice para 2023-10-17 em Mercury

THE FOSCHINI Group (TFG) has launched the first collection from its Sustainable Design Incubator programme, aimed at fostering sustain- able fashion practices and supporting young emerging designers. TFG CEO Anthony Thunström said in a statement yesterday: “With TFG’s commitment to job creation and the development of the South African design and manufacturing industry, our Sustainable Design Incubator provides an important platform to grow skills and provide experience for young designers. “TFG aims to empower talented South African designers by offering unrivalled access to the market and networking opportunities, which are vital for building successful and thriving fashion businesses,” he said. Leveraging TFG’s ecosystem, the selected designers’ ranges had launched on Bash, an online app that provides access to TFG stores and brand. TFG said the market access opportunity provided through…

The South African business community has urged the 20 task teams that have been established to crack down on “construction mafia” gangs or face a backlash from business. President Cyril Ramaphosa told Parliament last week that the SAPS- established task teams would target the construction mafia and other organised criminal elements in the extortion of business across the country. The construction mafia were armed groups that emerged in Durban in 2014 targeting government construction projects and extorting large amounts of money from companies awarded tenders. They have links to organised crime and originally were linked to the ANC’s Radical Economic Transformation (RET) faction. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime reported that disruption and blockages of construction sites and projects cost the economy more than R68 billion. Melanie Veness, chairperson…

Despite all the lip service to non- racialism, the obsessive pursuit of transformation, a code word for majoritarianism, is as much ideological and political as apartheid was. Not surprisingly, the board of the Government Employees’ Pension Fund (GEPF), which is appointed by the minister of finance, is now going to use its massive funding to promote “transformation” in the financial sector (Business Report, October 13). In terms of this mentality, investment is to be guided by demographics, not economic success. Such an approach is contrary to any logical investment strategy and is daily in practice in a number of ordinary ways. It is normal to appraise the track record of a product one may wish to purchase or the surgeon under whose scalpel one may be subject or the safety…

South Africa’s population has increased by over 10 million since the 2011 census. According to the latest 2022 census, our population now stands at more than 62 million. More people to feed, clothe, school and employ. We should all be happy that the human race is so productive and is obediently carrying out God’s mandate: “Go ye forth into the world and multiply and dominate all living creatures that walk, swim, fly and crawl.” President Cyril Ramaphosa is also happy. He doesn’t see the extra people as a burden on the state but rather as a blessing. The ANC would have more voters to support it in the 2024 elections. To ensure the continued support of the masses, he has promised to find employment for the extra 10 million South…

The Provincial Department of Agriculture has confirmed the first case of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H7N6 has been detected in the Western Cape. MEC Ivan Meyer said the first case of H7N6 was positively identified in George. Cases of H7N6 HPAI have also been detected in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, the Free State, and Limpopo. The country is currently battling two strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 and H7N6 resultant outbreaks across provinces. The HPAI affects poultry and wild birds, and in South Africa millions of birds and chickens have been culled to contain the spread of the virus. The Western Cape saw seven outbreaks of the H5N1 HPAI virus from April to June, with Meyer stating that this was still a threat from wild birds. In the past…

The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) have obtained preservation orders from the court for four Limpopo-based properties and three luxury vehicles belonging to an entity linked to the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) fraud and corruption. Last year, a crackdown on NLC fraud and corruption resulted in mass resignations of NLC officials who were fingered in a slew of corrupt activities linked to hijacked non-profit organisations as well as those belonging to close family and friends. Five key staff members at the commission were subsequently suspended, with others resigning en masse in the face of the crackdown led by the SIU. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago yesterday confirmed the latest preservation order, saying the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, had already granted the AFU and SIU preservation…

MURDER accused Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya and Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi have been given another opportunity to question police officers who took down their alleged confessions with the addition of a new legal counsel. As the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial was due to proceed in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria yesterday, it was hit with yet another delay as Sibiya and Ntanzi – who allegedly confessed to the murder of Meyiwa – hired an advocate to re-examine the testimony of the trial-within-a-trial witnesses. State witnesses, retired police officer Colonel Mhlanganyelwa Mbotho, and Constable Thapelo Monareng, an Ekurhuleni metro police officer, last week started testifying about the alleged confessions made by both men regarding their role in the 2014 murder of Meyiwa. According to the State, Sibiya had made a confession and pointed out…

