Table of contents for 2021-06-07 in Mercury

MULTICHOICE Group said on Friday that it expects core headline earnings a share for the year to March 31 to be between 32 percent (182 cents) and 37 percent (211c) higher than the prior year’s 569c. Trading profit was expected to be between 25 percent (R2 billion) and 30 percent (R2.4bn) higher than the R8bn reported the prior year, the group said in a trading update. On a constant currency basis and excluding mergers and acquisitions, trading profit was expected to be between 40 percent (R3.2bn) and 45 percent (R3.6bn) higher than the prior year’s reported R8bn. The improved financial performance was achieved despite macro-economic and Covid-19 challenges across the continent. “Resilient revenue growth, strong cost control, shifts in content costs and the…

Investigation fast-tracked as pressure mounts for minister to resign Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to be briefed soon on the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe into the awarding of a controversial communication contract to Digital Vibes by the national Health Department. This was revealed by the SIU yesterday after confirming that its investigators were working hard to complete their probe into the awarding of a R150 million contract to Digital Vibes, which is owned by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize’s close allies. Yesterday, SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago reiterated that the matter was still under investigation, but said “we are fast-tracking the investigation”. “We promised to complete our investigation by the end of this month, but we have to brief the president (Cyril Ramaphosa) first, especially about the…

HOSIA SITHOLE Department of Water and Sanitation THE shortage of water in some of our hospitals as a result of power outages is a tell-tale sign of how fragile and vulnerable South Africa is as a water-stressed country. It lays bare the level to which the absence of water may hinder the provision of basic services to communities. Although the water shortages in hospitals are due to ongoing disruptions in electricity supply, they are a useful barometer to measure the impact of water supply – or lack thereof – in providing services in the future. This is against the backdrop that the country has low levels of rainfall relative to the world average as well as a high level of evaporation due to the hot climate and increasing challenges of…

IT IS perhaps fitting to say that at a time when we face increasing tests, trials and challenges as human beings to read about the irregular multimillion-rand Covid-19 communications tender, which was allegedly awarded to close associates of Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, is so depressing, sad and worrying. The damaging allegations that have emerged implicating Dr Mkhize in a Covid-19 corruption scandal with communications company, Digital Vibes, is not only depressing but a crime against humanity. That corruption and stealing of Covid-19-related funds do not even stop during a pandemic is really distressing. Despite the fact that people are losing jobs, unemployment and poverty are on the increase, human beings are dying and the economy is suffering, we find leaders using their positions to drain off funds intended to…

KEVIN GOVENDER Shallcross There is an old saying that life begins at 40 - I think not! Now let me substantiate my statement. Current global trends reveal that life expectancy has exponentially increased over the years. Socially upward mobility, healthier lifestyles (eating and exercise), stimulating hobbies and greater interest in personal care and hygiene are all contributory factors in a plethora of reasons for longevity. Countries like China are now encouraging bigger families and are stretching the retirement age. Whilst we all have every reason for celebrating a longer, healthier and happier life, "grey divorce" in the annals of the blue rinse brigade is alarmingly on the increase. Couples divorcing after decades of togetherness is not uncommon today. In 2013 , Vladimir Putin, then 60, split from his wife…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Naledi Pandor has revealed that South African diplomats in the US are still waiting for the police to give them information on the circumstances that led to the killing of Lindani Myeni. Myeni was killed by police in the US in April under circumstances that have not been explained. In a written reply in Parliament to questions from the EFF, Pandor said the police report from the US was still outstanding. The former rugby player went to join his wife, Lindsay and their two children in Hawaii in the US early last year after they had got married. He was buried in the northern KwaZulu-Natal coastal town of Richards Bay a few weeks ago and his funeral was attended by provincial…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za WHEN it comes to the restoration of ecosystems, every action matters. These were the words of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy as the globe marked World Environment Day under the theme “Ecosystems Restoration” at the weekend. This year’s observation took place concurrently with the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. World Environment Day is celebrated on June 5 to engage governments, businesses and citizens in an effort to address pressing environmental issues. “In the history of humanity, there has never been a more urgent need for all of us to heed this global rallying cry to heal our planet. “When it comes to restoration of ecosystems, every action matters – be it from the local communities or traditional leadership, government or state entities,…

