Table of contents for 2021-09-13 in Mercury

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za Dubai-based DP World has made an opportunistic, R12.7 billion offer for Imperial Logistics considering the good prospects of the Pan-Africa integrated market access and logistics solutions provider, but analysts disagree whether the valuation is fair. According to PSG Asset Management fund manager Justin Floor, the bid is too low. Floor said in a phone interview on Friday that they owned some 7.5 percent of Imperial’s shares on behalf of investors and planned to vote on the DP offer in the imminent shareholders meeting this Friday, with a longer-term perspective of the company. Another stock exchange analyst, who chose to remain anonymous, however, did not agree with Floor and said the DP World offer was fair considering the downside risks and length of time that was likely…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za ONLINE shopping in South Africa is on target for becoming the R63 billion- a-year industry by 2025 after taking broadsides from the July looting that saw volumes patter down and suppliers suffer stock losses and logistic bottlenecks. According to Euro Monitor, which did a survey among major retailers offering e-commerce trade, an 18 percent growth trajectory was being achieved a week before the looting, but numbers dwindled sharply thereafter, putting the industry into a tailspin that it is only now recovering from. Stock-keeping-units (SKU) figures for Pick n Pay (PNP), Game Stores, Woolworths, Clicks and Macro depict that the retailers held on by the skin of their teeth, and were now back on the growth path. Pick n Pay tracked 3…

I LOVED it when I heard a British Naval cruiser or aircraft carrier had docked in Durban Harbour. I’d heard that The HMS Eagle – that’s one I remember – was at T-Jetty and I knew my dad would take me down to “the docks”. We’d be waved through the security booms, park the car, walk along the side of the ship until dad caught the attention of sailors peering down at us. “Can take four,” dad would yell, “make it five.” Within a short while six or seven sailors would come off the ship and make their way over to us and we’d all squeeze into the car and the sailors would stay at our home until they had to report back and head for England. As a…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg On Wednesday evening, September 8, Pietermaritzburg residents learnt of another tragic killing of two well-known cyclists by an alleged drunk driver. I feel heartbroken as the terrible news reminded me of my son’s painful incident. It brought flashbacks of the unpleasant memories of the accident scene. These are not reflections and images anyone should have to live with. Drunk driving is a major problem on South African roads and there needs to be stricter laws implemented to prevent driving a motor vehicle, truck or bus while under the influence of alcohol. Why should lives be lost due to someone else’s recklessness? Drunk drivers are irresponsible about their actions, are murderers and they should be sentenced to life imprisonment if found guilty of drunken driving…

Basil Nagel CONGRATULATIONS councillor Roberto Quintas on your appointment as City of Cape Town mayco member for transport. In a recent interview, you asked us to keep you and the City of Cape Town accountable. We already do so, but we don’t get answers from the City. We are counting on you to be more accessible during your term. We have a particular interest in knowing how you will be dealing with the MyCiTi N2 Express route, as well as what your role will be in curbing further violence on over-traded taxi routes. Our concern, as local taxi operators and drivers, is that there will be more lofty promises that go nowhere. What can we expect from your office during your term, specifically regarding the minibus taxi industry? Can…

Tunis: Tunisian President Kais Saied has announced plans to form a new government and said the constitution should be amended, weeks after he sacked his premier and suspended parliament in moves his critics called a coup. Speaking to two television channels in Tunis, Saied said he would form a new government “as soon as possible” after selecting “the people with the most integrity”. But he declined to give a specific timeline. Saied said “the Tunisian people rejected the constitution”. Such charters are “not eternal”, he said, adding that “we can introduce amendments”. His comments, which confirmed media speculation, were dismissed by the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, the largest bloc in parliament. The party expressed “its categorical rejection of the attempts of some parties that are hostile to the democratic process…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber says their ill-discipline cost them in their 28-26 Rugby Championship loss to Australia in Gold Coast yesterday. The Boks’ winless run Down Under – where they haven’t won since 2013 – continued as Quade Cooper completed a stunning performance with a penalty after the hooter to give the struggling Wallabies the win. While the Boks scored three tries to the hosts’ one, they conceded 11 penalties, while they also missed 21 tackles – an uncharacteristic stat for the South Africans. In stark contrast to Cooper, Handre Pollard produced a poor performance as he struggled with his decision-making, handling and, most importantly, his goal-kicking as he hooked two penalties and a conversion. Speaking after the game, Nienaber said that the Boks’ high…