IN RECENT years, no other national team has exhibited the remarkable ability to bring a divided nation together quite like the Springboks. Their hard-fought victory over the host team, France, in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, with a nail-biting score of 29-28, was a true testament to their status as defending champions. In a thrilling encounter that featured seven tries, South Africa emerged victorious, captivating the hearts of not only their compatriots back home but those scattered around the globe. As Jacques Nienaber’s team battled their way to the semi-finals, the impassioned singing, chanting, and cheering of their partisan supporters created an electrifying atmosphere. The slender margin of victory, masterminded by Siya Kolisi’s leadership, achieved the feat of uniting the nation across racial lines. This was particularly significant in…

China yesterday began welcoming representatives of 130 countries for a conference that will be overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war, as an increasingly assertive Beijing is asked to help de-escalate the violence. At the top of the invitation list to China’s Belt and Road Initiative forum is Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, on his first trip to a major global power since the Ukraine invasion threw his regime into international isolation. Leaders have begun to pour into the Chinese capital for a gala event marking a decade of the BRI, a key project of President Xi Jinping to extend China’s global reach. While China hopes the forum will help boost its international standing, Israel’s war with Palestinian militant organisation Hamas will continue to dominate the headlines. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemned…

LONDON: Donald Trump wants to give evidence in a London court to prove as false claims that Russia supported his 2016 election campaign, the former US president’s lawyers said yesterday as he bid to continue his case against a British private investigations firm. Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is suing Orbis Business Intelligence for alleged data protection breaches over a dossier written by former British intelligence officer and Orbis co-founder Christopher Steele. The document made allegations about ties between Trump’s campaign and Russia, and said Trump engaged in “perverted sexual acts”. Many of the allegations were never substantiated. Trump wants compensation for reputational damage and distress. | Reuters…

ARRAS: A high school in Arras, northern France, where a French teacher was fatally stabbed on Friday, was evacuated yesterday following a bomb alert, according to reports. Friday’s attack, which prompted the government to put France on its highest security alert, came as a “jihadist atmosphere” had developed, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said over the weekend, after the deadly Hamas attack on Israel unleashed retaliatory strikes. While there were no classes scheduled yesterday at the Lycee Gambetta high school, its doors were open for pupils and staff to pay tribute to teacher Dominique Bernard, who was killed by a 20-year-old man in an attack. | Reuters…

IN what is deemed to be a groundbreaking judgment, a court has ordered the Road Accident Fund (RAF) to financially compensate the widow and children of a man who had died by suicide after he was earlier involved in a motorbike accident. The Western Cape High Court found that although the man decided to take his own life, the accident left him in so much pain and mental despair, that he was driven to suicide. Judge James Lekhuleni found that there was a proven link between the accident and the suicide and that the RAF was thus liable to pay spousal compensation to his family. “The evidence showed that the deceased was suffering excruciating pains arising from the motor vehicle accident. The court has little doubt that the injuries and…

The report on the state of municipalities in the country, as outlined by Minister in the Presidency Maropene Ramokgopa, is cause for concern. With 90% of all municipalities in the country being dysfunctional, it is clear that local government has been neglected for far too long. Local government is supposed to be the sphere of service delivery, where citizens interact with local politicians on a daily basis. However, the reality is that politicians who lack skills, experience and knowledge dominate local government. They are more concerned about advancing the interests of their political parties than the interests of the citizens they serve. As a result, basic services such as water and electricity are not delivered, and citizens are left stranded. It is as if we are driving a car that…

The brutal race for the White House continues. Donald Trump leads in the polls, and could regain the presidency, if he is not convicted and imprisoned. Joe Biden is medically unfit to run even if he wins as his mental capacity remains diminished. Enter Vivek Ramaswamy, whose charisma is unmatched by any politician contesting the presidency. As a GOP politician, he could take the US to new heights. As a young and emerging leader he seems to be at the top of his game. He is in essence the GOP’s version of JFK. As a possible future president, Ramaswamy could elevate the international view of America. He has the ability to rally the world to the cause of liberty. As an American of Indian ancestry he could reshape the foreign…

