Table of contents for 2022-03-08 in Mercury

Rapula Moatshe rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za THE Competition Tribunal yesterday heard how some of South Africa’s major banks embarked on a systematic closure of accounts belonging to Sekunjalo Group companies. The two-day hearing is being held after Sekunjalo – comprising 36 applicants – made an urgent application seeking interim relief including the reinstatement of banking facilities that have been closed and that banks be prohibited from closing banking facilities. Among the respondents in the case are Nedbank, Investec Bank, Sasfin Bank, Absa, First National Bank, Mercantile Bank and Bidvest. During the first day of the hearing, it was highlighted that companies linked to Sekunjalo had been the subject of negative reporting by the media, a factor previously cited by the banks as one of the reasons they concluded that a relationship with Sekunjalo…

What do you want in your heart of hearts? Not for others, for yourself. This is not a selfish way to think unless, of course, you stop there. For this exercise, think only of yourself. It is a good and essential place to start. Examining this question and writing your answers using a few pages of bullet points is about getting your own house in order before you act on the inevitable impulse to arrange and rearrange other people’s lives. It is well understood that those who mess with the lives of others are usually avoiding their own inner turmoil. It is hard to be in touch with this deep place of “what do you want in your heart of hearts” if we are always on the go. It takes…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West Let me respond to the following headline, courtesy of News24 which, putting it mildly, intrigues me: “US Embassy urges SA to stop sitting on the fence over Russia-Ukraine conflict”. I find this advice as deceptive as it is couched in diplomat-speak. I do not agree with my country’s stance in the whole deplorable staged conflict about hegemony. Perhaps war crimes are being committed and yes, it’s an abomination that makes all peace lovers recoil in horror. There must be justice, but not selective justice. There must be consistency. And there isn’t. However, if the USA would care to lead by example vis-a-vis: Palestine-Israel, I wouldn’t be critical of the US’ bona fides. Until then South Africa is a sovereign country. Let us…

Rafieka Williams rafieka.williams@inl.co.za LEGAL AID South Africa is approaching the Land Claims Court in a legal battle that’s likely to reach the Constitutional Court as it inherits the Land Rights Management Facility which was previously entrusted to the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development. As part of its new mandate, Legal Aid will now be assisting people with land issues regarding unlawful evictions, land claims and other land- related matters. Currently, Legal Aid has just over 650 active land-related cases on its books. One of these matters is the eviction of a group of people from a farm in Grabouw. On February 10, the Land Claims Court granted the eviction order: “Pending the grant of a final eviction order (Patricia Matthys, Patricia Swartland and Danvino Jemaine Swartland) and…

Mercury Reporter The Minister in the Presidency responsible for State Security, Minister Mondli Gungubele, has restated the commitment of the State Security Agency (SSA) to uproot corruption. He was responding to a series of media reports about alleged incidents of fraud, corruption and malfeasance. Minister Gungubele said the agency was cognisant of the seriousness of the issues raised in both the High Level Review Panel on State Security and the July unrest reports, which pointed to weaknesses and gaps in the manner in which the agency conducts its business. The High Level Review panel report found that the SSA had been compromised by factionalism, mismanagement and inefficiency. It made several recommendations to improve the SSA’s governance. The minister said incidents of wrongdoing in the main were as a result of…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says her department is set to work with National Treasury to build a business case for the funding of early childhood development (ECD) centres. Motshekga said her department has had multiple meetings with National Treasury to seek additional funding. “National Treasury has committed that they have included ECD as a top priority in subsequent years. The department will be working very closely with the National Treasury in the 2022/23 financial year to build a business case for additional funding,” she said. Motshekga was responding in writing to parliamentary questions from DA MP Désirée van der Walt, who asked whether her department would focus on registering centres that were currently unregistered. Van der Walt also asked Motshekga whether the transfer of ECD centres…

Eskom announced Stage 2 load shedding from yesterday afternoon at 5pm after Unit 3 broke down at the Medupi power station. It said the electricity outages would be implemented continuously from 5pm last night until 5am on Wednesday. The latest update from the power utility stated “Medupi Unit 3 broke down a short while ago.” It said this breakdown added to the multiple generating unit failures over the past 24 hours. This included a unit at Matla, Kendal, Matimba, Kusile and Grootvlei power stations tripping yesterday morning. Eskom said these unit failures coupled with other tripped units over the weekend had led to a reduced available generation capacity and an over-reliance on emergency generation reserves. “This load shedding is required in order for Eskom to replenish the emergency generation reserves,…

