Table of contents for 2022-05-23 in Mercury

WITH the number of rhinos killed for their horns in KwaZulu-Natal Ezemvelo Wildlife reserves this year set to surpass poaching deaths for the past two years, a report has been released on what should be done to protect the endangered species. The report was compiled six years ago by a task team that investigated the scourge of rhino poaching and recommended that Ezemvelo beef up its intelligence capacity to combat the crime. It said such an investigation unit could help police and prosecutors secure convictions against those implicated in poaching. The 54-page document was the first part of the report released by the organisation to the DA after the party demanded that it be made public. It tackles many deficiencies that allow for poaching, including investigation units that do not…

Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, Sir How does it feel to be the president of a Banana Republic? To say that I was gobsmacked would be an understatement. R22 million for a flag of South Africa? We cannot detract from the fact that we have ministers in our government, appointed by you, of course, whose skills, capabilities and competencies – or the gross lack thereof – leave much to be desired. One notable candidate who meets the criteria for the above-mentioned inadequacies is the Minister of Arts, Sports and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa. Because it is not their money but that of the taxpayer, our government, post-apartheid, has feasted at the banquet of gratuitous indulgence –squandering, misappropriating and thieving from the cookie jar, whose lid is nowhere to be found. The frivolous and…

HEY, Charles has finally made it to the Big Time! The Prince of Wales and Camilla are to guest star in an episode of the TV soapie, EastEnders. It’s to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, according to the BBC. Charles and Camilla will join the residents of Albert Square for a street party held in honour of the monarch’s 70 years on the throne. The scenes were filmed in March when they visited the soap’s Elstree set and met members of the cast. The episode will air on BBC 1 on June. 2. Viewers of the soapie will have already seen Mick Carter, played by Danny Dyer, decide to throw a jubilee party for residents of the square. In the jubilee episode, the partygoers will be in shock when the…

Go ahead, make someone’s day. Offer a hand of help in ways that are unexpected. Look around. There is no shortage of those who could use it. Offer encouragement to the discouraged. With floods and failing economies, you have an unlimited supply of those who need it. Offer forgiveness to yourself and therefore also all others. Being overly hard on yourself is the gateway to being brutal with others, especially those to whom we are close. Offer a smile to those who are accustomed to rejection. Vast segments of all populations consider rejection as “normal”. Offer a meal to the hungry and a cool drink to the thirsty and your kindness will be remembered and repeated. You will bring relief to people you will never see or meet. Kindness spreads…

MOTORISTS should not be penalised or fined for not being in possession of a renewed driving licence card because no such penalty exists. This is one of the declaratory orders sought by civil rights organisation AfriForum in its application opposing the requirement for driving licence cards to be renewed every five years. It wants this requirement to be declared invalid and reviewed. AfriForum will ask the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, for a declaratory order that the National Road Traffic Act regulations to the extent that they limit the renewal period for driving licence cards to five years are unreasonable and vague. The organisation said that from a legal perspective, the National Road Traffic Act and regulations were too vague to be workable. The organisation will argue that the legislation does…

A group of woman Struggle veterans are back at the Constitutional Court. The determined members of the Khulumani Support Group are sleeping on the pavements outside the Constitutional Court in Braamfontein in their bid to demand adequate reparations for all they endured during apartheid and to express their unhappiness with how the matter was handled by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC’s) Reparation and Rehabilitation Committee. The women, who earlier occupied the passages and corridors of the country’s apex court premises for about three weeks, are not new to spending cold winter nights, having done the same in the past as part of their protest against the lack of support from the South African authorities on issues of reparations for crimes against humanity during apartheid. “Most of us have…

Umgeni Water, which manages the Hazelmere Dam, has taken a decision to release water from the dam on an emergency basis to reduce the level to 53% from the 70% capacity mark it reached this weekend. According to Umgeni Water, the heavy rains over the weekend pushed up the level of the dam in the north of Durban to about 70%, which poses a risk to the wall extension that is under construction. “The releases will occur in a phased manner, meaning that every endeavour will be made to try to prevent the river bursting its banks. This will occur through opening the first valve to release water, then allowing the river level to stabilise before opening the second valve later. The first release began on Sunday (yesterday), and it…

