Table of contents for NM-2021-03-29 in Mercury

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za Another ban on alcohol would be the end of the tavern sector as we know it, Liquor Traders Formation convener Lucky Ntimane said yesterday. He joined other industry organisations which argued that the alcohol industry had yet to recover from the almost 19 weeks of non-trading since Covid-19 lockdown began, he said. Under current level 1 lockdown restrictions, alcohol sales take place at normal pre-Covid 19 trading hours, but media reports yesterday said that the National Coronavirus Command Council last week discussed banning alcohol sales over Easter and increasing the size of gatherings, among a raft of other suggestions to prevent a third wave of viral infections. The industry claims to have already lost about R36.3 billion in revenue due to previous bans, and was dealt…

BLOCKCHAIN solutions are currently not easy to implement, but highly desirable for governments and businesses in developing countries that have long been overwhelmed with issues surrounding data collection, organisation and integrity. Using blockchain technology to digi- tise, secure and keep track of records will not only avoid the issues around information mismanagement that many institutions struggle with, but could also curb corruption and restore trust in the public sector, which is at an all-time low among many African citizens. Many companies across the globe are therefore taking a huge interest in the potential Africa has to offer in terms of market growth for blockchain-based products. According to Apollo Eric from Æternity Hub Africa “blockchain technology has the potential to disrupt the current centralised linearly structured systems that typically create bottlenecks…

GLEN CHRISTIE | Durban North Having had a few minutes to watch the streaming of the Constitutional Court proceedings with the advocate from the Zondo Commission making his presentation, which I thought was extremely well thought out and presented, the look on the faces of the constitutional judges hearing this application seemed to indicate that they were uncomfortable. What concerns most of us is that Jacob Zuma defied a Constitutional Court order with much fanfare, in other words giving the Constitution the middle finger. Now we have the Constitutional Court taking a recess to no doubt discuss the matter further. Why? This is rather a straightforward matter. Contempt of court has occurred – so jail time should be the punishment, yet we have all of them going into…

FAROUK ARAIE | Gauteng THE careless outburst of senior counsel Dali Mpofu at the state capture inquiry is tantamount to gross judicial misconduct. The judiciary is a very noble profession steeped in history and tradition. Judicial officers are expected to uphold those customs as they traverse the profession. Recently, it has been observed with great disenchantment the slow erosion of established etiquette practices. Mr Mpofu’s aggressive style of presenting legal arguments is a crude act of judicial intimidation. Aggressive lawyers act without respect for others. This damages interpersonal relationships, ultimately leading to an unco-operative environment that makes resolution or agreement impossible. Maintaining decorum in and around a judicial environment is not merely a superficial means of protecting the image of lawyers and judges, it is absolutely essential to…

Siyavuya Mzantsi siyavuya.mzantsi@inl.co.za FORTY SANParks employees found guilty of being involved in rhino poaching have been dismissed, Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has revealed. She was responding to a parliamentary question on whether any SANParks staff were involved in the poaching of rhino for their horns. “SANParks staff members have been involved in rhino poaching since 2009. In dealing with rhino poaching-related offences, SANParks runs a parallel process alongside the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA),” said Creecy. “Firstly, employees are charged in line with the SANParks Disciplinary Policy and procedures. In terms of the SANParks Disciplinary Policy and procedures, poaching/unauthorised hunting and killing of animals fall under Category 1 offences, and employees found guilty of such are dismissed for the first offence. “This internal disciplinary process was followed in…

NONHLANHLA HLATSHWAYO A 13-YEAR-OLD boy died after an incident at Durban’s North Beach at the weekend. ER24’s Russel Meiring said their paramedics arrived on the scene at midday on Saturday and found the lifeguards doing CPR on the boy. He said the paramedics took over CPR and provided advanced life support. “Unfortunately, after 40 minutes, no vital signs returned, and the child was declared dead. Two girls, who had also been assisted by the lifeguards, were treated and transported to a nearby hospital for further assessment. “Two other children were transported privately before the arrival of paramedics,” said Meiring. In a separate incident on Saturday, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said its Ballito crew was activated following reports of a vessel that had overturned with four local fishermen…

