Table of contents for 2021-10-19 in Mercury

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za DOMESTIC natural gas and helium producer Renergen has completed a forward sale agreement for 100 000 units of helium to Argonon Helium US, a helium trading company. The agreement is for 19 years. Each unit represents a thousand cubic feet (mcf) of liquid helium. Argonon will use the helium to issue tokens, which will in due course be listed on an exchange with the assistance of financial services provider Purple Group’s EasyCrypto platform, providing transparency in the price of helium for the first time. Renergen’s share price surged 6.7 percent to R585.85 yesterday morn- ing after the deal was announced. Purple group’s share price was up 1.51 percent to R2.02 at the same time. The tokens will be fully redeemable for helium at the…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za TRANSNET confirmed yesterday that its Richards Bay and Durban ports were fully operational after a major fire at the former facility and bad weather at the latter last week saw the utility declare force majeure over the weekend. The major logistics state-owned enterprise said a second fire at Port Richards Bay, which broke out on Wednesday and reignited on Friday, had affected one of the import conveyor belt routes. “Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) would like to reassure all stakeholders that the ports of Durban and Richards Bay are open. TNPA is aware of reports on social media that these ports are closed and confirms that this is fake news,” said Ayanda Mantshongo executive manager: corporate affairs and external relations at TNPA. Mantshongo said shipping was suspended…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE GOVERNMENT’S announcement that children who were 12 years and older could take the Covid-19 vaccination without their parents, guardians and caretakers’ consent has ruffled feathers across South Africa. Parents yesterday weighed in on the issue, with many disagreeing with the Children’s Act. Following the announcement that the vaccine roll-out for children between the ages of 12 and 17 would start tomorrow, the acting director-general for the Department of Health, Dr Nicholas Crisp, said that it was possible for children in this cohort to go for vaccination without their parents’ consent, according to provisions in the Children’s Act. Section 129 of the Children’s Act also states that parents, guardians and caregivers may consent to the medical treatment of the child if the child is 12 years…

I AM aware people don’t usually analyse their friendships as I’ve described below but we’d have healthier families and communities if we did! Will you search with me when I am searching, stand with me when I am standing, and drop to your knees with me in prayer if and when I need it? I will try to do the same for you. Will you stand up to me with firmness and kindness when my many blind spots are blocking my thinking? I will try to do the same for you. Will you join me and review our connection (as casual acquaintances, colleagues, neighbours, partners, or spouses) so that we remain mutual, equal, respectful no matter the degree or significance of our connection? Will you take time to listen to…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West During apartheid, the National Party tried to overcome judicial activism against its Broederbond agenda by “packing the courts” with judges hand-picked to ensure decisions friendly to the government. Those judges with a life tenure found themselves in danger for their talent. Three books detailed the turbulence during this period. There’s Hugh Corder’s Judges at Work, followed by Adrienne Van Blerk’s Judge and be Judged and, thirdly, there’s Christopher Forsyth’s In Danger for their Talent. With the benefit of having studied these books in search for a mini-dissertation towards my Master’s degree in the 1990s, I became a watcher, a witness, if you will, to the paradigm shift in thinking as to how the judiciary should be shaped to give a humane face…

JOHN WHITLOCK Joburg I HAVE on numerous occasions read the following remarks in letters, albeit in different forms, but all alluding to the same theme – “We live in a constitutional democracy which is still in immense pain, and which still suffers from trauma inflicted on its people by apartheid” and “… before placing it before an electorate still hurting deeply”. This being said, I have yet to come across anyone who can explain, or who has explained, in detail, exactly what is meant by these platitudes, and how they actually affect every person. The only ones to blame for the parlous state South Africa is in are those in the incompetent ANC government. They have systematically destroyed a once thriving and great country through fraud, corruption, cadre deployment, nepotism, cronyism,…

Police are hunting for two armed suspects who robbed a post office in Sidwell, Gqeberha at the weekend. In August, the SA Post Office announced it would shut down four of its branches in Nelson Mandela Bay metro – due to staff being highly traumatised and unable to function properly. The branches were all robbed at least four times a year. In the weekend incident, police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said two suspects entered the post office in Commercial Road, Sidwell, at about 11am on Saturday, armed with firearms. “Four staff members and one customer were forced into the safe of the post office and locked inside, while the two suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of cash,” Janse van Rensburg said. After the staff and customer were…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE TERM “vaccination” has been proclaimed as the 2021 South African Word of the Year, according to the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) in association with media research company, Focal Points. PanSALB made the announcement over the weekend and said the SA Word of the Year is a word, term or expression preferred to reflect the passing year in language. PanSALB said candidates for SA Word of the Year were reviewed by PanSALB and their merits debated, choosing one that captures the philosophy, mood, or preoccupations of this particular year. “The pandemic continues to occupy public discourse, with the government response to the pandemic and the responsiveness of the public to the messages of government significantly taking centre stage of these discussions,” said PanSALB chief…