While interest rate, BRICS and geopolitics were in competition for the 2023 South African Word of the Year, ultimately the word/term “Russia-Ukraine” was selected the winner. The news was announced yesterday in celebration of International Dictionary Day. The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) announced the 2023 South African Word of the Year after a thorough consideration of various words, terms and expressions. The selection process was conducted by PanSALB that shortlisted candidates based on real language usage, while Focal Point analysed frequency statistics from October 2022 to September 2023, tracking keywords prominently used in credible print, broadcast, and online media. “Russia-Ukraine” emerged as the most dominant keyword in the media, accounting for 44% of the total clip count and mentions, followed by “BRICS” at 27%. The inaugural SA Word…

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Bloemfontein in the Free State has welcomed the conviction and sentencing of a pet owner who left two dogs in a vehicle in the scorching heat. On October 15, 2021, Inspector Werner Botha responded to a call about two dachshunds trapped inside a vehicle in Charles Street. On responding to the call, the dogs were found dead. According to the SPCA, members of the public informed Inspector Botha the dogs had been trapped inside the vehicle since October 10, 2021, during hot weather with temperatures averaging between 30 to 35ºC. In the clinical evaluation, it was determined the dogs succumbed to severe dehydration and heat stroke. It is not known why members of the public did not break a…

THE acting head of eThekwini Metro Police, Sbonelo Mchunu, has been cleared of several allegations of wrongdoing levelled against him in a disciplinary hearing led by his employer. The decision was handed down last Monday by the presiding officer, Musa Mbhele, who is the city manager. The Mercury understands that Mbhele started presiding over this matter when he was the chief operations officer of the metro. The leading of evidence and cross-examination in the hearing took three years. Mchunu, who is considered the front-runner to take over as the head of metro police, had been facing at least six counts of wrongdoing stemming from a forensic investigation conducted a few years ago that looked into allegations of wrongdoing within the unit when he was superintendent. He is currently acting…

The South African government says there is “no movement” yet on its plan to evacuate about 16 South Africans stranded in the Middle East amid the Israel-Palestine conflict which has left thousands of people dead. The majority of the South Africans who need to be evacuated are in the Gaza area, according to Zane Dangor, director general of the national Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco). “We have got about 16 South Africans we know about that are on our list. Most are in the Gaza or the West Bank area. They are on the UN list and part of the UN evacuation strategy,” Dangor said on television news channel Newzroom Afrika yesterday. “At the moment there is no movement. None of the people that want to be evacuated…

Global Public Investment as a potential solution to finding new avenues of finance Yared Tsegay In pursuit of achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and more specifically Goal 13, Climate Action, South Africa faces numerous challenges, from budget deficits to insufficient funding for critical initiatives like the Just Energy Transition (JET). As the government grapples with finding financial resources for these pressing needs, a new and innovative approach called Global Public Investment (GPI) emerges as a potential solution. GPI, championed by organisations such as Africa Monitor and Development Initiatives (DI), aims to mobilise resources from various stakeholders and foster global solidarity to address the financing gap for sustainable development. This opinion piece explores the relevance of GPI in the South African context, where the government is struggling to allocate funds…

Israeli forces kept up their bombardment of Gaza yesterday after diplomatic efforts to arrange a ceasefire to allow foreign citizens to leave and aid to be brought into the besieged Palestinian enclave failed. Residents of Hamas-ruled Gaza said overnight air strikes were the heaviest yet as the conflict entered its 10th day with an Israeli ground offensive of the densely populated coastal strip believed to be imminent. Bombing carried on through the day, they said, and many buildings were flattened, trapping yet more people under the rubble. Israeli officials issued multiple warnings of Hamas rocket fire into Israel. Diplomatic efforts have been underway to get aid into the enclave, which has endured unrelenting Israeli bombing since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants that killed 1 300 people…

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said yesterday that he accepted his share of blame for the failure of a referendum question on indigenous recognition that could weaken his authority. More than 60% of Australians voted “no” in the landmark referendum on Saturday that asked whether to alter the constitution to recognise the country’s indigenous people, and create an advisory body that would have advised parliament on matters concerning the community. Albanese staked significant political capital on a “yes” vote, pushing ahead despite the opposition Liberal party opposing it. Only eight of 45 referendums have been successful in Australia’s history as a nation, none without bipartisan support. He faced Liberal leader Peter Dutton during parliamentary question time yesterday for the first time since the referendum failure. “We know that referendums are…