NASA has ruled out the possibility of Apophis impacting Earth in 2068, saying that our planet is safe from the asteroid for at least a century. The results from a new radar observation campaign combined with precise orbit analysis have helped astronomers conclude that there is no risk of Apophis impacting our planet for the next 100 years. Discovered in 2004, asteroid Apophis, estimated to be about 340m across, posed a serious threat to Earth when astronomers predicted that it would come close in 2029. The risk of an impact in 2029 was later ruled out, as was the potential impact risk posed by another close approach in 2036. To arrive at the calculations, astronomers turned to the 70m radio antenna at the Deep Space Network's Goldstone Deep Space Communications…

With concerns mounting over an increase in Covid-19 infections over the Easter holidays and a slowing down in vaccinations, it is crucial that President Cyril Ramaphosa take the nation into his confidence with regards to the state of the pandemic. The war waged against Covid-19 will be a long one. As the country marked the first anniversary since the lockdown started, there is no clear timeline of when life will return to normalcy. This is expected as the pandemic presented the world with many unknowns. A third and fourth wave have been predicted for this year. The need for social distancing, wearing of masks and hypervigilance remains crucial. It is also crucial for the president to present the facts to the nation, not only for the country to understand the…

With work from home becoming more popular amid the pandemic, cyberattacks against remote access protocols have continued to rise over the past year, a new report says. After the switch to remote work, brute-force attacks against RDP – perhaps the most popular remote desktop protocol and used to access Windows or servers – skyrocketed, reaching a new high of 409 million worldwide in November 2020, research from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky shows. In a brute-force attack, attackers test different usernames and passwords until the correct combination is found – gaining access to corporate resources. When the world went into lockdown in March 2020, the total number of brute-force attacks against RDP jumped from 93.1 million worldwide in February 2020 to 277.4 million in March 2020 – a 197% increase, according to…

The nautical traffic jam in the Suez Canal, caused by container ship Ever Given, has resulted in delays for a large number of cargo vessels, including one carrying a sizeable shipment of sex toys bound for the Netherlands. The shipment consists of some 20 containers packed with “dildos, vibrators and male masturbators”, intended for customers of a company called EDC Retail that had already complained about its projected losses, caused by an inability to replenish the stock. “There are more than 20 containers full of well-running items, such as vibrators, dildos and male masturbators,” Evertine Magerman, chief executive of EDC Retail, said. “A lot of these products were sold for Christmas and Valentine’s Day. There is now an extra lot on the way to restore stocks. But that is not…

PANAMA CITY: Panama is restricting entry of foreigners from all South American countries from Wednesday, after a case of the Brazilian variant was confirmed in a patient who had travelled to Brazil. “We are temporarily suspending entry of any person who has stayed or transited through any South American country in the past 15 days, except for nationals of Panama, who upon entering must take a Covid-19 test and enter quarantine,” Panama’s Health Ministry said. The Brazilian strain was detected after a foreigner living in Panama had travelled to her country of origin and tested Covid-positive on her return. Panama has 353 497 cases and 6 000 deaths.…

SOUTH Africa’s Darryn Binder started on pole, and ended the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix with a podium, but if only it was as straightforward as that. In the first race of the 2021 season at the Losail International Circuit, the Moto3 category dished up a brilliantly entertaining spectacle. Binder finished behind second-placed Pedro Acosta and winner Jaume Masia, both of Spain, 0.094 seconds behind the victor. Older brother, Brad, meanwhile, had the tough task of making an impact from 19th on the grid in the elite MotoGP class finishing 14th.…

Lorna Charles lorna.charles@inl.co.za A ZINKWAZI mother is living her worst nightmare as she mourns the loss of her son, who was killed in the attack in Palma, Mozambique, on Friday. Meryl Knox told The Mercury that her son, Adrian Nel, would have turned 41 on April 1, but instead of a celebration, she was awaiting the return of her elder son’s body. Her nightmare began on Wednesday when a friend called to find out whether her husband, Greg, was okay as he had heard of the trouble in Palma. Knox said she was beside herself as not only was her husband working on a major construction project in Palma, but both her sons were too. She said she tried frantically to get information. She managed to get on to a…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff Given the uncritical coverage of the Joe Biden administration by the mass media, Jean Michel’s credulous account of the working of the Biden administration (The Mercury, March 26) is not surprising. Claiming that Biden has replaced incompetence with competency, callousness with empathy, lies with truth and provided financial relief, simply does not square with the facts. Although Biden has described the present as a “dark winter”, he threw 15 000 people out of their jobs by stopping work on the Keystone Pipeline. As a result, 14 states are suing his administration over its moratorium on gas and energy production which has resulted in a 30% increase in fuel costs. The claim that Biden has promoted financial relief is cynical, to say the least,…