THE riots, looting, wanton damage to property and the murders in Phoenix associated with the “attempted insurrection” in July, stemming from the internal fallout within the ANC, have raised speculation about how close South Africa is from becoming another Zimbabwe’ – in other words a failed, lawless state. The question was reinforced after Defence Minister Thandi Modise, her deputy Thabang Makwetla and Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele were held hostage for three hours by 56 disgruntled ANC military veterans last Thursday. What next? An announcement on the SABC that the Guptas from Dubai have been reinstated as rulers of South Africa and remain as committed as ever to radical economic transformation? Their local pawn will be reappointed as leader as soon as his medical parole and prison record have…

ADDIS ABABA: ETHIOPIAN forces carried out air strikes on the northern city of Mekele yesterday, humanitarian officials and diplomats told AFP, in the first reported bombing raids over the Tigrayan capital since the early stages of the year-long war. Air raids were reported inside and outside Mekele, the regional capital held by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) since it was recaptured from government forces in June. “Air strike now in Mekele,” one humanitarian official in the city said via an SMS to AFP, describing attacks also confirmed by a second humanitarian source, two diplomats and a rebel spokesperson. The first raid occurred in the morning on the outskirts of Mekele near a cement factory, the sources said. The second took place around midday in the city centre near…

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Court of Appeal yesterday granted a request from former prime minister Najib Razak, who was convicted on graft charges last year, to temporarily release his passport so he can attend the birth of his grandchild in Singapore, a prosecutor said. Najib was sentenced in July 2020 to 12 years’ jail for corruption and money laundering in a case linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at now-defunct state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). He has denied wrongdoing and is out on bail pending an appeal. The court allowed Najib to retrieve his passport from October 20 to November 22 so that he could be with his daughter.…

Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter is refusing to get carried away after his team thrashed Chippa United 4-0 in the Premiership over the weekend. Keagan Dolly produced a man-of-the-match performance for Amakhosi, scoring a brace and playing a role in creating the other two goals as Baxter’s troops thumped Gavin Hunt’s team. Prior to the result, Chiefs had made a slow start to the new season, having won just one of their six league games. “With the word vindication, I’m not sure,” said Baxter. “We played six games. I was under pressure when people can see the work I’m doing and can speak to the players. Possibly, the vindication comes from the criticism on social media and that is maybe where the tide will turn the opposite way.…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za THERE is growing concern about the situation at the Beitbridge border post as truck drivers have been stuck for up to five days before being processed to enter South Africa and Zimbabwe. Videos shared on social media show queues that stretch for long distances at the border post. Drivers, who spoke to eNCA, said the delays were due to a new commercial terminal, access fees, and a slow electronic system. Mmenyane Seoposengwe, senior manager; strategic communications for the Cross Border Road Transport Agency (C-BRTA) said that construction on the Zimbabwe side of the border along with new crossing tariffs introduced by Zimbabwe were contributing to the delays at Beitbridge. The interstate operations agency, which aims to reduce mobility constraints for road transport operators, said it was concerned…

NASA has launched a first-of-its-kind mission to study Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids, two large clusters of space rocks that scientists believe are remnants of primordial material that formed the solar system’s outer planets. The space probe, dubbed Lucy and packed inside a special cargo capsule, lifted off on schedule from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Saturday, Nasa said. It was carried aloft by an Atlas V rocket from United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp. Lucy’s mission is a 12-year expedition to study a record number of asteroids. It will be the first to explore the Trojans, thousands of rocky objects orbiting the sun in two swarms – one ahead of the path of giant gas planet Jupiter and one behind it.…