A whole class of broad-spectrum antivirals is not being used to save lives It seems incredible in this age of pandemics that a dozen broad-spectrum antiviral drugs have been largely ignored in the fight against Covid-19. This class of drugs works by inhibiting a critically important human protein called nuclear-factor kappa-binding – NF-kB for short. NF-kB exists in the cytoplasm of every cell and does two main things related to disease. When it is released from its inhibitor I-kB, it increases both inflammation and viral replication. That is why cells carefully restrain it. Cells lock it safely away in the cytoplasm to prevent it from causing these two negative effects that occur when it is released and moves from the cytoplasm into the nucleus. When its inhibiting bond with I-kB…

WARSAW: Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek said yesterday that Nato’s decision to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine would provoke a direct conflict with Russia. On Saturday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video address heavily criticised Nato’s reluctance to announce a no-fly zone over Ukraine and refusal to deliver fighter jets to the Ukrainian military. “It is evident that there is no such opportunity (to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine). Today we can see that many member countries are being sceptical of the matter. The implementation of the decision should follow the decision itself, the making of this decision. “In practice, this would mean a large-scale military operation beyond Nato’s borders. It is difficult to imagine today. It is difficult to imagine that the North Atlantic Alliance…

LOS ANGELES: Regina Hall is “excited and nervous” about hosting the Oscars. The 51-year-old actress is set to take the helm of the 2022 Academy Awards with Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer later this month and she’s looking forward to their “historic” night as the first three female stars to front the ceremony. She told Entertainment Tonight: “I think it’s exciting, like, it’s Women’s History Month, it’s quite historic, like all of us together. “I’m kind of excited and nervous and everything! But I think it’s gonna be a fun night.”…

The family of a Sri Lankan woman who died in Japanese immigration detention have sued the government in a high-profile case that has reignited calls to reform conditions in the system. Wishma Sandamali, 33, died a year ago while detained for overstaying her visa after seeking police protection, reportedly to escape an abusive relationship. She had allegedly complained of stomach pain and other symptoms for weeks, and a government probe into her death concluded she received inadequate treatment as her health deteriorated. Her death at a facility in Nagoya prompted the justice minister last year to apologise and pledge to improve medical provision to detainees. Sandamali’s family sued the national government on Friday, their lawyer’s office said. Local media reported the family was seeking 156 million yen (about R20 million)…

sana’a: Yemenis are riding on the roof or hanging out the sides of taxi vans as severe fuel shortages in the capital Sana’a and other Houthi-held areas raise demand for public transport, with people queuing for days to fill the tanks of their cars. University students Amjad al-Amari and Ahmed al-Mutahar complain the fuel crunch is further disrupting their education in the war-torn country. “When we arrive for lectures, we arrive late. We miss half and the professor considers us absent,” said al-Amari. “We can’t even find (taxis) and (the ones we get) are overcrowded.”…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za A Durban man has raised concern about safety along the beachfront promenade after his wife was stabbed seven times while jogging on Sunday. Idrees Pandor said his wife, 54, who is not being named for fear of reprisals, was jogging near the Balmoral Hotel with two friends when they were accosted. “My wife noticed four men on some steps and remarked that they looked suspicious. The four men attempted to rob my wife; she bent over and went into a crouch position; they stabbed her seven times. Being in the crouched position was the only thing that saved her. They were only able to take her glasses. The other women ran away.” Pandor added that his wife had been discharged from hospital and was recovering. “I find…

It is most unfortunate that South Africa has experienced no “new dawn” as promised by President Ramaphosa when he was elected to the highest office in the land. Unfortunately, most informed commentators are of the view that he has proved to be a bitter political disappointment for the long-suffering people of this great land. Also, these political commentators are of the viewpoint that as a country and as a people we are in a state of chronic unprecedented political and economic crisis since the inception of the democratic era which started with the introduction and operation of the Interim Constitution on April 27, 1994. We face our darkest hour, which ensued with the attempted insurrection that occurred at the beginning of July last year, resulting in the deaths of more…

