Table of contents for 2022-06-28 in Mercury

THE Eastern Cape Community Safety Department says the 21 teenagers who died under mysterious circumstances after partying at an East London tavern were probably killed by something they ate, drank or smoked. The still unexplained deaths of the teens, some of whom were celebrating the end of school exams and others a birthday party at the Enyobeni tavern in Scenery Park, have elicited an outpouring of grief across the country. “It is either something they ingested which will point to poisoning, whether it’s food or drinks, or it is something they inhaled,” said Unathi Binqose, spokesperson for the Eastern Cape’s provincial Community Safety Department. He added that hookah pipes were visible in CCTV footage of the scene. “We are ruling out a stampede completely,” he added, after initial media reports…

AN ASTONINGING, emotional, heartwarming and uplifting piece of prose comes to us, all the way from Canada. “Time is like a river. You cannot touch the same water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again. Enjoy every moment of life. As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. “He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a paupers’ cemetery in the Nova Scotia back country. “As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn’t stop for directions. “I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was…

It’s encouraging to see educated input and comment from Neil Macleod on the subject of the diabolical status of the water works of greater Durban. If there ever was an astute specialist in the equation, I believe it was him. However, I’m a little bemused by the comment in his letter (The Mercury, June 23) querying why work on repairs to damaged water pipelines started only two months after the damage occurred. It’s painfully simple, Mr Macleod: it takes time to “organise” tenders and devise the fairest way of dividing up the share of the spoils. Trust anyone! This is real!…

BANKS are under scrutiny for the business of selectively closing accounts willy-nilly, as they please. That’s just one major problem with money institutions. There are dozens other hassles that affect simple folk – far more in excess of a few major business corporates. One major one is the business of forcing the famous APP onto customers, many of whom do not even own a smart looking mobile phone. Others that do but do not know how to use it completely. These sad illiterate mugs (I am first in this category) love walking into bank halls, nod their heads at known consultants and other acquaintances, walking round and round, mutter “morning” through their Don – de- Lerow masks, and smile to themselves. Then joke with, hopefully a pretty Madame behind the…

Two people were killed when a light aircraft crashed on a farm in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape at the weekend. Police confirmed that they died on impact. The two (as yet unnamed) pilots, aged 25 and 33, left the Dawid Stuurman Airport just after 6pm on Saturday and were on their way to East London. Communication was lost two hours later, when the pilots reportedly turned the aircraft around at Kenton-on-Sea and were heading back to Gqeberha. A search was launched later that evening. According to National Sea Rescue Institute duty controller, Ian Gray, a search was conducted along the coastline near Colchester, between Gqeberha and Kenton-on-Sea. “During the early hours the search area was narrowed to about 10km north-east of Gqeberha. “During the morning on Sunday an SA…

THE embattled Durban Solid Waste (DSW) Unit has received its first batch of vehicles that were purchased at a cost of R183 million. The first batch arrived last Friday and another batch is expected this coming Friday. There will be around 30 vehicles in total that will service different areas of waste management, including refuse collection and landfills. DSW was in desperate need of new vehicles. In 2020, the unit was allocated more than R500m to purchase new vehicles. It recently revealed that it was spending more than R1.5m a month on private contractors to collect refuse in uMlazi township because it did not have capacity internally. A launch event to unveil the new DSW vehicles yesterday fell apart amid allegations of a “territorial” dispute between the mayor Mxolisi Kaunda…

With the aim of attracting investment in the game meat sector, and to open local, regional and international market opportunities, the Cabinet has approved South Africa’s first draft Game Meat Strategy for public comment. Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, said: “The strategy and implementation plan are aimed at creating a formalised, thriving and transformed game meat industry in South Africa that contributes to food security and sustainable socio-economic growth.” Attracting investment to the sector required transformation of the industry to ensure future growth, the department said. The game meat industry, at present mainly a by-product of hunting, is predominately an informal industry that operates in a fragmented manner. The industry is largely untransformed and there is a low participation rate. In addition, there are large areas…