Another scandal over qualifications ALAN JEFFREY | Pinetown GABI MARAIS | Winston Park JUSTIN MOODLEY | Phoenix LUCKY NAICKER | Pietermaritzburg There are two parallel universes here in our troubled land. The first is the one in which most of us live, a country where, during the decade of our last president’s tenure, our finances and infrastructure were all but destroyed in an orgy of corruption and incompetence. The result is that we live in a country where electricity is intermittent, infrastructure is failing due to lack of maintenance, with burst water pipes, sewage spillage into rivers, uncollected waste piling up and alien plants often obscuring dirty or broken road signs. In addition, the many good public servants, police, firefighters and maintenance teams, despite…

THE DEPARTMENT of Home Affairs has from yesterday temporarily extended operating times at offices by two-and-a-half hours to meet the growing demand for services. Of the 412 Home Affairs offices, 197 were modernised “live capture” offices that could process smart ID cards and passports, the department. said. “These are the offices that will operate for extended hours because that is where the high demand is being experienced.” Home Affairs Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, who approved the extended hours, said: “The deputy minister (Njabulo Nzuza) and I have been receiving a lot of complaints from irate citizens across the country.” Motsoaledi said most of the complaints concerned bad practice at some home affairs offices, where queues “are cut” and people sent home. This was done presumably because there were already “more…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons Tarryn-Leigh.Solomons@iinl.co.za The Electoral Court will on Thursday hear ActionSA’s matter against the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) in a bid to have the party’s name included on the ballot paper for the November 1 elections. ActionSA filed its final replying affidavit with the Electoral Court. ActionSA has candidates in six municipalities across the country – Joburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Newcastle and KwaDukuza, but only its logo and not its name appears on the ballot paper prepared for the November 1 elections. In a statement, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the affidavit was filed on Friday. “The IEC has changed the focus in its papers. While initially focusing on the registration of ActionSA, it now relies on Section 23 of the Municipal Electoral Act and the…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za The uMhlathuze Municipality says it has set aside R130 million to buy transformers in a bid to stop electricity blackouts in the area. Richards Bay and surrounding areas have been beset with power cuts since July. On Sunday, several areas were without power from the early hours of the morning. The DA raised concerns about the continuous blackouts in the municipality. DA uMhlathuze caucus leader Christo Botha said the power cuts had put the local economy under strain. “Residents and business owners are at a breaking point as damage to electrical appliances, loss of perishable foods, down time in manufacturing and loss of trade are escalating week-after-week. “The local economy is under threat, and financially overstretched residents can’t absorb more damage and losses.” Botha said one of…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE eThekwini municipality is investing close to R900 000 in technology that will make it easier for the city’s residents to access burial services online. The municipality said earlier this year it had introduced digital Synapsis software, which is a record keeping system for cemeteries and crematorium management. It also wants to activate the e-Government portal, which would enable access to government services online and reduce the cost to users to access those services. The report called for R861 000 be re-prioritised from the Awareness Vote to activate an online portal for cemetery burials and cremations online bookings during the 2012 to 2023 financial years. Municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said that at present, in South Africa alone, more than 200 municipal cemeteries were being administered through…

THE breakdown of law and order that was evident during the July violent unrest and looting has continued unabated in the country, and the government is proving powerless to deal with incidents of criminality. The rampant looting, burning of trucks and buildings and the killing of people in July was accompanied by an absence of police officers. The lawlessness provides a clear indication that the state is being perceived as weak, and several people are hell-bent on exploiting the weakest link for their own selfish benefit. The first incident that demonstrated the breakdown of law and order happened last week in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Foreign nationals were seen on social media brandishing automatic rifles in broad daylight and torching minibus taxis during a quarrel with taxi bosses. The incident was…

Leaders in the south Indian state of Kerala opened near-overflowing dams yesterday after at least 22 people died when heavy rains lashed the state over the weekend. Rainfall across the state led to flash floods and landslides in several areas, with the Indian army and navy called out to rescue residents. Opening dams could reduce the risk of potentially catastrophic overflows like those partly blamed for the state’s worst floods in a century in 2018, when at least 400 people were killed and 200 000 displaced. But by releasing water downstream, the move could also worsen the situation in areas already experiencing floods. Authorities have already opened smaller dams to prevent flooding, while state Power Minister K Krishnankutty said the Idukki dam, the state’s largest, would also be opened…

Amsterdam: Two men appeared in court for the first time yesterday accused of murdering the Netherlands’ best-known crime reporter in broad daylight on an Amsterdam street. Delano G, 21, is accused of shooting journalist Peter R de Vries in July while Polish national Kamil E, 35, allegedly drove the getaway car and carried out surveillance. The murder of de Vries, 64, who was an adviser to a witness in a major drugs trial and gunned down as he left a TV studio, stunned the Netherlands and sparked condemnation across Europe. Kamil E, a Polish national, told the preliminary hearing that he was innocent.…