At Willows it looked like a downpour Though drizzle and mist it became, no more. Yet wides in that wet Were common, you bet, And Extras came out as top score. THE above is based on a cricket match at Willows junior field at Michaelhouse, where I encountered an old pal from my past – let’s call him Nutty Nigel – each of us having a junior relative taking on Hilton in the no-holds-barred Under 14 age division. Nigel whiles away the time while watching cricket, by relating hilarious limericks, the content of which does not belong in a respectable newspaper. He then challenged me to produce and publish a limerick relating to the cricket match being played before us, which explains the introductory lines. ’Twas indeed typical Michaelhouse/Midlands weather,…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za A NEW challenge, the KeReady2Flex Challenge, has been launched to encourage young people to get vaccinated against Covid-19. The KeReady campaign, a youth Covid-19 vaccination movement established in February, has announced the launch of the KeReady2Flex Challenge. The initiative, using both social media and community engagement, invites young people to take control of communication about Covid-19. “#KeReady challenges them to frame Covid-19 and vaccination-related messages in their own style, using their own creative talent. They are encouraged to perform, paint, move, write and share these messages and creative elements with #KeReady,” the organisation said. In order to show young people that their ideas have value, the most creative, emotive, and persuasive designs stand to win rewards totalling R100 000 a week from tomorrow to April 26. “The…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za The public have been given three months to make submissions on the draft National Labour Migration Policy (NLMP) and Employment Services Amendment Bill. The draft policy says there is a need to provide guidance to the Department of Employment and Labour, the Department of Home Affairs and other government departments on the desired policy framework applicable to labour migration affecting South Africa, among other things. “In a range of related areas such as recruitment, data requirements, and labour migration to and from South Africa, policy frameworks are either insufficient or absent. “An evidence-based and labour migration policy, which takes into consideration labour market needs, is required to deal with these concerns.” In a statement issued with the draft policy, the department said the policy sought to address…

Zama Ngcoya zama.ngcoya@inl.co.za THE Durban High Court has heard how Sandra Munsamy’s brother negotiated with her kidnappers in an effort to get her released. Munsamy was kidnapped on May 30, 2019, near Stapleton Road. Lucas Ndlovu, 36, Dumisani Radebe, 39, Jose Omega Tembe, 38, and Arthur Da Silva Mondlane, 36, are on trial for her kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and attempted extortion. Two of the accused, Mondlane and Tembe are Mozambican nationals and are are facing charges of remaining in the country without a valid permit in contravention of the Immigration Act. All have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Testifying yesterday, Inderan Naicker told the court that after an initial WhatsApp call from the kidnapper, his friend managed to obtain the number that had been used by…

A traffic officer was arrested for corruption after he allegedly demanded R10 000 from a motorist to release an impounded vehicle. Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) spokesperson Warrant Officer Bonnie Nxumalo said Dumisani Mchunu, 44, was released on R1 000 bail at the Greytown Magistrate's Court on Friday. “It is alleged that last month, a traffic officer from the local municipality in Greytown stopped a man driving a vehicle with Gauteng registration plates on Durban Road in Greytown. He allegedly informed him the vehicle had false registration plates. The vehicle was impounded. It is further alleged that he demanded R10 000 to release the vehicle.” | Mercury Correspondent…

The world is once again in the midst of the run-up to an enormous calamity as it was in the thirties of the last century, when another world war was on the horizon. Throughout history, all over our planet madmen have come up like flowers, become drunk with power, caused countless millions of innocent people to perish, then, just like the dog chasing and never catching the elusive proverbial bus, would wilt into oblivion only for others to try it again and again. Wise folks would turn to their holy scriptures to seek answers to these hazardous developments. Firstly, Christ himself proclaimed to Pilate that no man would be endowed with power unless it came from his Father in heaven. Secondly, again Christ warns in two distinct instances that…

At least two soldiers and two UN peacekeepers were killed in separate attacks in Mali yesterday, the army and the UN mission said. Militants attacked Malian troops posted in the northern region of Gao early in the morning, the army said, three days after another clash left at least 27 soldiers dead and 32 wounded. The army said it was pursuing the assailants and had killed nine so far. Hours later, a convoy of the UN peacekeeping mission Minusma hit an improvised explosive device north of the city of Mopti, the mission said. The blast killed two peacekeepers and wounded four others, it added. Mali has been battling an Islamist insurgency for a decade, with groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State expanding their reach in recent years despite the…

BELLINZONA: Former Fifa Secretary General Jerome Valcke and Qatari sports and broadcasting executive Nasser Al-Khelaifi went on trial yesterday in the appeals court of Switzerland’s federal criminal court, in a bribery case involving World Cup media rights. Valcke, who was secretary general of the world soccer body from 2007 to 2015, was cleared in 2020 of accepting bribes and aggravated criminal mismanagement, but Swiss prosecutors have appealed the ruling. Valcke was sentenced at the time to a suspended monetary penalty for forging documents. Al-Khelaifi, chairperson of Qatar-based media group BeIN Sports and of Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, as well as a third defendant, a Greek businessman, were cleared of inciting Valcke to commit aggravated criminal mismanagement – a verdict prosecutors also appealed. The advantages Valcke allegedly received included the rent-free…