THE deaths of 21 teenagers at an East London tavern should serve as a wake-up call to authorities, regarding the awarding of liquor licences to establishments in residential areas. On Sunday, South Africans woke to shocking news that 21 teenagers died under mysterious circumstances at an East London shebeen, known as Enyobeni, in Scenery Park. The horrific scene, where the dead were all under the age of 18, was too much for Police Minister Bheki Cele to handle. He broke down in tears. While the police investigation into the cause of the deaths is ongoing, there are immediate interventions that should be implemented by the Eastern Cape Liquor Board and the police to ensure that such an unfortunate incident does not occur again. Action needs to be taken against the…

A NATO summit this week is unlikely to see a breakthrough to overcome Turkey’s opposition to Sweden and Finland’s membership bids as Ankara takes an unrushed approach to negotiations, according to Turkish officials and Western diplomats. In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland applied for Nato membership in what would be a historic enlargement of the Western defence pact. But Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan surprised allies by opposing it last month over what he called the Nordic countries’ support for terrorist groups. Any membership bid requires approval of all 30 members of Nato, whose leaders convene in Madrid on on Wedneday and Thursday in what some had billed as a stage to seal a deal. Turkish negotiators are not concerned with deadlines imposed by foreign allies…

LONDON: The Eagles rock band have hinted that their Hyde Park concert could be their last London show. The soft rock legends headlined American Express Presents BST Hyde Park on Sunday and drummer and vocalist Don Henley, 74, said: “So, this is British summer time. In case we don’t pass this way again, I want to thank you all for embracing these songs.” The band, famous for Hotel California, celebrated five decades of their debut self-titled 1972 album, recorded at London’s Olympic Studios. Henley said it was produced during the 1972 miners’ strike: “We’d be in the middle of a take and power would go off.” | Bang Showbiz…

ABIDJAN: Above-average rains last week in most of Ivory Coast’s cocoa regions were good for development of the next October-to-March main crop, but much more moisture could be damaging, farmers said yesterday. The world’s top cocoa-producing country is in its rainy season with farmers reporting heavy rain, making it hard to harvest, dry and store beans. Fears were voiced in Soubre and Abengourou, both of which had more than 99mm of rain last week, double their five-year averages. In the Daloa, Bongouanou and Yamoussoukro regions, farmers said they were happy because flowers were proliferating on trees for a strong start to the main crop in October. | Reuters…

The ANC’s Moses Mabhida Region has thrown its weight behind incumbent party provincial chairperson Sihle Zikalala retaining his position, saying he remains the ideal candidate to lead the party in the 2024 elections campaign. Zikalala has been nominated by a number of branches and is set to stand against Nomusa Dube-Ncube for the position of chairperson. The region, which is made up of Pietermaritzburg and surrounding towns, is one of the largest ANC regions and has in the past played a decisive role in determining who emerges victorious at elective conferences. Regional secretary Samora Ndlovu told The Mercury that branches had been emphatic in their choice of leaders. “We have not dictated to anyone, but have simply listened to what branch members are saying and the message is that they…

Master falconer Rodney Stotts has written a book about his life journey from drug dealer on the streets of Washington to wildlife expert, hoping to inspire others to take solace in nature. “I went from ‘flipping birds’ – selling cocaine – to flying birds, and the destruction that I used to cause in that life,” Stotts said. In his new memoir Bird Brother, the 51-year-old credits the “healing power of wildlife” for transforming his life. As a young man in one of Washington’s roughest neighbourhoods, Stotts had little to live for. His father had been murdered, his mother was addicted to crack, and many friends were dead from gun violence. He expected to end up dead or in jail. But a 1992 initiative to clean up the Anacostia River, led…

The masks are off, the restrictions are lifted and we all can breathe and see clearly (our glasses misted up with the masks). After two years of restrictions and lockdown we can now be free as the birds. Oh, what a relief to go to the malls without the masks. But as people like Duncan du Bois have repeatedly questioned, were all the Covid-19 measures necessary? Weren’t we caught in a scam by “big pharma”? But how do the sceptics justify that there were 6.3 million deaths worldwide, while in South Africa 101 000 were struck down by the virus. If governments around the world had not imposed Covid-19 restrictions, wouldn’t the death toll have been much higher? Unless, of course, you are the dispassionate type and look at the…

