Table of contents for NM-2021-04-15 in Mercury

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za ZEDER Investments’ share price leapt by more than 9 percent on the JSE yesterday morning after the agri-investment company said it had received approaches from third parties regarding some of its portfolio of investments. Zeder is considering the approaches following its overall strategic review after the disposal of its Pioneer Foods and Quantum Foods shareholdings last year, and the group was engaging with certain of these parties. Chief executive Johann le Roux said the board was evaluating these approaches. “We will communicate in more detail to the market on the value-enhancing progress, as may be required from time to time. “The strategy does not have a specific time line and will be executed in an appropriate and responsible manner in an attempt to maximise shareholder value.…

THE 2020 South African Box Office report has laid bare the damage the Covid-19 pandemic did to the cinema industry after box office revenue declined by R1.2 billion in 2020. The National Film and Video Foundation recently released the 2020 South African Box Office report which depicts the performance of films released at the Box Office in South Africa. “The year 2020 has been challenging globally. At cinemas, the number of films released and their box office gross declined significantly. This was due to the lockdown imposed in March 2020. Cinemas had to close,” the report stated. The report is usually compiled biannually, however, due to the lockdown, all cinemas closed between March 26 and August 27, 2020, and the data was only available from January to March 2020,…

Vernon Mchunu vernon.mchunu@inl.co.za PUBLIC Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan interfered with the judiciary when he asked Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng how “a friend” of his had performed during an interview for candidates to the judiciary. This is the view of two independent commentators who hit out at Gordhan as the story surfaced this week during the ongoing interviews for the two vacant posts in the Constitutional Court. Gordhan in a statement yesterday denied that he had tried to influence the appointment of judges. The comments come as the EFF confirmed yesterday that the party had laid a complaint of corruption against Gordhan in relation to the matter. “We can confirm we have laid a complaint against Gordhan,” secretary general Marshal Dlamini said. In his statement, while denying that he had attempted…

YOUR anger, from mild to sizzling to red-hot and explosive – no matter how you might rationalise or think it is appropriate – will get you. There is hope; there are ways out. You do not have to co-operate with its destructive plan. It doesn’t have to be this way. There are things you can do to stop it from eating you alive, hurting those whom you love, intimidating those who believe they have to put up with your displays. You might indeed have a lot to be angry about, but even legitimate anger ultimately acts as poison and serves the host a full dose. Some things that happen to people ought to evoke anger, yes, but continued anger in reaction to life’s injustices is seldom helpful. Have the humility…

FAROUK ARAIE | Benoni WE HAVE begun the holy month of Ramadaan, and war the grim reaper continues to claim the lives of innocent people across the Muslim world. The dire consequences of war, hatred and prejudice, particularly for the civilian population, defy description. War is like fire in the human community, one whose fuel is human beings. Wars expose man’s ultimate inhumanity to man. Wars are an innate but obsolete part of human nature. Wars reflect man’s basest instinct. Untamed by rationality, all wars are instigated by hungry megalomaniacs, the politicians, managed by professional killers, the military and fought by the brainwashed members of their prospective population, the cannon fodder. The rape of women and girls continue unabated in war-ravaged Muslim lands. This is the ultimate war…

Roger Taylor is set to install a statue of his late Queen bandmate Freddie Mercury in his garden. The 71-year-old Queen drummer is carrying out a major garden makeover and plans to place a 6m bronze sculpture of his bandmate Freddie – who died in 1991 – in the centre of the redesigned land. The statue was previously used to promote the band’s musical We Will Rock You, but will find a new home in Roger’s garden alongside a party terrace that will overlook the flowerbeds. According to The Sun newspaper, Roger also plans to splash out on a luxurious pool house with a bar and jacuzzi. However, he needs planning permission for his garden ideas as his 18th century house in Surrey is in a conservation area.…

IT’S HARD to believe any public statement that Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Blade Nzimande makes around the fees debate. He has been the one appearing to be undermining Struggle icon and slain SACP general secretary Chris Hani’s declaration that “we are unapologetic when we say that education must be free”. As the current SACP general secretary, you would have thought Nzimande would use his position as the minister of higher education, science and technology to champion and advance the former Umkhonto we Sizwe chief of staff’s noble cause. Instead, Nzimande appears to have made it his business that any demands poor students make do not see the light of day. He has been at odds with the same values the SACP of Chris Hani and the Freedom Charter…