Mushtak Parker It’s official! Working long hours is bad for your health! A ground-breaking study by the ILO and WHO published in May revealed that working at least 55 hours a week or more is a serious health hazard that can lead to premature death. This first-of-its-kind global analysis of the link between loss of life and health, and working long hours, based on extensive data from about 2 300 surveys collected in 154 countries from 1970-2018, shows that working long hours led to 745 000 deaths from strokes and heart disease in 2016 alone – a 29% increase since 2002. Between 2000-2016, the number of deaths from heart disease due to working long hours increased by 42%, and from strokes by 19%. The disturbing trend in the current…

Heavy rains followed by landslides and flooding in Sri Lanka killed at least 14 people and has affected over 250 000 more in the past two days with warnings that adverse weather conditions would continue, officials said yesterday. South-west monsoon rains settling in the country’s western, southern and central parts resulted in heavy showers and landslides in several areas. A family of four was killed when they were buried in a landslide in Aranayaka, 90km east of Colombo. The other victims also died in landslides or were swept away by flooded rivers or streams. The majority of the affected residents were able to remain in their homes while about 20 000 people were evacuated, officials said. Water levels of two of the main rivers flowing through the Western Province continued…

PARIS: France has opened a probe into the personal wealth of Riad Salameh, central bank chief in crisis-hit Lebanon, sources told AFP yesterday. Paris financial prosecutors had opened a preliminary probe into criminal association and money laundering by Salameh, sources said. Its findings could shed light onto the origins of the 70-year-old former Merrill Lynch banker’s wealth. In post since 1993 and once hailed by political and business leaders, Salameh has been repeatedly accused by the government of being responsible for the collapse of the Lebanese pound. The Lebanese public suspect him and other high officials of transferring money abroad during a 2019 uprising, when ordinary people were prevented from doing so. Lebanon has since been hit by an economic crisis which is one of the worst since the…

TOKYO: Activists staged a colourful protest in Tokyo yesterday, calling on the Japanese parliament to approve an anti-discrimination bill protecting the rights of the country’s LGBT community. Led by drag queens and DJs blaring upbeat music, dozens of campaigners and supporters of the legislation wore rainbow-coloured masks and danced in front of the Japanese capital’s famous Shibuya crossing. The proposed law, which has been under discussion for years, appeared to gain traction after a group of lawyers began working on it in 2015…

Stefanos Tsitsipas held off a late challenge from Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta to advance into the quarter-finals of the French Open with a 6-3 6-2 7-5 victory yesterday. The Greek, who won two titles on clay in the lead-up to Roland Garros, was barely troubled in the first two sets, often charging to the net and easily reading his opponent's serve. But a lack of precision in key moments allowed Carreno Busta to threaten a comeback in the third, only for the fifth seed to tighten his grip again and make sure he wasted little time on court Philippe Chatrier. "The fans love it, I love it, I love playing with people, I love attention," Tsitsipas, who played his previous match in an empty stadium because of the…

GERMANY-based instant grocery delivery company Flink on Friday announced a $240 million (R3.22 billion) Series A funding round lead by Prosus and other investors. Flink has more than 50 hubs in 18 cities after four months of operations, reaching more than three million custom- ers directly. At the same time, a partner- ship had been agreed with REWE Group, one of the largest supermarket chains across Germany. Friday’s announcement followed other recent investments by Prosus in the European food delivery and grocery sector. In April, Prosus co-led a €223m (R3.64bn) investment round in Norwegian e-grocery business, Oda. While the food delivery companies within the Prosus portfolio have all rolled out online grocery delivery, this represented Prosus’s first direct investment in an online grocery business, a market expected…

The RAND’S explosive run against major currencies is likely to begin to lose momentum. My analysis indicates that the rolling 12-month momentum of an equity market weighted currency index of emerging markets excluding Asia (based on the MSCI Emerging Markets ex Asia Index) against the US dollar is highly correlated to the momentum of the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (S&P GSCI). The S&P GSCI cover physical commodities spanning five sectors: energy, industrial metals, precious metals, agriculture, and livestock, weighted in relation to their global production levels. South Africa’s weight in the MSCI Emerging Markets ex-Asia Index is currently 18.45 percent. The S&P GSCI’s momentum in April hit an all-time high (since 2004) of nearly 97 percent. Although the S&P GSCI is still rising it is rapidly losing…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za AS KwaZulu-Natal strives to accelerate the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out, the provincial government says that it will be vaccinating teachers from this week. The move comes as concerns are raised about the safety of teachers amid the rise in Covid-19 infections across the country, and after the announcement that primary school and special needs pupils would return to full-time class attendance next month. Speaking during a briefing in Durban yesterday, Premier Sihle Zikalala said that in addition to the 124 public and 18 private vaccination sites, a further 21 sites would be opened this week by the KZN Department of Health to accommodate teachers. “Our main focus now is to accelerate vaccination and stay highly prepared, should a third wave hit us,” he said. Zikalala said educators would…