CHIEF Justice Raymond Zondo may spend most of his remaining time on the Bench defending himself against allegations that he plays into ANC factional politics. He now finds himself having to answer to a complaint before the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) by ANC national executive committee (NEC) member, Tony Yengeni. Yengeni, who lodged the complaint in his personal capacity, took issue with Justice Zondo’s remarks in his latest State Capture Report that the election of President Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC leader saved the country from “further damage”. He argues that there was no evidence before Justice Zondo as the chairperson of the State Capture Commission to back his claims, and that this cannot go unchallenged. The perception that Justice Zondo seems to be easily drawn into political matters is further…

Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian militant in clashes in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group said. The Israeli military said Palestinian suspects fired on its soldiers and threw fire-bombs at them. “The soldiers responded with live fire toward the suspects. Hits were identified,” the military said. It was not immediately clear whether the teenager killed was one of those suspects. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed his death. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group described the teen as one of its members and said he had taken part in the fighting against the Israeli soldiers. Photos circulated on social media showed him holding a rifle. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh condemned the killing. “We warn against the consequences of the occupation’s…

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his US counterpart Joe Biden visited an Air Force operations centre yesterday on the last stop of the latter’s three-day trip to Seoul. The two visited the Korean Air and Space Operations Centre at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, 70 km south of Seoul, and met American and South Korean troops stationed there, reports Yo. The visit underscored the allies’ firm readiness against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats after Yoon and Biden agreed during Saturday’s summit to expand the scope of combined military exercises. The US and South Korea have also agreed to work more closely on crucial trade and supply-chain issues, the US Commerce Department announced on Saturday. Establishing a US-Korea Supply Chain and Commercial Dialogue, the statement said, would “foster increased…

Los Angeles: Pop megastar Madonna was shocked to receive a notification saying she had “violated community guidelines” when attempting to go live on Instagram. Speaking in a video posted to her Instagram page, Madonna said: “Guys we’re gonna go live. What the f***? We’re blocked from Live? Ew, what’s happening?” The Material Girl hitmaker went on to reference her frequent nude photos shared on the app and joked that at that moment she was fully clothed and was left “speechless” when issued with the warning from the Meta-owned app. Instagram explained that she must “respect” others on the platform and “follow the law”. “We want Instagram to continue to be an authentic and safe place for inspiration and expression. Help us foster this community.” In November 2021, the singer defiantly…

Santiago: Popular Pacific Ocean tourist destination Easter Island will be reopened to tourists on August 1, more than two years after it was closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chilean government has said. The island, located 3 500km west of the coast of Chile, is world-famous for its “moais” – huge stone statues in human form partially buried in the earth. The original reopening date in February did not materialise under the government of former president Sebastian Pinera. The authorities drew up a new plan to reopen the island after leftist President Gabriel Boric took office in March. |…

KwaZulu-Natal is not under threat of further heavy rain for the rest of the week, as the weather will start clearing from this afternoon, according to the South African Weather Service. This is after most parts of the province, including the South and North coasts, Durban and Pietermaritzburg, experienced heavy rain which prompted evacuations in some parts and kept the emergency services busy throughout the weekend. Weather forecaster Sandile Dlamini said there would be scattered showers in some parts of the province, including the central and northern parts, today, but the situation was set to improve. “There is no threat of any rainfall from late Tuesday onwards,” said Dlamini, who explained that the heavy rains had been the result of a combination of a cut-off low system and a cold…

YOUR May 20 edition reports that the Sanral budget for non-toll national roads for the ensuing year amounts to R45.3 billion, with R13.1 million allocated for “engineering” through the use of consultants. Sanral does not do its own design and construction supervision work, but uses sound, professionally registered and experienced consultants to do this. Contrary to this, many provincial and municipal road authorities are strong on “political appointments” for the bulk of their engineering work – hence the difference in performance between national roads and the others. This budget has had the politicians, including the leader of one political party, “up in arms” about what they term “a waste of public funds,” with the mildest criticism from the DA spokesperson who terms the budget as being “no different…