WARSAW: Poland’s liberal opposition yesterday celebrated exit polls showing it had won a parliamentary majority in elections on Sunday which saw the highest turnout since the fall of Communism. The surprise result would put an end to eight years of rule by the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party during which relations with the EU and Ukraine have fallen to new lows. The opposition, led by former EU chief Donald Tusk, had billed the parliamentary elections as the “last chance” to save democracy. The PiS government is based on traditional Catholic values and Poland has the EU’s most stringent abortion laws. Tusk has promised to liberalise them. | AFP…

MOSCOW: Russia expects a visit by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as the two oil producers deepen their co-operation and Russian companies seek to invest more in the South American country, President Vladimir Putin’s oil point man said yesterday. Venezuela boasts the world’s largest proven oil reserves and Russia is the world’s second-largest oil exporter. Maduro is due to visit by the end of the year. Russia describes Venezuela as a key Russian partner in Latin America. Russian oil and gas joint ventures in Venezuela exceeded planned production by 16% for the first seven months of this year. | Reuters…

Cricket will feature as one of five new sports at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. A vote of the IOC’s session in Mumbai yesterday approved the inclusion of the game’s T20 format, together with baseball/softball, flag football, squash and lacrosse. The IOC’s executive board last week accepted a proposal by LA organisers for the five sports to be included. But the final choice still had to be voted on yesterday at the IOC session in Mumbai, one of the global centres for cricket, as India hosts the men’s 50-over Cricket World Cup. Only two delegates at the session voted against the new sports. Organisers have proposed a six-team event, in both men’s and women’s Twenty20 cricket, the shortest form of the game. The US is set to field…

THIRTY-FOUR years after the murder of a young United Democratic Front (UDF) activist, the man accused of the crime, Wesley “Matir” Madonsela, stood in the dock in the Durban Regional Court yesterday for the trial to begin. Siphelele Nxumalo, 17, was killed in Chesterville in February 1989. Madonsela was previously arrested for the murder but absconded after being granted bail of R1 000. He was rearrested this year. Madonsela pleaded not guilty to the murder as the trial got under way. Nxumalo’s girlfriend at the time was the first State witness to be called. The woman, whom the State asked the media not to name for safety reasons, said she and Nxumalo lived on Road 12 in Chesterville in 1989. “On the night of the murder in February 1989 it…

The high court battle over the Zulu throne got under way yesterday in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. While Misuzulu kaZwelithini, has been officially recognised as the Zulu king by President Cyril Ramphosa, he is being challenged by others in the royal family. The case has been brought by Prince Simakade, the first-born son of the late king who is arguing that he is the rightful heir to the throne and he was robbed of it through manipulation of royal systems to identify a king. However, also involved in the matter is Prince Mbonisi Zulu, a half-brother of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini who wants Prince Buzabazi to take the throne. When the court case got under way yesterday, advocate Thabani Masuku SC, acting on behalf of Prince Mbonisi, told…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said without blinking an eye to Benjamin Netanyahu: “Don’t worry, we got your back, we are not going anywhere.” What he should have said is: “Ek sê bra, please stay where you are otherwise we will have to swallow our words and give you a place in our country and the UK will have to give you a home in their country as it was they who started this whole fracas by giving you somebody else’s country in 1917. Because who knows, after a while you may, after taking our finger, show us the same.” No, no, not that finger, the one that you are now showing the Palestinians as you tell them to go. But there is nowhere to go. A Jewish Israeli…

THE other day a party of us visited Benvie Garden Park in the Karkloof district of the Midlands. It’s an astonishing showpiece of artistic gardening, begun in 1882 by John Geekie, who had arrived from Scotland and set aside 30ha of his much larger farm for the park. It is run to this day by the Geekie family. Benvie has massive trees from all over the world, some of them well over 150 years old. It has acres of huge azalea bushes, also other exotic plants, a multi-coloured floral riot. It has breathtaking lily ponds. It has expansive lawns that are neatly trimmed. And from time to time one also encounters the adjoining wild beauty of the Karkloof Forest. The contrast only heightens the effect. One is staggered to think…