WHATEVER our career position, level of wealth, poverty, how much power we may have, we all face the challenge of simultaneously integrating personal and family life, public life, careers, and callings without allowing any of our roles to consume or seduce us. Everybody is walking a tightrope of being connected, disconnected, committed, partial, impartial, and knowing how much of each is healthy. Everyone is dealing with issues of history, some wounds self-inflicted, some wounds inflicted by others. All of us are trying to make the present and future work productively in the light of our individual and unique history. For some it’s a war, for some a breeze. Every person is dealing with the underbelly of their own personality, powerful matters of the human condition, dark sides, shameful memories, seemingly…

VIVIENNE ATTWOOD-SMITH Sheffield Beach THE sun scorches South Africa as Covid-19 spreads its deadly sword. Nature, red in tooth and claw, speaks the naked truth: we are vulnerable. The shadow of Covid-19 is cast over our country. We need to do everything in our power to fight it. Vaccines, administered to the over-60s and health-care workers, now need to be brought to the youth. Who would have thought that this virus would hit our precious land? There is still hope. Sanitising, keeping social distance and accepting the vaccine will reduce the risk of this disease spreading. Let's work together to reduce the risk of this disease taking hold of our nation.…

THABISI HOEANE | Pretoria IT IS very depressing to realise society has been so desensitised to madness and violence that the recent brutal murder of eight alleged criminals in Zandspruit is taken as “normal”. That eight young men were assaulted and set on fire with petrol and tyres by community members underlines the extent to which South Africa is a broken society. What is most troubling is that the government is just as culpable. This matter was beyond Police Minister Bheki Cele who turns up at such incidents, ranting and raving, characterising them as mere criminality. But this goes beyond simple criminality: it is a deep manifestation of a very sick society. President Cyril Ramaphosa was also mum. What he should have done – because this is a…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za THE University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) says it will be conducting an investigation regarding incidents in which students were being irregularly moved to alternative accommodation to force it into contracts with slum lords. In a communiqué issued by the institution, the university said that there were people who were encouraging students to vacate university-approved leased student accommodation and relocate to other establishments that were not formally approved and leased by the university. Vice-chancellor and principal at UKZN Professor Nana Poku said the university had evidence on the matter. According to the evidence, said Poku, these persons were enticing students to leave their accommodation by offering some benefit or reward to them, and worse, by means of threats, intimidation and/or harassment. Poku said the aim behind such conduct was…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za The Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business (PCB) has asked local businesses to lodge disputes with Msunduzi Municipality over high rates bills. The chamber’s chief executive Melanie Veness said the move was not a declaration of hostilities, but an act of desperation by business that can simply not afford the tariff increases passed by the full council last week. She said this yesterday, as the PCB gets ready to submit its objection to national Treasury on the rates hike approved by the Msunduzi council. The increases included 5.3% for rates and refuse collection, and 7% for water. The PCB said it took no issue with the electricity tariff increase because this is controlled by the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa). The chamber argued that the contention…

ESKOM remains the greatest burden on the country’s fiscus and the greatest inhibiting factor to economic growth as its ongoing instability stifles investment in business. Eskom’s inability to maintain infrastructure and cater for a growing population means that load shedding is inevitable and while many plans have been offered up, there is not one that offers confidence that a regular and uninterrupted supply of power will be a reality. Dealing with Eskom’s unaffordable and unmanageable debt levels is a key priority for the power utility and the Department of Public Enterprises. So too is the need to clean up corruption with billions having been lost to this scourge. Eskom also needs to expand its capability into the renewable energy space as it is far too reliant on fossil fuels, a…

THE death toll from the worst militant attack in Burkina Faso in recent years has risen to 132, the government said at the weekend, after armed assailants laid siege overnight to a village in the jihadist-plagued north-east. The attackers struck during the night on Friday, killing residents of the village of Solhan in Yagha province, bordering Niger. They also burned homes and the market, the government said in a statement. It declared a 72-hour period of national mourning, describing the attackers as terrorists, although no group has claimed responsibility. Another 40 residents were wounded, government spokesperson Ousseni Tamboura later told reporters. The UN said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was outraged by the attack, whose victims included seven children. Despite the presence of thousands of UN peacekeepers, attacks by jihadists linked to…