A dozen people were missing at sea off the US state of Louisiana yesterday after a commercial ship capsized in the Gulf of Mexico, sparking a rescue operation that saved six others. The US Coastguard and a fleet of volunteers were deployed to search for the 18 crew on board after the vessel capsized in a storm near Port Fourchon, about 160km south of New Orleans. The ship was a 39.3m lift vessel, the coastguard said, adding that the search for the remaining crew was ongoing. “We’re still looking for others right now,” Petty Officer Jonathan Lally, a spokesperson for the coastguard, told The Washington Post early yesterday. The operation came as an unexpectedly strong storm hit the area, creating dangerous conditions for boats in the Gulf. The National Oceanic…

Authorities in Ecuador detained fourteen current and former senior government officials, including Pablo Flores, the one-time boss of state-owned Petroecuador, less than a week after allegations of bribery involving the company emerged from a US investigation. A team of prosecutors and police led by Prosecutor General Diana Salazar searched residences and offices in three Ecuadorian cities and seized computers and cash. Those detained under suspicion of organized crime also include Pablo Celi, the current comptroller general and former Oil Minister Jose Agusto. A spokesperson for the office of the prosecutor said Tuesday he couldn’t comment as to whether the raids were related to the bribery revelations linking Petroecuador with commodity traders Vitol Group and Gunvor Group Ltd. A former Gunvor employee pleaded guilty in New York last week to helping…

ATHENS: Greece and Libya have agreed to hold talks on marking out their maritime zones in the Mediterranean, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said yesterday, after a meeting with the president of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Menfi. In a statement after the meeting, Mitsotakis said the two leaders “agreed on the immediate resumption of talks between Greece and Libya on the delimitation of the maritime zones”. Libya’s new unity government took office on March 16, succeeding two warring administrations that had ruled eastern and western regions during a decade of violent chaos since the overthrow of autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi.…

Throughout his life, WWE CEO Vince McMahon has been a polarizing figure. To some, the 75-year-old is a genius businessman who revolutionized the sports entertainment industry through the WWE. To others, he is a madman who has used various WWE storylines to showcase some of the bizarre thoughts which go through his mind. The truth is probably somewhere in between. The following are just some of the outrageous WWE storylines over the years. Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero square off for the custody of young Dominik Yes, that’s right, the late Guerrero featured in a ladder match against Mysterio for the custody of a young child. In the storyline, it was portrayed that Mysterio’s real-life son (Dominik) was the biological son of Guerrero from an affair during his real-life separation…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za HEALTH-CARE professionals believe the decision by the South African government to halt the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine roll-out amid safety concerns was the right move and would boost public confidence in the process. They said the government had taken the initiative to stop the vaccination programme without being forced to by a disaster, which stood it in good stead. Health experts have also weighed in on the issue and said there was no data in the country suggesting that the J&J vaccine was dangerous, but the government was acting out of an “abundance of caution”. They said the suspension would have no effect on the vaccine that was already in the country as it could be stored for a year. Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za Former president Jacob Zuma has once again accused the Constitutional Court of allowing itself to be used by the Zondo Commission to violate his rights and unfairly jail him. In a letter to the registrar of the Constitutional Court sent in response to a directive from Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng that Zuma should recommend an appropriate sentence for him after he defied the summons of the Zondo Commission, Zuma said no trial had taken place. Instead of filing the required 15-page affidavit, which was due yesterday, the former president wrote a 21-page letter to explain his defiance. He said his decision not to take part in the case was informed by the fact that all courts had not been fair to him. “While giving me a…