Though The Mercury, during the days of 9/11, failed to go beneath the Western news as created by the US-led propaganda outlets, former president George (Dubya) Bush let it slip through his lips last week that the US-led invasion of Iraq was illegal. From that one can infer that both George W Bush and Tony Blair are indictable war criminals. For posterity, I penned a letter to my five-year-old granddaughter Safiyyah about the matter – My beloved Safiyyah, it was no “Freudian slip”. I didn’t buy that mediated spin explaining away what an indictable US war criminal mentioned during a speech in the US. For, as I always maintained, that deep in Dubya’s (I am referring to former US president George Walker Bush who launched an illegal invasion of Iraq…

A LAWYER who was dragged out of a hair salon and thrown into a police vehicle is claiming more than R70 million in damages from the SAPS. The woman, who is not identified, claimed R59 575 000 in damages. This included damages for the fact that she had a miscarriage, for which she blamed the police. She further claimed R16m for loss of income, saying she was so traumatised that she could not continue with her law practice. The woman’s ordeal started on June 30, 2007 – four days after she had married her husband. He accompanied her to a hair salon and waited for her there. As she was being treated under a hair dryer, two policemen came into the salon. Her husband was standing at the counter. They…

JOINT operations by the SAPS in Limpopo and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) have led to the confiscation of illicit goods worth almost R400 000 and the arrest of 75 undocumented foreign nationals. Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said during the anti-crime blitz, five suspects were also arrested for rape and two for attempted rape. “To deal with cross-border crimes such as smuggling of stolen motor vehicles, stock theft, illicit cigarettes, drugs and other serious crimes, the provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe, led the joint cross-border Operation Basadi comprising different law enforcement officers in Limpopo, predominantly women and their Zimbabwean counterparts, supported by the SANDF. “The joint operations were conducted on both sides of the border around Beitbridge and Musina from Friday. Other stakeholders involved included Home Affairs, Customs,…

THE National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has announced it would oppose the environmental justice NPO The Green Connection’s court application to review and set aside Nersa’s decision to grant three electricity generation licences to Karpowership SA. Nersa approved the Karpowership electricity generation licences last year, despite the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment’s (DFFE) refusal to grant environmental authorisation and a massive public outcry from small-scale fishing communities and coastal towns in the areas these ships would be located – Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape, Coega in the Eastern Cape and Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal. “Fishers are mainly concerned about the irreparable harm that Karpowerships and other oil and gas projects could cause to marine life and ecosystems, which will affect their livelihoods,” The Green Connection strategic…

SAFEGUARDING people’s health relies on resilient health systems that ensure everyone has access to the good quality services they need, without facing financial hardship. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls it “universal health coverage”. In Britain, it is the revered National Health Service (NHS), funded from national insurance contributions and general taxation, but crucially “free at the point of delivery”. In South Africa, the aspiration is that the National Health Insurance’s (NHI) first phase could be implemented by the end of the year. It is contentious because of the alleged lack of transparency in the consultation process and the failure of the Department of Health to say how it intends to fund the NHI. What is considered by billions as a fundamental human right (or at least it ought to…

Global health officials have sounded the alarm over rising cases in Europe and elsewhere of monkey- pox, a type of viral infection more common to west and central Africa. At the weekend, some 80 monkeypox cases had been confirmed and an additional 50 were under investigation in 11 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The risk to the general public is low at this time, a US public health official told reporters at a briefing on Friday. Monkeypox is a virus that can cause symptoms including fever, aches and presents with a distinctive bumpy rash. It is related to smallpox, but is usually milder, particularly the West African strain that was identified in a US case, which has a fatality rate of around 1%. Most people fully recover…