Sadio Mane fired an ominous warning to Liverpool's rivals as he insisted the Reds can still improve after warming up for today's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid by thrashing Watford. Jurgen Klopp's side powered to a 5-0 victory at Vicarage Road on Saturday to keep their Premier League title challenge on track. With Liverpool just one point behind leaders Chelsea, they can turn their attention to the most demanding of their Champions League Group B fixtures. Having moved to the top of the group with victories over AC Milan and Porto, the six-time European Cup winners head to Madrid to face the Spanish champions. Emerging from the Wanda Metropolitano stadium with three points will be a tricky task, but Liverpool can call on an attacking trio that once again…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SOUTH African businesses are expecting trade conditions to ease for the next six months and move into positive territory after the turbulence experienced in July and August. The SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) yesterday said the momentum in trade conditions remained in negative territory in September. Sacci said the Trade Activity Index (TAI) was at 39 points in September, below the 50 points mark that separates contraction from expansion. The TAI was temporarily interrupted in July and dipped to its lowest this year at 34 points due to supply chain disruption during civil unrest, and recovered to 39 points in August. Trade was severely hampered as thousands of businesses were van- dalised, looted and burnt down in July during some of the…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za IRONGATE Group, formerly Investec Australia Property Fund (IAP), said yesterday that it had received a “highly conditional” and “unsolicited” A$1.1 billion (R12bn) takeover offer from fund manager 360 Capital Group, a company that IAP’s board previously warned might make a predatory offer. The offer was for all shares in Irongate that 360 Capital did not already own for A$1.6047 cash per security, which was made up of a headline price of A$1.65 less the anticipated distribution of A$0.0453 per IAP security for the half-year to September 30. Irongate’s share price rose 3.66 percent to R16.69 on the JSE yesterday around midday, while in Australia the price was up by the same percentage to A$1.56 per share. The proposal was conditional on ESR Real Estate (Australia)…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has indicated yesterday that it could add terrorism charges against the group of military veterans arrested for holding two ministers and a deputy hostage last week. The group will be back in court today at the Kgosi Mampuru prison in Tshwane. The 53 former members of uMkhonto we Sizwe, the Azanian People’s Liberation Army and the Azanian National Liberation Army are accused of holding Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise, her deputy Thabang Makwetla and Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele hostage at the St George’s Hotel in Centurion, Tshwane, last Thursday. The group face charges of intimidation and the NPA has indicated it could add terrorism charges. Dali Mpofu SC, who is representing 30 of the veterans, told magistrate Bheki…

MARTIN MEYER | DA KZN spokesperson on Agriculture ANC politicians in KwaZulu-Natal can be likened to a flock of hadedas – they fly around making a lot of noise but never actually seem to do anything. Certainly, this description can be applied to the province’s Agriculture MEC, Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, who often talks about “food security”, while one would need a magnifying glass to find any evidence of action to ensure it. During the July unrest, KZN’s farms suffered millions of rand of damage. The devastation was not only caused to commercial farms –land of up-and-coming land reform farms and communal land was also hard hit. Following this, the national oversight committee for Agriculture descended on KZN – amid great fanfare – to visit some of these farms. At…

A CRICKET poser from Zululand. Dr Peter Quantock of Empangeni (aka Taffy Zulu) sets it out that for every ball bowled, the runs scored off it may be 0, 1, 2, 3 (unusual), 4, 5 or 6. But if three runs off a single ball is unusual (very often the result of a fielder’s overthrow), what about five runs off a single ball? “Does it happen?” Taffy asks. “Has it ever happened?” Dunno, Taffy. I can’t recall it happening. What I do recall is my taking 4 for 32 against the RAF Red Arrows for the Durban Press XI with my unplayable legbreaks (which readers might recall my mentioning before). Any overthrows? Not that I remember, but were it not for a fielding incident, my figures would have read 4…

Jason Woosey jason.woosey@inl.co.za The fuel price looks set to rise next month, according to unaudited mid-month data from the Central Energy Fund. The data indicates that petrol and diesel could see huge hikes next month. The petrol data is pointing towards a price increase of about R1 a litre and the diesel situation looks even bleaker, with a R1.40 increase likely. However, these are early predictions as it is based on unaudited data made available on October 14, and it is possible that the situation could change by the end of the month. Motorists are paying record prices for petrol, and a R1 increase would see the cost of a litre of 95 unleaded petrol rising to about R18.60 at the coast. A R1.40 diesel price hike…