| Spike Milligan IT COULD have been Bayreuth as a lot of us gathered under the stars at the St Clement’s arts soirée the other evening to listen to retired judge Chris Nicholson discussing opera and playing some splendid stuff over the sound system. Verdi, Puccini, Wagner… even the cicadas and the crickets were silent as they listened and took it all in. Will we one day have a cicada emulating Wagner? Anything could happen. We were under the stars because we can’t meet indoors these days because of the Covid thing and there’s always the danger of being washed out by rain, though fortunately this did not happen. And a gig among the trees at St Clement’s provides a special ambience you don’t get indoors. Close your eyes…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE government is expected to table its response to public servants’ demands for a 7.1% salary increase by today. The unions – Nehawu, Denosa, Hopsersa, Naptosa, Popcru, the Public Servants Association (PSA), Sadtu and Sapu – which represent 1.2 million state employees in national and provincial government departments – will square off with the government at the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC). PSA assistant general manager Reuben Maleka said they expected the meeting to respond to their demands at the PSCBC meeting scheduled for April 15. The unions are demanding consumer price index (CPI) plus 4% across the board on the cost-of-living adjustment because they said they had lost their buying power as a result of non-implementation of the 2020 salary increase. The projected CPI is…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE Constitutional Court has raised concern that some of apartheid’s oppressive and discriminatory laws still impact on black people’s lives, 27 years into democracy. Justice Zukisa Tshiqi dropped some stinging words yesterday about the retention of racist laws in her judgment that declared unconstitutional apartheid legislation that rendered all black people’s marriages prior to 1988 automatically out of community of property. She penned the apex court’s unanimous judgment in the ground-breaking case that 72-year-old Agnes Sithole, from Pinetown, pursued against apartheid’s Black Administration Act (BAA). This piece of legislation meant Sithole’s marriage to Gideon Sithole, entered into on December 16, 1972, was automatically out of community of property by virtue of their race. She faced the threat of being kicked out of the house they bought in…

Mxolisi Kaunda THE International Organisation of Co-operatives in Industry and Services reports almost 10% of the world’s employed population is in co-operatives. It points out there are close to 3 million throughout the world. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) says co-operatives are responsible for more than 50% of the global agriculture output and the largest 300 co-operatives across 25 countries have a turnover of more than $2.5 trillion (about R36 trillion). This is a clear demonstration that we need to inculcate in our jobless youth the concept of co-operatives, focusing on the agricultural sector. In communities that were excluded from taking part in the mainstream economy, there is empirical evidence to the effect that agricultural co-operatives mainly comprise ageing members. Their age and health hamper productivity, thus impeding this…

THE formation and announcement of the ANC Youth League National Youth Task Team (NYTT) on April 8 has brought back the much-needed discussion about youth leadership in the country. Although the primary objective of the NYTT is to deliver the long-awaited congress of the ANCYL that has been postponed several times now, the revival of a once-powerful political force in South Africa is on the cards. One cannot forget the vibrant ANCYL from way back, the ANCYL of Anton Lembede with the likes of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo to the more recent ANCYL under the likes of Malusi Gigaba, Fikile Mbalula and lastly Julius Malema. It is no secret that the ANCYL has been in disarray for almost 10 years since Malema’s departure. It…

Somalia’s president has signed a disputed law extending his mandate for two years, the state news agency reported, setting the Horn of Africa nation on a collision course with donors who strongly oppose the move. Somalia, with only limited central government since 1991, is trying to rebuild with international help but the path back to stability has been obstructed by a political crisis caused by a failure to hold elections that were due in February. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s 4-year term expired in February and his successor was meant to be chosen by a new crop of legislators. Uncertainty deepened after opponents accused Mohamed of packing regional and national election boards with his own supporters. On Monday, the lower house of parliament passed legislation to extend Mohamed’s tenure, the state…

Moscow: The Kremlin said yesterday it will consider US President Joe Biden’s proposal to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a phone call, Biden proposed that the two leaders hold a summit “in the near future” that would come at a time of heightened tensions between the former Cold War rivals. “It is early to talk about this meeting in terms of specifics. This is a new proposal and it will be studied,” Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He added that there is still no set agenda for the summit.…

BRUSSELS: A coalition of NATO-led troops in Afghanistan will leave the country in coordination with a planned US withdrawal by September 11, Washington’s top diplomat said yesterday. Around 7 000 non-US forces from mainly NATO countries, but also from Australia, New Zealand and Georgia, outnumber the 2 500 US troops in Afghanistan but still rely on US air support, planning and leadership for their training mission. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it was time for NATO allies to make good on its mantra that allies went into Afghanistan together and would leave together.…