The Russian military said it had destroyed a major consignment of Western arms in Ukraine’s Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv, using sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles. The defence ministry said in a statement the strike took out “a large batch of weapons and military equipment delivered from the US and European countries” and intended for Ukrainian troops in the eastern Donbas region where the fighting is concentrated. Reuters could not verify the report, which also said Russian missiles had struck fuel storage facilities near Odesa on the Black Sea and shot down two Ukrainian Su-25 aircraft and 14 drones. In its latest update, the defence ministry also said Russia had struck numerous Ukrainian command posts. The West has stepped up weapons supplies to Ukraine and Russia’s military is trying to intercept…

Kabul: Women presenters on Afghanistan’s leading TV channels went on air on Saturday without covering their faces, defying a Taliban order to conceal their appearance and comply with the group’s austere brand of Islam. Previously they had only been required to wear a headscarf. Earlier this month Afghanistan’s supreme leader issued a decree for women to cover up fully in public, ideally with the traditional burqa. The feared Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice ordered women TV presenters to follow suit from Saturday. But the presenters defied the order and went on air with their faces visible, only to fall in line with the directive yesterday. |…

Ilkay Gundogan hailed Manchester City's "incredible" Premier League title triumph as the German midfielder came off the bench to spark their astonishing fightback to beat Aston Villa 3-2 on the last day of the season. Pep Guardiola's side were in grave danger of blowing the title after falling two goals behind at the Etihad Stadium, with a victory required to be sure of pipping Liverpool to the trophy. But German international Gundogan proved City's super-sub as he headed home to give them a lifeline in the 76th minute. After Rodri equalised, it was Gundogan who wrote his name into City's history books with the 81st minute winner from Kevin de Bruyne's cross. City finished just one point ahead of Liverpool, who beat Wolves 3-1 in their last game, and Gundogan…

Would granting an elephant some of the same rights as humans mean people could no longer keep dogs as pets? That was among questions judges posed in New York state’s top court last week, to a lawyer for an animal rights group that is pushing to free Happy, 51, the elephant from the Bronx Zoo. The Asian elephant has called New York City zoo home since 1977. Happy has been kept apart from other elephants in a one-acre enclosure. Four years ago, Nonhuman Rights Project began asking New York courts to release Happy to an elephant sanctuary in the US, saying the animal was being illegally imprisoned. The group says Happy is entitled to habeas corpus, a legal process in which illegally detained people may inquire about the reason they…

I feel compelled to respond to the letter in The Mercury (May 20) from Farouk Araie, where he avers as if from a position of informed authority, that “nuclear deterrence is a myth”. His dogmatic comment that there is no proof that it ever worked or ever would must be thrown into the wind to blow away. Farouk Araie fails every history test, going back to the Bay of Pigs and the Khrushchev/Kennedy stand-off in the early 1960s. And numerous “close call occasions” since then, in my view, constitute very solid evidence of the deterrent factor. Perhaps the most compelling “proof” of all is the fact that Nagasaki was the last time a nuclear weapon was deployed in hostile circumstances. Farouk Araie – be not one of little faith, brother.…

I LIVED in Moseley, Queensburgh, from 1982 to 2002 and travelled this busy road (M7) daily. The central meridian and verges of both lanes were mostly always kept in trim, giving one a sense of orderliness and satisfaction that the Roads Department cared, and it was also litter free. Fast forward to 2022, and see for yourself what that stretch of road looks like. Overgrown, everything everywhere! Hundreds of tons of litter everywhere, not to forget that the entire road surface(s) are now dangerous to drive on. So, what to do? Well, firstly, where is the Roads Department (provincial)? Secondly, do they have an “annual plan of operations” in force? If not, why not? Thirdly, have they budgeted for the M7’s maintenance recently, or not? The M7 is a major…

As Parliament mulls over the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill, which has been on the cards for four years, another alleged hate crime has taken place. Twenty-one year-old Unathi Weba was buried at his home in the Eastern Cape at the weekend, two weeks after he was strangled to death in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, allegedly by a man who discovered Weba was “not a girl”. The suspect, Siwaphiwe Paul, 27, appeared in the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court last week where he was released on R1 000 bail. Weba was the latest victim in a growing list of killings targeting the LGBTQI community. A family member, Mziwonke Mnothoza, said Weba left home on May 9 with a friend. He never came back. “We were woken up by…