Often it seems easier to give in to the prevailing winds and deny my convictions. I don’t like myself when I allow this to happen to me. I feel inauthentic, fraudulent. There is an art to saying what you mean, expressing what you think, and, when necessary, expressing what you really feel. This art, of course, includes the joyful acceptance that others have the same privilege. Like any art form, it can be learned and practised. We can get better at it. We can apologise when we fail and try again. The art is further advanced – let’s call it an Honours level – when you are also willing and able to avoid the urge to say, think, and even to feel what others may prefer you to say, think,…

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected South African school attendance as the number of children who did not attend school almost doubled from 2019 to 2021, according to Statistics SA (StatsSA). StatsSA released its General Household Survey (GHS) last week, with data showing that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic were still lingering for early childhood development and school attendance. The GHS tracks the progress of development in South Africa and identifies persistent service delivery gaps. The report revealed that Covid-19 changed the nature of child-care arrangements as the percentage of children aged 0 to 4 years who remained at home with a parent, guardian, other adults or children increased from 57.8% in 2019 to 64.6% in 2021. The Covid-19 pandemic also negatively affected school attendance as the percentage of children…

Emadlangeni Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal has appealed for information to help catch the culprits responsible for incidents of cable theft in the town. In a notice to residents at the weekend, Emadlangeni Municipality (Utrecht) reported that on June 16, the copper cable in Voor Street was stolen while technicians were working on the fault. The municipality said the incident took place after 8.30pm. The municipality said another incident of cable theft was reported on June 22. “Cable theft was reported in the vicinity of Plein Street, the incident is reported to have occurred while there was load shedding,” it said. The municipality said the cables supplying the Central Business Unit were also stolen. “The theft of the cables in the town has worsened in the past few months, this has…

ON JUNE 18, we were glued to our television sets witnessing an epic upset in a game of rugby between arch rivals, the Stormers against the Blue Bulls. It was a game where guts and glory by a Stormers team from down south triumphed over a much vaunted and much hyped team from up north, the Blue Bulls. It was what was traditionally called the North and South rivalry. What was supposed to be a memorable occasion here down south is now being used as a stick to hit out at the union’s administrators in an article by Mike Greenaway on June 21. This is grossly inappropriate and quite despicable to play domestic politics in such a manner, which detracts from the euphoria of a groundbreaking victory. The writer goes…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday urged world powers to do their utmost to help end Russia’s invasion by the end of the year, as G7 leaders planned new sanctions and vowed to support Kyiv “as long as it takes”. US President Joe Biden and his peers from the Group of Seven rich nations, meeting in the Bavarian Alps, pledged to tighten the economic screws on Moscow over its February 24 invasion of its neighbour. The leaders put on a show of unity over Ukraine, even as the fallout from the war intensifies with soaring energy and food prices driving up global inflation. “We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” the G7 said in a statement on…

AnglophonE separatists in Cameroon have killed at least seven people and carried out scores of kidnappings since January, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said yesterday, in a further condemnation of alleged abuses by the rebels. “Armed separatist groups are kidnapping, terrorising, and killing civilians across the English-speaking regions with no apparent fear of being held to account by either their own leaders or Cameroonian law enforcement,” Ilaria Allegrozzi, the HRW’s senior central Africa researcher, said in a report. A conflict in Cameroon’s Northwest Region and Southwest Region has raged for nearly five years, pitching government forces against anglophones campaigning to secede from the majority French-speaking state. The rights watchdog said rebels had killed at least seven people, injured six more, raped a girl and kidnapped as many as 82 people since…

Rome: Italy’s second-richest man, Leonardo del Vecchio has died after building an optical empire that saw him buy up major brands like Ray-Ban, Persol and Oakley. He was one of Italy’s most successful businessmen, building an international company that helped turn eyeglasses into a coveted fashion accessory. He was worth $27 billion, according to Forbes. Born May 22, 1935 in Milan to a poor family, he spent part of his youth in an orphanage and began working as a teenager. He founded his company, EssilorLuxottica, in 1961, supplying the optical industry with components. A decade later, he made the strategic decision to control all parts of the production process. He saw the advantage of partnering with fashion design brands, including Giorgio Armani, branched out into retail and snatched up…