Ashfak Mohamed IN some quarters, it was almost as if the world had ended for the Blue Bulls when Johan Goosen was ruled out of the Currie Cup final due to Covid-19. Goosen has been the catalyst on attack for the Pretoria side throughout the tournament since joining from French club Montpellier, and he was again instrumental in the 48-31 semi-final demolition of Western Province. The Springbok pivot’s absence was a huge blow to the Bulls’ hopes of defending their title that they won in January, and that concern was also due to his replacement, Chris Smith, having battled in the Rainbow Cup final against Benetton in Italy in June. The former Maties and Pumas No 10 felt the heat on a hot Treviso day, as his tactical kicking game…

Thami Magubane and Sibusiso Mboto THE volatile ANC nomination process has plunged the party into further chaos after three ruling party supporters were killed in a drive-by shooting in Inanda on Saturday. Among the victims was 75-year-old Beatrice Dlamini who was a long-time supporter of the ANC. Beatrice and her husband, Selby Dlamini, another long-time ANC supporter, were attending the party’s ward nomination meeting at Buhlebethu Primary school in Inanda’s ward 54, when a car pulled up outside the venue and opened fire. The police said three women died in the shooting. Four women and a man were also injured and received medical attention. The ANC expressed outrage, describing the attack as senseless and called for the arrest of the culprits while the provincial government described the shooting as an…

MALCOM MITCHELL | Hillcrest Unemployment, with its associated influence on the incidence of petty crime, is possibly the major social issue in South Africa today. In addition, the need to develop our infrastructure is pressing. I have therefore been frustrated by the apparent inability of government officials to think laterally and forcefully, and with urgency, to realistically address these two issues – all we get is a great deal of platitudes and promises. There are many precedents which our officials could lean upon in order to make headway with these problems, and I am surprised that they have not latched on to some of them. Included in these successful examples is the US President Roosevelt’s “New Deal” endeavours in the mid-1930s to successfully address the problem of America’s…

FAROUK ARAIE | Johannesburg The 144 deaths that occurred under the watch of former Gauteng health MEC Qedani Mahlangu must be investigated by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). Legitimate public authority has the right, authority and duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of this avoidable tragedy, a clear-cut case of culpable homicide. Punishment has the primary aim of redressing the absolute seriousness of this monumental disaster that has befallen our nation. It ranks alongside Sharpeville and Marikana. The entire nation is crestfallen. Unintentional death is not morally imputable. But one is not exonerated from such a grave offence if, without proportionate reasons, those involved had acted in a way that brought about the death of 144 frail patients, even without the intention to do so. The…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za IZINDUNA have called for a commission of inquiry to investigate the killing of traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal. Ubumbano Lwezinduna, an organisation representing izinduna, held an urgent provincial imbizo last week to discuss the continued assassination of traditional leaders in KZN. The organisation has demanded an investigation into the killings and for the commission to also look at the state of traditional leadership and the role each traditional leader at different levels ought to play in their communities. The institution of traditional leadership has been under siege in the past few years, with several izinduna and other personnel who served as aides to amakhosi being killed in KZN. Last year, the IFP called on the provincial government to establish a task team to investigate the killings. Izinduna play…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za PARTIES at the SA Local Government (Salga) Bargaining Council will return to a conciliation process this week which may likely see an end to the local government wage negotiations. The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) have been in protracted wage negotiations with Salga since March. A final step, through a conciliator, was facilitated last month which saw a recommended wage deal proposal. A conciliator had recommended a 3.5% wage increase across the board for municipal workers – backdated to July. A three-year agreement until 2024 was also proposed. The report also recommended an added once-off non-pensionable R4 000 cash payment for workers earning less than R12 500 and R3 000 non-pensionable cash payment for workers earning more…