Following the disruption in the wake of the Huis Marais urinating incident, another alleged racism incident at a Law faculty dance and a separate rape incident this past week, Stellenbosch University (SU) has announced that it has postponed its exam period. The university said this was done following a request by student leadership structures. The decision was supported by SU’s faculties. SU’s deputy vice-chancellor of learning and teaching, Professor Deresh Ramjugernath, said the decision was made in the best interests of students, after consultation. “The examination rescheduling was made in the context of the trauma and disruption following the Huis Marais incident and the separate rape incident,” he said. “The university condemns both incidents.” Exams scheduled to start today will now start on Monday, May 30. Assessment deadlines are also…

INSTABILITY at the helm of the administration of the eThekwini Municipality looks set to continue with the term of the current acting city manager, Musa Mbhele, set to end at the end of June. Mbhele has been in the position for almost a year. He assumed the post in July last year. Highly placed sources in the municipality have said that Mbhele cannot continue to act in the position of city manager as that would be illegal and would attract a negative finding by the office of the Auditor-General. If a new acting appointment is made, the change, some councillors said, could exacerbate the instability in the municipality. They said the municipality was unstable and the same concerns were raised by the city’s audit committee which said the position should…

FRAUD cases related to the purchase of diesel are on the increase. In the latest incident yesterday, a 35-year-old man was arrested in connection with R5 000 diesel fraud in Sterkstroom in the Eastern Cape. The man allegedly bought diesel for R5 000 and paid with a fraudulent fuel card. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Captain Hazel Mqala said an off-duty police officer followed-up on information from Sterkstroom about a fraud case and heard the man was on his way to East London. He was later traced and arrested. She said his bakkie was searched and eight suspected stolen fuel cards were recovered. “When the bakkie’s information was circulated, it was discovered that the vehicle had been reported stolen as per a Mountain Rise case. “The suspect was arrested…

Need to reprioritise resources to curb hunger in early childhood development centres WHENEVER I hear community elders warning unmarried traditional leaders of the danger of stunting or dying from hunger and starvation if they do not get married soon, I wonder whether this counselling denies the young the freedom of choice on marital issues. Among these leaders are AmaRharhabe King Vululwandle Sandile, iNkosi Zanoxolo Ngwabeni of amaGubevu in Butterworth, and iNkosi Bazindlovu Matanzima of abaThembu in Cofimvaba. Does anyone remember how former president Jacob Zuma once provoked anger by claiming that it is “not right” for women to be single and that children are important to give them “extra training”, in a 2012 TV interview with Dali Tambo? My wondering was rudely interrupted by the shocking revelations in Parliament last…

French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled his new cabinet on Friday, holding on to more ministers from his last government than had been anticipated after he promised a “new way” of ruling following his re-election in April. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. Macron named Elisabeth Borne as prime minister on May 16. The new government will hold its first cabinet meeting at the Elysee today, reported French news channel BFMTV. Here is a list of who holds key portfolios: Bruno le Maire, 53, was appoint finance minister. He served as finance minister throughout Macron’s first term, pushing through tax cuts and pro-business reforms before propping up the Covid-19-ravaged economy with unprecedented state support for companies and households.…

Sydney: Australia’s opposition leader Anthony Albanese has vowed to make the country a renewable energy “superpower”, after claiming victory in national elections. Albanese said he would be sworn in as the 31st prime minister today along with four senior party members, before heading to Tokyo to attend a “Quad” summit tomorrow. Australia’s Labour Party will form the country’s next government today, as unprecedented support for the Greens and climate-focussed independents ended nearly a decade of rule by the conservative coalition. |…

Conakry: Guinean ex-leader Alpha Conde boarded a plane for Turkey at the weekend after the junta that toppled him authorised his travel abroad for medical treatment, officials said. The 84-year-old Conte, who was ousted last year, has been allowed to travel out of respect for his “dignity and integrity” and for “humanitarian reasons”, the junta’s governing body said. Conde had “medical appoint-ments” abroad, the National Rallying Committee for Development said, without providing details about his health, where he would be treated or the length of time he would be out of the country. |…