NOEL BAKER | Durban North WHILE cycling on our beautiful beach promenade last Tuesday morning, I stopped at the Lifesaving building on North Beach to check the Water Test Status. What a surprise. Water testing is supposed to take place every second week, according to the chart. The last testing was done on the November 5, 2020, i.e. four-and-a-half months ago and the status reported as “Excellent”. Since that time, we have had numerous storms bringing all sorts of pollution down the rivers and on to our beaches. I would like to know who has not been doing the testing and why. I assume the “testers” were not paid during that period!…

Stay out of the middle. Play messenger for no one. It’s tempting to save the day or be the hero. Assuming others need you to run their interference suggests they are incapable of representing themselves. Forgive and forget; forgive and remember. Of course we forgive and forget some offences, but this can make a way for the offender to repeat things previously forgiven. You are no less of a forgiving person because you recall and therefore self-protect. Allow yourself a day, a week, even a month, for some decisions. Time and space allows for thinking and reflecting. The ramifications of important decisions can last for generations. Take time over important decisions. Anyone who wants you to rush into things probably has a hidden agenda. Plan your finances as carefully as…

MARINE biologists were stunned when they observed a tiny common dolphin calf swimming with a group of humpback dolphins in Mossel Bay last week. Dr Tess Gridley, director of Sea Search and a research associate in the department of botany and zoology at Stellenbosch University, said this was highly unusual behaviour, and they had no idea whether the baby dolphin was lost, orphaned or even stolen. They have been conducting field work in the area for the past week, looking for humpback dolphins for PhD student Sasha Dines’ research. Sea Search uses a passive listening system to record the individually unique whistles of the dolphins. As these devices work 24 hours a day, they allow researchers to study the behaviour and abundance of endangered species such as the elusive humpback…

Hundreds of members of a hardline Islamist group attacked Hindu temples and a train in eastern Bangladesh yesterday, police and a local journalist said, as violence spread across the country in the wake of a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At least 10 protesters were killed in clashes with police during demonstrations organised by Islamist groups against the Indian leader’s visit, and violence raged on after his departure as anger swelled over the deaths. Modi arrived in Dhaka on Friday to mark the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s nationhood, and he left on Saturday after gifting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 1.2 million Covid-19 vaccine shots. The Islamist groups accuse Modi of discriminating against minority Muslims in Hindu-majority India and violence escalated rapidly during his visit. On Friday, dozens…

NEW YORK: Former-US president Donald Trump at the weekend said that he may visit the Mexico-US border in coming weeks, suggesting that “a lot of people want him to”. “Thousands and thousands people are coming up right now as we speak and you are going to have millions of people pouring into our country. And it is going to destroy our country. “I don’t know what they are doing and they don’t know what they are doing. It’s a very, very dangerous situation. “I would love not to be involved, somebody else is supposed to be doing it,” Trump said.…

BRUSSELS: Thirteen countries risk facing Schengen visa restrictions over their reluctance to take back deportees from the European Union. The European Commission looked into 39 countries that systematically “obstruct” the repatriation of their own citizens. The worst “unsatisfactory” grade was given to 13 countries – Iraq, Iran, Libya, Senegal, Somalia, Mali, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Guinea-Bissau. The countries will face visa restrictions unless they better co-operate on repatriation of their citizens. “Dialogue” will be launched to improve co-operation, failing which the EU may increase visa fees.…

Jaco Prinsloo won his second Sunshine Tour title in three weeks yesterday when he carded a closing four-under-par 68 to take the Serengeti Pro-Am Invitational by a margin of two shots. He had a shaky start with two bogeys in his opening five holes – admittedly matched with two birdies in the same stretch – but he settled down to turn in one-under 35 and come home with three more birdies on the back nine to finish two clear of overnight leader Jaco Ahlers, and three strokes ahead of MJ Viljoen and Neil Schietekat, who shared third on 11-under. That was after five rounds in an unusual format which included a rest day after the cut, and a third round on the par-three course at Serengeti. “It wasn’t an ideal…

Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton won the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix for Mercedes yesterday after an epic, knife-edge battle with Red Bull's Max Verstappen over the final laps. Verstappen, who passed the Briton with four laps to go only to have to hand back the lead for exceeding track limits, finished a mere 0.745 seconds behind after starting on pole position. Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas was a distant third but gained a bonus point for fastest lap. "Wow, what a difficult race that was," said Hamilton, who started second on the grid and took another of Michael Schumacher's all-time records with his 5 112nd race lap led. "Max was all over me right at the end, but I just about managed to hold him off. It was one…

Altron CEO Mteto Nyati honoured with World Entrepreneur Award, SA region Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za ALLIED Electronics Corporation (Altron) chief executive Mteto Nyati was among the biggest winners in the EY World Entrepreneur Award in the Southern Africa region on Friday. Nyati was nominated in the “Influence” category alongside Oceana Group chief executive Imraan Soomra and Pierre Spies, the chief executive of Alviva Holdings. EY Africa chief executive Ajen Sita said Nyati would join finalists from more than 45 countries to compete for the title of 2021 EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year award in June as the “Influence” winner. “It is no secret that entrepreneurs can change the world and help reframe the future and like many of us over the past year, they have faced a steep learning curve…

As Easter approaches, leaders ask state to avoid tougher Covid-19 measures Vernon Mchunu vernon.mchunu@inl.co.za RELIGIOUS leaders have called on the government to be consistent in its application of Covid-19 restrictions, saying it was not fair to impose tough restrictions on churches while there were massively huge gatherings elsewhere. Catholic Church Cardinal Wilfrid Napier was commenting following growing speculation about the possible announcement of more stringent restrictions ahead of the Easter weekend. Speaking to The Mercury last night, Napier said churches had noted with concern funerals being held with large numbers of people, many of whom were not wearing masks, while churches were only allowed a “ridiculous number” of worshippers. Although President Cyril Ramaphosa recently relaxed lockdown restrictions to level 1, religious gatherings are permitted under restrictions of 100 people…

EBRAHIM “EBKOYBIE” ESSA | Durban So another big juggernaut is stuck in the mud, blocking billions of dollars worth of shipping from passing through the Suez Canal. This is not really new. The canal has always been a flashpoint of embittered violent conflict since President (Gamal Abdel) Nasser nationalised it in 1956. The French designed it, so thought they owned it. The British, who also had helped themselves to camels, red-fez caps, pyramids, sphinx and even Tutankhamun’s mummy – without consulting any daddy from the Egyptian desert, as an extension, entitled themselves to the loot from tolls charged to shipping to pass through the canal, an amazing short cut from the Indian to the Atlantic Ocean! Each bank of the canal became the battlefront for warring Israeli…

| F Scott Fitzgerald SENSATIONAL stuff that was last Friday night, the Sharks running away by an unbelievable 45-12 against the Bulls on a King’s Park pitch so soggy that when Sanele Nohamba went over for a closing try, it was in a shower of spray, more of a duckdive. And appropriate it was that their performance should be accompanied in the Pub With No Name, in Florida Road, by some sensationally boisterous rugby songs. Except, er, that these fellows who had completely taken over one end of the bar were not rugby players at all. They were cricketers. But their non-stop singing, prancing about – on tables, chairs and the bar counter – was the equal of any rugby club. The TV was on the blink, playing up…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za THE South African Post Office (SAPO) will cough up R17.2 million to reimburse social grant beneficiaries whose accounts have been defrauded since February 2020. This was revealed by Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu when she was responding in writing to parliamentary questions from IFP MP Liezl van der Merve. South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grant recipients have experienced problems with unauthorised deductions from their social grants. Van der Merve said this was despite the assurance when the gold Sassa-SAPO cards were introduced that the cards were safe and could not be duplicated. She asked Zulu about measures her department intended to put in place to resolve the ongoing problem of illegal deductions from grant recipients. Van der Merve also asked for the total number of Sassa…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za Communication between government and healthcare workers regarding the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out is improving. This is according to Dr Rinesh Chetty, a KZN specialist network executive member and founder of SA Doctors United. This comes after experts raised concerns about the slow pace of the vaccine roll-out programme, with about 5 500 doses being administered per day while some health workers who were deemed ineligible were concerned about the process of selection. Last week, The Mercury reported that Cabinet had announced that the deadline to vaccinate health-care workers had been moved from the end of March to May 17. Phase 2 of the roll-out programme would then start followed by phase 3 from November to February 2022. Chetty said there was initially some confusion and poor communication during…