Eshlin Vedan Though Kaizer Chiefs have been significantly below-par in terms of their DStv Premiership performances this season, Gavin Hunt’s troops did show that they have some resolve by advancing to the quarter-final stage of this season’s CAF Champions League. The Glamour Boys earned a vital 2-2 away draw to Horoya in their final Group C game last weekend which ensured that they advanced to the quarter-finals as group runners-up, behind Wydad AC. “It was very difficult in Guinea. We know how Africa is. We managed to come up with a good result which made us qualify for the quarter-finals. It is a great feeling because the Champions League is not just any cup. “We know that we are representing South Africa in Africa so it is a great feeling,”…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za TRADE conditions in South Africa have turned more positive following a meaningful improvement in March after the lockdown in December dampened trade. Sacci said that the sentiment had improved significantly from a year ago, with the Trade Expectations Index (TEI) increasing by not less than 13 index points a year ago. The pro-business lobby group said the lockdown process had an adverse effect on business and a number of regular respondents went out of business. It said the restrictions gave way to a more optimistic outlook in February and March. Sacci chief executive Alan Mukoki said the improvement of trade conditions was in all the elements of trade, particularly sales volumes and new orders. The six-month expectations on components such as sales, orders, supplies and inventories…

HULAMIN said yesterday that the Covid-19 outbreak caused a major disruption in its operations as sales volumes declined by 24 percent to 166 000 tons in the year to end December. However, the group said the London Metals Exchange price of aluminium, which mainly affects working capital and metal price lag, was stronger during the period, climbing to $2 018 (R29 375) a ton, up from $1 770 a ton a year earlier and the rand price of aluminium rose by 18 percent by the end of 2020. But group turnover fell by 20 percent to R8.55 billion, while its headline loss improved to R210 million compared to R240m reported last year. Chief executive Richard Jacob said the group faced strong…

Jura Koncius Like many other people, since the pandemic started last March, my husband and I have eaten a lot of meals with plates propped on our laps while watching Netflix. A blob of something I dropped on our new leather chair went undetected for a few days. Then, when it could not be easily wiped off, my industrious husband took the abrasive side of a sponge to it, leaving scratches that looked as if a bear had dragged its claws across the surface. More on that later. Our time stuck inside has left its mark not only on our mental health, finances and waistlines, but also on our home furnishings. We rounded up five major areas of damage and consulted experts (and TikTok) for the best ways to…

HOSIA SITHOLE | Communicator at the Department of Water and Sanitation AS THE pendulum of freedom continues to swing in favour of levelling the playing field, the democratic rights that many South Africans strove to achieve against all odds are being reversed and cancelled by counter-productive acts that lay waste to the country’s foremost infrastructure. One after the other, water infrastructure is targeted and damaged, with the result that there is a heavy price to be paid for achieving equity and redistribution of water resources. As this continues unabated, the water security for the future and the country’s economic prosperity and development priorities hang in the balance. Besides trampling on other people’s rights, which we are celebrating throughout this month, we are plunging the goals of our developmental…

DS RAJAH | Musgrave The decision of the 1860 Commemoration Monument Committee to defer plans to avert a “monumental disaster” and to call for public participation to express concepts and ideas for a commemorative monument is indeed refreshing. More recently, monuments throughout the world have come under closer scrutiny. Here at home we witnessed calls for the removal of statues symbolising colonialism. In Bristol, a statue honouring Edward Colston, a slave trader, ended up in the Avon River; the controversial statue of Gandhi labelled as “racist” was pulled down at the University of Ghana and Churchill’s statue was barricaded for protection from vandalism. For decades in the US there were demands for Roosevelt’s statue to come down as it was considered a monument to racial supremacy. Saddam…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za WESTERN Cape Judge President John Hlophe says the Judicial Conduct Tribunal report, which found him guilty of gross misconduct, failed to consider key facts, and he would “vindicate” his name. In reaction to the findings, Judge Hlophe said he respected the outcome, but had an issue with the factual and procedural matters. “He (Judge Hlophe) fundamentally disagrees with the factual and legal findings of the tribunal and will, in due course, address to the appropriate forum his contentions,” his lawyer Barnabas Xulu said. “The tribunal misdirected itself on numerous procedural and substantive issues, rendering its findings unjustified.” The report, which the tribunal released on Saturday, said Judge Hlophe breached sections of the Constitution when he attempted to influence two Constitutional Court justices. The report relates to a…

Sihle Mlambo sihle.mlambo@inl.co.za A 15-year-old Limpopo schoolgirl has been arrested for the brutal assault of Lufuno Mavhungu, who was captured on video being beaten at Mbilwi Secondary School this week. The schoolgirl has been charged with assault and will be charged as a minor. Lufuno, 15, allegedly overdosed on prescription pills and died by suicide on Monday after she had been assaulted at the school. Her assault was captured on video by other pupils. She was found lying unconscious in her bedroom by her mother, who rushed her to hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival. Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said police had opened an inquest docket after Lufuno’s alleged suicide. He reported that police had arrested the schoolgirl yesterday after a case of assault was…