Baghdad: The Iraqi Army said two drones were shot down yesterday over a military base hosting US-led international forces fighting the Islamic State (IS) terror group. The air defence system at the Ain al-Assad base, located in western Iraq, intercepted and shot down the two drones, the Iraqi military-linked Security Media Cell said. No casualties or damage was reported, reports dpa news agency.The attempted attack was the latest in a series against the same base. In March, a US civilian contractor died in a rocket attack on the facility. Ain al-Assad was one of the bases that Iran attacked in January 2020 to avenge the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za Volaris on Friday increased its cash offer for Adapt IT to R7 from R6.50 per share as the Canada-based group upped the ante in a takeover battle that has already seen Huge Group significantly up its earlier share-swop offer for Adapt IT. The increased offer represents a 68 percent premium to the price of Adapt IT shares of R4.16 on April 1, 2021, which was the last trading date prior to the date on which Volaris and Adapt IT had entered into the “Volaris Offer Agreement”. Adapt IT’s shares traded 2.3 percent lower at R6.84 on Friday. “As a result of the increased offer, the Independent Board engaged the Independent Expert, Nodus Capital, to provide an opinion on the increase in view of their fair…

Johann van Tonder ALL COUNTRIES have their own laws, regulations and policies, and this to a very large extent determines the environment within which jobs can be created. Should such an environment not be “job creation friendly”, a country will not be able to create as many jobs as it otherwise could have. Job creation becomes even more difficult when a pandemic such as Covid-19 causes regular restrictions on an economy’s ability to grow and create jobs. South Africa’s labour market numbers for the first quarter should be interpreted within this context. Statistics SA (StatsSA) estimated South Africa’s official unemployment rate at 32.6 percent in the first quarter of 2021, marginally higher than the 32.5 percent estimated in the fourth quarter of 2020. However, context is needed…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za AS THE confusion around the ANC’s step-aside rule persists, former eThekwini mayor and current ANC MPL in the KZN legislature, Zandile Gumede, says she will stand for re-election when the ANC eThekwini region convenes its long-awaited elective conference. Gumede and her supporters are adamant that, despite her being affected by the ruling party’s step-aside resolution and unable to attend party matters, she would stand, be nominated and even reclaim her position as regional chairperson. Yesterday, Ntando Khuzwayo, a councillor in the eThekwini Municipality who also speaks on behalf of Gumede’s ANC supporters, said it was a given that they would field the former mayor when the elective conference was convened. Gumede was recently forced by the ANC to step aside because she is facing fraud, corruption and…

A South Korean industrial designer has come up with a satirical solution for “smartphone zombies” who can’t take their eyes away from their screen long enough to stop themselves walking into a wall or other obstacle. Paeng Min-wook, 28, has developed a robotic eyeball he has dubbed “The Third Eye”, which obsessive mobile phone users can strap to their foreheads so they can browse injury-free on the go. The device opens its translucent eyelid whenever it senses the user’s head has been lowered to look at a smartphone. When the user comes within one to two metres of an obstacle, the device beeps to warn of the impending danger. “This is the look of future mankind with three eyes,” Paeng, a postgraduate in innovation design engineering at the Royal College…

KIDNAPPED by a blonde and a brunette … well, not quite but for a while it seemed a terrifying possibility. There we were at an upmarket restaurant in uMhlanga at a lunch presided over by former Durban city councillor Laurie Kaplan and hotelier Alan Gooderson – seven fellows in all, conducting ourselves with great dignity and decorum – interspersed with genteel jollity – as we discussed, over a few bottles of wine, the pressing issues of the day. Such a success was this interaction that we decided on a group photograph to capture the moment. We formed up, a couple of the fellows swaying slightly to the music. We were about to say “Cheese!” when suddenly, out of nowhere, this blonde hurtled into our midst. Next, the brunette was on…