Reuters and Kelly-Jane Turner The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) said yesterday that it was not approving an emergency use application for Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 shot for now, citing concerns about its safety for people at risk of HIV. South Africa has one of the world’s highest HIV burdens, and some studies have suggested that administration of vaccines using the Adenovirus Type 5 (Ad5) vector – which Sputnik V has – can lead to higher susceptibility to HIV in men. Viral vector vaccines like Sputnik V use modified viruses as vehicles, or vectors, to carry genetic information that helps the body build immunity against future infections. It is similar to the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccines, however, instead of one engineered adenovirus, Sputnik V combines…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons Tarryn-Leigh.Solomons@iinl.co.za The panel responsible for short listing prospective chief justice candidates has received 564 submissions from the public either in favour of or objecting to nominees. Former Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng’s tenure came to an end on October 11 after he served for 12 years on the Constitutional Court. Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa called on the public to nominate candidates and also appointed an advisory panel to assist in the process. The panel led by international Court of Justice and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Judge Navi Pillay, includes Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola; former minister of justice Jeff Radebe; former public protector advocate Thuli Madonsela; chair of the South African National Aids Council Mmapaseka Steve Letsike; and Professor of Law at…

RECENTLY, I felt like Pastor Niemöller in Nazi Germany who was unperturbed every time the Nazis came for folks all around him to be killed, until finally they came for him. Queue rage, unfortunately, is real, not a new phenomenon, and it happens all so suddenly. One is never aware nor prepared when confronted by it. Daily we are warned about hijackers, scammers, drunk and reckless drivers, smash and grabbers, but hardly about folks misbehaving when queuing. There is so little one can do to defend oneself in such situations. Road rage and other forms of rage in the form of school and domestic violence are happening all over the world. It is something totally different when one is accused when not even guilty of queue-jumping, but what does one…

THE ongoing energy crisis in Europe and elsewhere is not caused by geopolitics but is a product of multiple factors coming together, such as unexpected return of demand and regions taking markets away from each other, Angela Wilkinson, secretary general and chief executive of the World Energy Council told Sputnik. Gas prices have been surging across the world due to demand outpacing supply amid an economic recovery after months of Covid-19 restrictions. To complicate matters further, Asia’s shift from coal to gas creates additional competition among buyers. “This isn’t a geopolitical crisis, this is a combination of other factors. What’s happening in Europe, or in China, or in Oceania, or in Latin America, or in North America, is a combination of a surprise in the return of demand where it’s…

Taipei: A Taiwanese court sentenced a train driver to four and a half years in prison yesterday for negligent homicide over a 2018 derail- ment that killed 18 people. The crash on the scenic east coastline also injured around 200 people and left the Puyuma Express lying zig-zagged across the tracks. The driver – identified only by his family name You – had turned off an Automatic Train Protection system used to monitor speed, the court said in a statement. He was driving at 140km/h, twice the limit for the curved part of the track where the train approached a station in north-eastern Yilan county, causing it to derail, the statement added.…

Fifa said yesterday it will hold talks with national team coaches this week over the controversial idea of holding the men’s World Cup every two years. The consultations about the proposals, which have come in for heavy criticism from Uefa and Conmebol, the International Olympic Committee, as well as coaches and players, will take place today and Thursday. “The discussions will be led by Fifa Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger and will include a range of talking points, including player health, international windows, the frequency of Fifa World Cup finals and other important issues in the game,” football’s governing body said. Fifa also wants major continental tournaments, including the European Championship and Copa America, to be played every two years. A report from Fifa on the idea is…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s history of exporting cricketers to the United Kingdom is a well-documented story, but on Sunday’s opening day of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup in Oman a new chapter emerged. Johannesburg-born all-rounder Chris Greaves, who was playing just his second international match, delivered a match-winning performance to power his adopted country Scotland to a shock six-run victory over Bangladesh. The impact of Greaves’ performance goes far beyond his 28-ball 45 that led Scotland to 140/9 and 2/13 which restricted Bangladesh to 134/9. Greaves walked to the crease with Scotland in all sorts of trouble at 53/6 in the 12th over. He would never before have come close to facing the quality and class of a bowler such as the highest wicket-taker in T20 World Cup…