Strengthening unity and co-operation with African countries has always been an important cornerstone of China’s independent and peaceful foreign policy, and it is China’s long-term firm strategic choice. No matter how the international situation changes, China has always been united with African countries and moved forward hand in hand to continuously deepen China-Africa relations. China and Africa work together to overcome difficulties. First, China and Africa worked hand in hand to fight the pandemic and support each other. At the most difficult moment in China’s fight against the pandemic, African countries rendered valuable support to China. After the outbreak of the pandemic in Africa, China took the lead in providing 120 batches of emergency anti-epidemic supplies to almost all African countries and the AU, dispatching anti-epidemic medical experts to 16…

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has admitted to his government’s failings on tackling sexism, local media reported yesterday, after allegations of rape, sexual harassment, bullying and misogyny since late February rocked the government. Morrison recently faced criticism over the handling of the rape allegation against a former staffer and the historical rape allegation denied by Attorney-General Christian Porter. Thousands of women rallied in cities across the country in recent weeks, angered by the government’s handling of rape allegations in Parliament House, and its refusal to hold an inquiry into separate claims the attorney-general sexually assaulted a woman he met at a school debating event over 30 years ago. Gender equality advocates had hoped that the high-profile cases will force Australia to a turning point where it takes serious steps to…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis led Palm Sunday services in an almost empty St. Peter’s Basilica because of coronavirus restrictions for the second consecutive year and said the devil is taking advantage of the pandemic. In pre-coronavirus times, Palm Sunday, which marks the start of Holy Week and leads to Easter, tens of thousands of people would pack St. Peter’s Square holding olive branches and intricately woven palm fronds in an outdoor ceremony. Instead, only about 120 members of the faithful participated in Sunday’s Mass, joining the pope and about 30 cardinals in a secondary wing of the huge basilica. “Last year we were shocked. “This year we are more under pressure and the economic crisis has become heavy,” Francis said in his traditional address after the Mass. Italy is in…

SANA’A:, The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthi forces has destroyed two explosive-laden boats that the Iran-aligned group planned to use in an “imminent” attack launched from the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Saudi state media reported yesterday. The coalition in separate statements also said it intercepted and destroyed three armed drones launched towards southern Saudi Arabia, including the city of Khamis Mushait. The Houthis, who ousted Yemen’s internationally recognised government from the capital, Sanaa, now hold most of north Yemen.…

HERMAN GIBBS The three South African boxers in action in Russia on Saturday evening suffered mixed fortunes but the star of the show was Gauteng southpaw cruiserweight Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu, who won against undefeated Russian Evgeny Tishchenko and retained his World Boxing Council International title at the RCC Boxing Academy in Ekaterina. Mchunu was hugely impressive from the opening bell winning 117-111 and 119-109 (twice) Mchunu improved his record to 23-5. This means that Mchunu has earned the right to a crack at the WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Junior Makuba from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Junior lightweight Lunga Stimela suffered an unanimous 10-round points loss to Tajikistan’s Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov. The judges scored the bout 99-90, 97-91 and 99-89. Ageing Koos Lambo Sibiya suffered a unanimous decision…

HERMAN GIBBS Bafana Bafana’s hopes of qualifying for next year's Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals disappeared into the humid night air at the Al-Hilal Stadium, Omdurman, where Sudan ran out 2-0 winners in the final Group C clash yesterday evening. Following this result, Sudan will join Ghana as the Group C teams to qualify for next year's continental showpiece in Cameroon. Sudan's two first-half goals in the shoot-out for Cameroon qualification sealed Bafana Bafana's fate. In contrast, Bafana had several good scoring opportunities, but yet again they were found to be inept in the striking zone. Percy Tau also had a subdued evening. Straight from the start, Sudan set off at great pace, and by the looks of things, it took the South Africans by surprise. Sudan's early…