NARENDH GANESH Durban North THE very concept of power has driven many a man to insanity and delusion. Donald Trump is one such person. As the former president of the United States, Trump is still mired in his megalomaniacal obsession that he won the 2020 presidential election – which he evidently lost, by over 7 million votes. He cannot accept that he no longer has the attention of the world and that he commands no federal power in his country. Yet, the twice-impeached, one-term former president, who has the unwanted accolade of having twice lost the popular vote as a presidential candidate, cannot wrap his head around the fact that he has lost. Trump is not a leader – he never was. His endless vituperations speak volumes about a…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za THE KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has deployed a strong law enforce- ment contingent to monitor the situation at Richards Bay Minerals (RBM). This comes after heavy-duty machinery was set alight inside the mine on Friday – a day after the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, visited the mine. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said a case of malicious damage to property was being investigated by Kwambonambi SAPS. Mbele said a group of community members arrived at the RBM premises at 11.30am on Friday and allegedly burnt four machines. The KZN Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison said no injuries or fatalities were reported. The incident comes amid an ongoing chieftaincy issue involving the Kwambonambi community. The community wants the chieftaincy issue…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za YOU can now be jailed or fined for sending harmful messages on social media, as highlighted in the Cybercrimes Act signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa recently. The act was first proposed by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development in 2015, in a bid to address a lack of legislation in the area, and was introduced in the National Assembly in 2017. Cybersecurity expert Professor Bruce Watson, head of Information Science at Stellenbosch University, said even though many would agree with what the government was trying to achieve, he thought the act was wildly unrealistic. Watson said the notion of harmful messages was very vaguely defined. “When I say wildly unrealistic, it reflects a very deep misunderstanding of how cyberspace works. For example, most…

Nicklo Pedro, a veteran of Umkhonto we Sizwe, died on May 8 at the age of 53. He lived his life by a credo, “Freedom or death! Victory is certain!” He was an icon of the Struggle. I remember him fondly as a cactus flower of the revolution. As one of the “Fighting Fifteen”, he spent 65 days on trial on capital criminal charges for so-called terrorism before a hanging judge in the Cape Town Supreme Court. Their so-called crime was that they had sought to undo the crime of apartheid and overthrow the terrorists who inflicted it. Nicklo suffered horrendous torture that traumatised him till late in his life, a prison sentence of 14 years, incarceration on Robben Island, and the spectacle of barbarous security police, who had tortured…

Police in north-west Nigeria’s Kebbi state told AFP yesterday that the death toll from an attack by a gang of cattle thieves on seven villages Thursday had risen to 88. The region has struggled with decades-long communal clashes over resources but more recently some groups have become more violent, looting, killing and kidnapping for ransom. “Initially 66 bodies were recovered but 22 more have been found,” Kebbi state police spokesman Nafiu Abubakar said, adding that the search for more bodies was ongoing. Dozens of assailants on motorcycles attacked seven neighbouring villages in Danko-Wasagu district on Thursday, Abubakar said. The gunmen targeted the villages of Koro, Kimpi, Gaya, Dimi, Zutu, Rafin Gora and Iguenge, he said. The gangs, called bandits by locals, maintain camps in Rugu forest which straddles Zamfara, Katsina,…

WASHINGTON: Former US President Donald Trump says he is not really interested in returning to Facebook if chief executive Mark Zuckerberg eventually allows him back on the social media platform. Trump recalled that when he was president and Zuckerberg visited the White House with his wife, the Facebook chief executive told him that he was “No 1 on Facebook.” Trump said Facebook’s decision to ban him for two years was an insult to more than 75 million Americanswho voted for him and the tech giant would not get away with acts of censoring and silencing.…

KABUL: Sister of Mina Khairi, a news presenter of a local TV channel, has succumbed to critical injuries from a bomb attack, local media Ariana News TV reported yesterday. On Thursday, Mina Khairi, who worked in Ariana News TV, her mother and two other civilians were killed in a bomb attack targeting a public mini-bus in western Kabul. Hasina Khairi who died of her wounds yesterday was with her sister and mother aboard the mini-bus. A total of 16 people were killed and 23 wounded in a string of bomb attacks, hitting four public buses in Kabul last week. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks. Taliban militants denied involvement in the bombings.…

Mexican Sergio Perez won a dramatic Azerbaijan Grand Prix for Red Bull yesterday after a tyre blowout denied championship-leading teammate Max Verstappen certain victory and Lewis Hamilton failed to score. The race was red-flagged when Verstappen crashed five laps from the end, the Dutch driver clambering out of the wrecked car and kicking the rear left tyre in fury with his hopes in tatters. Baku's street circuit then provided another crazy twist at the standing re-start when Mercedes' seven-time world champion Hamilton lined up second, with two laps remaining, and looked set to take back the overall lead. Instead the Briton got it all wrong - his prospective points haul disappearing as he locked up and ran down the escape road in the sprint to the first corner. He finished…