SEOUL: The leader of South Korea’s governing party was admitted to hospital yesterday after being attacked while campaigning for this week’s presidential election, a race already overshadowed by controversy and in which early voting has been marred by irregularities. Democratic Party leader Song Young-gil was attacked in Seoul by a man wearing a traditional robe who approached him from behind and struck him on the head with a small hammer, a video uploaded to YouTube showed. Party officials said Song was in a stable condition, and a suspect was in police custody. About 44 million South Koreans are eligible to vote. | Reuters…

Dr Baptiste Dungu and Lindiwe Mabena. SEVERAL false statements have been made by the current Board of Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) on the reasons and outcome of my and Lindiwe Mabena’s suspension, disciplinary process and outcome that led to the termination of our contracts as chief executive (CEO) and the manager in the office of the CEO, respectively. During the debate on the State of the Nation 2022, the Minister of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, the Honourable Thoko Didiza, stated that my departure at OBP was linked to the GMP project, which is the facility upgrade project at OBP, for which the organisation received in 2014 close to R500 million. (The Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), is a certification that will allow it to enter…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za UGU District Municipality is overhauling its operations, including the implementation of brutal budget cuts to save millions of rand in order to keep the struggling municipality afloat. The budget cuts would include reducing overtime work, eliminating senior posts that come with high pay, restructuring agencies under the municipality’s control and cutting out spending not related to the municipality’s core business. Mayor Phumlile Mthiyane said the South Coast municipality had to take brutal and unpopular decisions and make cuts that could have a direct impact on its employees. The draconian measures would be instituted to save R84 million from different areas to fund its operations and address its debt crisis. Mthiyane was speaking to The Mercury following revelations that in February the municipality passed an unfunded adjustment…

Some Sydney funnel-web spiders are scrambling into the Australian brush carrying special cargo: a telemetry tracker to study how far a mature male can travel at night and whether their movements are affected by the environment and weather. Caitlin Creak, 27, a PhD candidate at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences of the University of New South Wales, has been tracking the male Sydney funnel-web, one of the world’s deadliest spiders. Most studies on the Sydney funnel-web spider are about its venom and taxonomy, but Creak’s study focuses on its behaviour and ecology. To be able to attach the tracker, the spider must first be knocked out with carbon dioxide, a standard practice for sedating invertebrates, Creak said. As the spider dozes for a couple of minutes on…

PAT MARSHALL | Durban I WAS thrilled to read on page 2 of The Mercury on Friday that a 78-year-old urologist in Spain has taken the banks to task for their riding rough-shod over their elderly clients. As an 86-year-old, without easy access to family or other support, I whole-heartedly reiterate, “I am old, I am not an idiot”. By the way I am not anti-progress, as I have benefited from the likes of CT scans; hence the 86 years. The banks and various other large organisations impose their will on all their customers (customer service?), overlooking the difficulties they may have. They talk a new language and do not take cognisance of the fact that there is a demographic consisting of people who retired before computers…

Police are investigating a case of murder after a Pinetown pupil, 15, died in hospital on Friday evening, after he was allegedly stabbed by another pupil. According to police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala, on Friday at about 2.45pm, a boy, 16 allegedly had an altercation with another teen in 5th Avenue, Ashley, Pinetown. “The 16-year-old allegedly stabbed the 15-year-old in the stomach once after having a verbal altercation. The victim then fell to the ground. He was rushed to hospital but unfortunately died.” Gwala said the 16-year-old was arrested and was in police custody. “The knife used was seized by police. He will appear in court this week.” This is the second stabbing incident in KwaZulu-Natal in a month. In a separate incident, a 15-year-old pupil has been charged…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za THE mother of a first-year student at the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) said she is trusting God after the death of her son, who drowned at a private student accommodation in Pinetown on Sunday afternoon. Thulebona Nyawo from Pongola, mother of Siphesihle Masuku, who was registered for a Bachelor of Education degree at UKZN’s Edgewood campus, said her son was a peaceful person who wanted everyone to be happy. “Whenever Sihle was around, you knew that everything would be okay. He respected people and his elders,” said Nyawo. According to a student, who asked not to be named, Masuku had been with friends when he decided he wanted to swim. “He said he wanted to swim and jumped into the pool. However, he jumped into the…