THE announcement by the Correctional Services Department to grant medical parole to former president Jacob Zuma has undoubtedly divided the nation once more. The medical parole was welcome news to Zuma’s foundation and a legion of supporters who have called for his unconditional release from prison. But, for those who are opposed to the medical parole, it shows special treatment and makes a mockery of the parole regulations. It was therefore not surprising that the official opposition took it upon itself to have Zuma’s medical parole set aside and reviewed by the courts. Although it was not unexpected, the department announced on Sunday last week that national commissioner Arthur Fraser had granted Zuma medical parole after the department received a medical report. Fraser has openly admitted that he overruled the…

Haiti’s Directorate for Civil Protection has demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry after he was summoned for questioning in the probe of President Jovenel Moise’s murder. The country’s chief public prosecutor, Bedford Claude, invited Henry to the Public Prosecutor’s Office tomorrow to testify after reports showed he had several phone calls, including two on July 7, the day of Moise’s assassination, with one of the main suspects, Joseph Felix Badio. Local mobile operator Digicel confirmed that a call between Henry and Badio took place several hours after the murder. “In the name of the right to the truth in the assassination of the president… Ariel Henry must immediately resign and turn over to the disposal of justice,” the directorate said. It called on the international community not to…

Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed even his own expectations as he delivered on the hype of his return to Old Trafford as a Manchester United player by scoring twice in a 4-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday. A full house reverberated to a chorus of Ronaldo chants and songs from long before kick-off as he took his tally for the club to 120 goals, 12 years on from swapping Manchester for Madrid. The final game of the Portuguese’s first spell with the Red Devils was a Champions League final defeat to Barcelona in 2009 that signalled a changing of the guard in European football in which Ronaldo played a large part. Barca were crowned champions of Europe again in 2011 and 2015, while a Ronaldo-inspired Real Madrid won the competition four…

HERMAN GIBBS Premiership newcomers Royal A.M FC scrapped tirelessly for a historic win after a Victor Letsoalo penalty secured a 1-0 win over visiting Chippa United and Chatsworth Stadium yesterday. Royal lost their opening two matches of the season, and the 1-0 victory, their first in top-flight football, will lift them off the bottom of the league standings. Chippa surrendered their unbeaten record after they bagged a win and draw in their opening matches. Royal produced a vastly-improved performance in the first half, and their attacking efforts were worth at least a goal. However, they failed to capitalise on a few chances, which emerged after a few penetrative sorties into the opposition goalmouth. Chippa were content to sit back and counter-attack when the opportunity arose. Chippa's defence soaked up…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za THE GOVERNMENT’S insistence of the centralising of procurement for the Covid-19 pandemic’s vaccines and PPEs threw a spanner in the works of the Competition Commission’s efforts to regulate as the bureaucracy added multi-pronged dimensions of un- qualified suppliers, doubtful quality supplies and corruption, the commission said on Friday. At a Competitition Commission webinar outlining its work over the past 18 months of the pandemic, commissioners said a progress survey conducted after the first wave revealed how the centralising was not of benefit to the concerted efforts. “Procurement of vaccines could have been done by individual companies or hospitals, but government decided to centralise the processes to keep tabs on how much vaccine stock there was. “There were instances where there were complaints about the quality of PPEs…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za | Additional reporting Mercury Reporter THE country will move to risk-adjusted lockdown level 2 from today. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the easing of restrictions last night. He said the move to level 2 followed wide consultation and scientific advice. The easing of restrictions means: Curfew is from 11pm to 4am. Non-essential establishments, such as bars and fitness centres, need to close by 10pm. All gatherings will be limited to 250 people indoors and 500 outdoors. Where the venue is small, no more than 50% of the venue may be used. The sale of alcohol for off-site consumption will be allowed from 10am to 6pm (Monday to Friday) On-site alcohol consumption is permitted at licensed establishments Funerals remain restricted to 50 people and night vigils remain banned.…