Chevon Booysen Chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE public protector will launch a nationwide investigation into how the gender-based violence (GBV) victim support system is working and the challenges that plague it. This was prompted by the murder of Cape Town woman Altecia Kortje who was killed last year, allegedly by an ex-boyfriend. The protector investigated officials at the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on allegations that they had turned Kortje, 27, away when she needed help with a domestic violence issue. The institution yesterday cleared them of any wrongdoing, and said the case “inspired” them to launch a nationwide investigation. “Through the investigation, the public protector seeks to see to it that the system that is currently in place to assist victims of GBV is less cumbersome, more welcoming, accommodating and user-friendly. “It will be…

MANY South Africans doubt whether politicians and civil servants will co-operate with Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke to implement the amended Public Audit Act, which came into effect on April 1. The legislation gives the auditor-general biting powers, which include referring “material irregularities” in the government spending of public funds to law enforcement for further investigation, taking binding remedial action against culprits and issuing a certificate of debt against guilty officials to recover public funds. It also came into effect in the context of discouraging revelations in the latest report showing that countrywide 74% of the auditees received unqualified audit opinions on their financial statements, a slight improvement from 71% the previous year. The report found the most common areas of non-compliance with legislation were a failure to prevent irregular, fruitless and…

A western Japanese city cancelled the Tokyo Olympics torch relay over spiking coronavirus cases yesterday, fuelling fresh fears about whether the pandemic-postponed Games should go ahead with just 100 days until the opening ceremony. Even as Tokyo unveiled installations featuring the Olympic rings and mascots to celebrate the 100-day milestone, organisers face monumental challenges as the virus surges. Organisers have barred overseas fans and postponed test events, but they insist preparations are on track. Cancellation was “certainly not” on the table, International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice-president John Coates said yesterday. “The Tokyo Games will be the light at the end of the tunnel.” For organisers, there are some causes for optimism. The Olympic torch is on its way across Japan, despite being forced off public roads in the Osaka region…

Haiti’s government has resigned and a new prime minister has been appointed, President Jovenel Moise announced yesterday, saying the change was aimed at tackling insecurity in the country, which is grappling with a rise in violence and ongoing political crisis. “The resignation of the government, which I accepted, will make it possible to address the glaring problem of insecurity and continue discussions with a view to reaching the consensus necessary for the political and institutional stability of our country,” Moise tweeted. The new prime minister is Claude Joseph, currently the minister for foreign affairs, the president stated. Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is plagued by poverty, insecurity and natural disaster. Moise, who is facing popular anger and demands he resign amid the government’s failure to reign in criminal…

LONDON: She may not be alone in the grieving of her husband’s passing, but Queen Elizabeth II will have to say goodbye to her partner of 73 years without a family member physically by her side. The Queen does not live on her own and as a result she is not eligible to form a support bubble with another member of her family. She resides in Windsor Castle, sharing her home with members of staff. According to the Covid-19 rules, a Windsor Castle staff member is allowed to sit next to the royal during the funeral of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. The current stage of easing the lockdown in Britain allows no more than 30 people to attend funerals, whether indoors or outdoors. While this number does not…

iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said that its decision to boost uranium enrichment to 60% was a response to arch-foe Israel’s “nuclear terrorism” against its Natanz facility. Tehran starting advanced centrifuges and producing more highly refined uranium “is a response to your malice,” Rouhani said in a message ro the Jewish state. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement but public radio reports in the country said it was a sabotage operation by Mossad. Iran’s announcement of stepped-up enrichment has cast a shadow over talks in Vienna aimed at salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal.…

Stuart Hess South Africa 203/5 (Markram 63, Malan 55; Nawaz 2/38) Pakistan 205/1 (Babar 122) Pakistan win by 9 wickets Babar Azam delivered another masterful innings at SuperSport Park as Pakistan successfully chased a total of more than 200 for the first time. The Pakistan captain has already produced an innings of rich quality on this tour - in the opening ODI at the same venue - and yesterday’s performance was also packed with classical shots. Babar, made 122 off just 59 balls, hitting 15 fours and four sixes, and was more aggressive than in the ODI, because this situation demanded it, after South Africa had batted along at 10 an over throughout their innings. The pursuit of a target as substantial as 204 was completed comfortably with 12…