The National Health Department said it remained open to engage with any affected stakeholders regarding its uniform regulations for staff. In July, the department issued a circular to inform provincial heads of health of the implementation of the national nurses uniform policy dress code. Annexure A of the circular says: “Headscarves are not allowed while on duty”, and a “moustache and beard must be neatly trimmed and should be aligned to mask fitness testing prescripts of occupational health”. Health Minister Joe Phaahla was asked by NFP MP Munzoor Shaik Emam whether he intended to intervene in the matter involving Muslim women, for whom it is customary to have their heads covered, as the new policy means they will be restricted from wearing their headscarves while on duty in health-care facilities.…

COUNTING the number of people who are homeless is hard. Having no fixed abode, they move around. At night, while some are sleeping in shop doorways or on grass verges, others hide in bushes, side alleyways and even storm drains. Internationally, there are two ways used to estimate the number of homeless people. One is a point-in-time count – of people found sleeping in an area. The other is counting the number of people accessing services such as a soup kitchen. StatsSA, through the national Census, is tasked with counting every single person residing in South Africa – housed and unhoused. How reliable are the numbers? When looking at any statistics it is always good to ask: does this look right? The Census Report states there were 6 433 roofless…

Hardline Republican Jim Jordan is set to take his sputtering bid for speaker to the floor of the US House of Representatives this week, hoping to bulldoze opposition from dozens within his own party by applying pressure in a series of public votes. The political civil war that has consumed House Republicans largely behind closed doors since former speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster on October 3 has already consumed two weeks that Congress could have spent funding federal agencies ahead of a November 17 shutdown deadline and aiding the war efforts of US allies Israel and Ukraine. With more than 50 Republicans opposed to Jordan, the show of dysfunction stands out for being driven by Republican infighting rather than Congress’ more customary partisan squabbles. House Republicans were meeting behind closed…

The EU and the US yesterday expressed concern about the “disproportionate use of force” to disperse opposition demonstrations in Madagascar, amid tensions ahead of presidential elections. The country’s top court last week ordered the vote be postponed by one week to November 16, after a presidential candidate was injured during one of almost daily protest rallies that have rocked the nation over the past two weeks. Representatives of the EU, US and seven other countries and international organisations, including France, Germany and Japan, said they were “worried” about the “tense political climate” in Madagascar. They stressed the importance of respecting freedom of expression, association and assembly, and called on all parties to “exercise the utmost restraint” and engage in dialogue. It came after a statement from the group last month…

Nairobi: Facebook content moderators in Kenya said settlement talks to resolve a labour lawsuit against the social media behemoth’s parent Meta collapsed yesterday, setting the stage for a renewed court battle. In March, 184 moderators sacked by Sama, a company contracted by Meta to review Facebook posts, brought a lawsuit claiming unfair dismissal and alleging that workers in Kenya were subjected to inhumane conditions, including forced labour and irregular pay. A Kenyan court suspended the mass sacking in June and two months later allowed Meta and the moderators to pursue an out-of-court settlement. | AFP…

Jakarta: Indonesia yesterday amended the eligibility requirements to run for president and vice- president, creating an exception to the minimum age threshold that could pave the way for the incumbent’s son to enter the race. Ruling on petitions to change criteria, the Indonesian Concourt rejected a motion to drop the minimum age below 40, but narrowly approved an exception for candidates who have previously been elected to office. There has been speculation that President Joko Widodo’s son, 36, and Surakarta City mayor, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, will contest the presidential race as running mate to Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto. | AFP…

The Proteas women concluded a successful home series against New Zealand, winning the one-day international series while finishing the T20 series level at 1-1 with the visitors. It was not too long ago when South Africa were hit with multiple retirements in a short space of time, but the young team is finding their feet again on the world stage. When any team has to bid farewell to experienced players, it usually takes a lengthy period for the younger players to gel as a unit. In some cases, it takes years to rebuild and international cricket is often unforgiving to a team that is in a rebuilding phase. The Proteas have defied the odds and taken a relatively short period of time to find their feet again following the retirements…