James Mahlokwane and Nomonde Zondi Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula met yesterday with aggrieved driving school operators who had been shutting down operators at testing centres across Gauteng, demanding the scrapping of the online booking system. The system allows for bookings to be made for learner’s and driver’s licence tests and driver’s licence renewals. He said operators had been burning tyres and blocking testing centres across Gauteng “to make the government aware that the online system was killing their businesses”. They said the system made it difficult for them to get slots for clients. The operators also said that it sidelined the elderly, poor and illiterate. Mbalula, however, said the government was in possession of a court interdict that needed to be enforced to prohibit disruptive protest action. The interdict, obtained…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za THE Department of Transport has expressed concern over the robberies that took place at two of its premises on Sunday. On Sunday, the Rossburgh Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) was robbed by armed men who tied up the security guards and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash from the safe. This led to the closure of the centre yesterday. Also on Sunday, four armed men robbed the Road Traffic Inspectorate office in Eshowe. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said that in the Eshowe incident a security guard alleged that while he was conducting his duties he was accosted at gunpoint by four men who tied him up. Mbele said that the robbers stole 11 firearm safes, five firearms, 135 rounds of ammunition and 10…

THE Ukrainian conflict has brought into sharp focus the inconsistent treatment of refugees from Europe, as opposed to those coming from other war-torn countries in Africa and the Middle East. The invasion of any sovereign state, including Ukraine, should be condemned. The ongoing bombardment of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin will bring about untold suffering to the rest of the world. We believe that both parties should give peace a chance by removing all the impediments for negotiations. However, it has been very disturbing to witness the racial undertones emerging from the Ukraine conflict. When the invasion of Ukraine started, the world was shocked to learn that African nationals, mostly students, were being prevented by security forces from getting into trains and crossing to neighbouring countries such as Poland.…

A growing number of US officials are calling for a ban on Russian oil and gas imports to pressure that country’s economy despite concerns that such a move could raise already high gas prices for American consumers. Officials including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken; Marco Rubio, Joe Manchin Adam Schiff, called for a US ban as part of the ongoing bid to hinder the Russian economy over its invasion of Ukraine. Blinken told CNN host Jake Tapper that the US is talking to allies about “the prospect of banning the import of Russian oil while making sure that there’s still an appropriate supply of oil on world markets.” He noted in Sunday morning’s “State of the Union” interview that the discussion was taking place “as we speak.” As recently…

In a tiny classroom in a migrant camp in Greece, 18-year-old Roya Rasuli teaches a bustling group of young girls how to paint. For Rasuli, it’s also a lesson in women’s empowerment. “What is your message for women, for girls?” Rasuli, who was born in Iran to Afghan refugees, asks her class. “To be strong!” one of the girls shouts. Hanging on the blue wall behind her is some of Rasuli’s own artwork, including a painting of the green-eyed “Afghan Girl” whose iconic 1985 photo in National Geographic in a red headscarf became a symbol of Afghanistan’s wars. Rasuli painted her without a mouth. “I wanted to show how women are in Afghanistan because they cannot speak, nobody listens to them and they don’t have rights,” Rasuli said, her fingers…

Baghdad: Iraq’s National Museum reopened yesterday to visitors after a three-year closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic and political unrest. Treasures dating back 2 500 years to the neo-Assyrian empire alongside 9th century Islamic antiquities went back on display, including two winged bulls from the Nimrud site in the palace of Assurnasirpal II (883-859 BCE). “We’ve waited a long time to come here,” said Tijen Kayralci, 65, part of a tour group from Turkey. “It’s beyond my expectations, these are priceless,” she said. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi said that the museum had undergone extensive renovation.…

Wynona Louw wynona.louw@inl.co.za We’re way past the point of having to ask when we will be able to see more than 2 000 fans in attendance at rugby matches. Last October, rugby’s governing body in South Africa announced that fully-vaccinated supporters would be allowed to attend club and professional games while observing the Covid-19 health guidelines. Since then, 2 000 fans have been allowed at matches, and now, around five months later, we’re still sitting on the same number, and for the bigger part of the last two years, fans weren’t allowed at stadiums. So, what gives? With an exciting Test season coming up, one can only hope that things change from what seems to be nothing more than an arbitrary number barring more fans from live games in open…