GABI MARAIS | Winston Park I just saw online that Rage is to go ahead, although again, they promise to adhere to protocols. This is what they said last year. Did it help? No, we saw a surge in infections. With KwaZulu-Natal leading the infection rate in South Africa, do we really need this? While one does feel empathy for the matriculants who have had a chaotic year, surely health should come first? Think of the number of lives endangered. Even though many people have had their shots, there is still a chance of infection. Let logic prevail.…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za A family who lost four relatives, including three young children, when a security officer allegedly opened fire at their Bruntville home in Mooi River at the weekend, say they have a lot of questions about what could have led to the shooting. A security officer from Mooi River went on a shooting spree and allegedly killed six people, including his 5-year-old son, in two different towns. According to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), the incident took place on Saturday when the 26-year-old suspect first shot his 40-year-old colleague at New Formosa in Estcourt. It was alleged that the victim was shot in the head and his body was dumped in the veld. Ipid spokesperson Grace Langa said it was alleged that the suspect was with his…

ALAS and alack … woe is us. That Currie Cup final was our own Murrayfield. It was a story of two defensive lines – one that held firm and resolute, the other that was shambolic. How overwhelming possession can translate into a rout of this order is one of rugby’s mysteries. Could the Sharks not have tried a grubber kick or chip kick or two to penetrate the Bulls’ defences instead of trying to bust through the tackles? They could have but they didn’t, relentlessly attacking the gain line to no avail. The damsels of the Street Shelter for the Over-Forties are distraught. Will their knicker elastic ever again be requisitioned for a fashioning of catapults for the time-honoured celebratory feu de joie in which the streetlights are shot out?…

Metrics of shame define what’s rotten with ANC’s stewardship of the socio-economy DATA is an asset. Its value lies in transparent methodology, access to information and independence in compilation. Like all asset classes, it can be a double-edged sword depending on the vagaries of volatility, interpretation and their use and abuse, particularly through casuistry. The current push-back against the Covid-19 pandemic, for instance, is led by, among others, data-driven epidemiologists constantly deciphering the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in specified populations. For countries and corporates, quality data is important because it can direct spending allocations and determine investment pathways and investor decisions. National statistics departments largely reflect the quality of open government and the character of democratic accountability through figures that define the daily lives of citizens.…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za Sri Lanka 103 South Africa 105/1 SA win by nine wickets Another spin bowling masterclass from South Africa’s slow bowlers, saw the Proteas claim a series win against Sri Lanka yesterday that will provide some much-needed confidence ahead of the T20 World Cup. The spin bowling strategy is not one most rival cricket nations, nor many who follow the Proteas, would associate with them. But in addition to the fast bowling resources, in recent years a stock of spinners has been created and with the T20 World Cup expected to be played on worn, spin-friendly tracks in the United Arab Emirates and neighbouring states, Cricket SA and their high performance managers deserve some praise in creating that kind of depth. That has meant there is…

Zaahier Adams Mamelodi Sundowns (1) 2 Kekana 8, Shalulile 63 Kaizer Chiefs 0 CHAMPIONS Mamelodi Sundowns showed they will remain the team to beat in this season’s Premiership with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Kaizer Chiefs at Loftus yesterday. Sundowns may have endured a week where the harmony in their camp, and particularly the relationship of their three coaches was placed under scrutiny, but they remain a potent outfit when the serious business on the field gets underway. Chiefs may have opened up their cheque book and splurged on a whole new group of players, including former Sundowns talisman Keagan Dolly in a bid to unseat the four-time reigning champions, but it will take more than just money to get the better of the Brazilians. The much-anticipated contest…

Daniel Ricciardo won the Formula One Italian Grand Prix yesterday as the Australian took advantage of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen’s dramatic crash which eliminated both championship rivals. Ricciardo was followed by his McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the British team’s first win since the 2012 Brazilian GP, while Valtteri Bottas inherited third, despite starting in last place, due to a five-second time penalty for Sergio Perez. Red Bull’s Verstappen still leads seven-time world champion Hamilton by five points at the top of the drivers’ standings as they both finished in the gravel following their crash halfway through the race. Ricciardo, whose father is from Italy, was delighted with not only his first win since Monaco in 2018 but also McLaren’s first one-two finish in 11 years, greeting the fans…