The Hague: A tornado ripped through a Dutch city yesterday, killing at least one person and injuring 10 others in the first fatal twister to hit the country for three decades. The whirlwind left a trail of destruction through the south-western seaside city of Zierikzee, blowing roofs off four homes and sending debris into the air. Images on social media showed debris thrown high into the air on a column of rotating wind. Others showed a large white funnel of cloud extending from the base of a darkened sky, as people stopped their cars or left restaurant tables to watch. The Netherlands experiences several tornadoes a year, but the last fatal one was in 1992. | AFP…

THE Special Investigating Unit (SIU) will soon be heading back to the Special Tribunal to have contracts entered into between the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) and five non-profit organisations (NPOs) declared unlawful. This comes after the SIU announced yesterday that it had obtained a preservation order from the Special Tribunal for a luxury house belonging to Vhutanda Investments, whose sole director is former chairperson of the NLC board, Professor Alfred Nevhutanda. The luxury property, which is in Pretoria, was allegedly bought for about R27 million with money from the commission. The order followed an investigation, authorised in a proclamation signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2020, after a whistle-blower came forward. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said their investigation found there was grant money given to NPOs, and part of this…

Now that the Zondo Commission chairperson Chief Justice Raymond Zondo handed the final part of a report on an investigation into alleged corruption during the presidency of Jacob Zuma to President Cyril Ramaphosa, it is for South Africans to rise and to ensure that the recommendations are followed up. The Zondo Commission has completed its processes, and now what? Remember, the commission has cost taxpayers a lot of money, but the work done by the commission will be pointless if authorities do not act upon the recommendations and citizens do not become active and engage with every level of government. Some believe the commission was a waste of money as the perpetrators will not be prosecuted, and the report told us what we already knew. I believe the fight against…

I, like the majority of right-thinking South Africans, was excited and hopeful of at last seeing South Africa become a well-run country again with Nelson Mandela’s friend, Cyril Ramaphosa at the helm. What a bitter disappointment to find that our president is also dishonest. Is this why he has not put pressure on all those others in his Cabinet who have been corrupt? The hidden US dollars may have been tax evasion, or money-laundering, or hope against hope, been hiding for a long time, before he became President. No matter, I suspect, that everyone who is pointing fingers at him is guilty of some crime or other, and probably more serious ones, (but) it is still a black mark against him. We hear and read constantly, that there is no…

THE Msunduzi Municipality has set aside R70 million to fill some of the critical vacancies affecting its operations. A report on the state of the municipality by former administrator Scelo Duma showed almost 48% of the positions in the municipality were vacant. However, Msunduzi mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla said the report had detailed matters, some of which were already dealt with. He added that the organogram was also being reviewed to determine the exact number of vacancies. Duma left the post in March, and Martin Sithole has been appointed as the new administrator. The report said there were some interventions being put in place to address the problem, and about 200 positions have been advertised. “It is common cause that the municipality has set aside R70m to fill critical vacancies,” said…

The Department of Employment and Labour said that there has been a delay in paying deserving beneficiaries of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) since the beginning of June following the re-introduction of internal control measures. The department said it had reintroduced the control measures in a bid to curb fraudulent claims. It said since the start of June it had seen a significant drop in daily payouts, from about R90 million to around R50m, due to the verification process it had started. “As the country grappled with haemorrhaging jobs in most industries during the level 5 and 4 lockdown periods, the fund loosened some of its internal control measures to enable beneficiaries already receiving UIF benefits easy access to their payments.” The department said UIF beneficiaries who receive benefits every…

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has expressed his sadness following the tragic deaths of seven people, including young children and an infant, in a fire in Umzumbe Local Municipality on the South Coast. While five deaths were initially reported as a result of Saturday’s house fire in KwaNhlalwane, the family of the victims confirmed yesterday that two others, a mother and her child, had died in hospital. In total, two women and five children including a 2-week old infant died due to injuries sustained in the fire. “The provincial government is disheartened by the incident and we extend condolences to the family and also to the community traumatised by the incident,” said Zikalala. Yesterday, family spokesperson Nhlanhla Mthembu said that on Saturday the family held a traditional ceremony and while the…

TWO people have been arrested after 39 victims were rescued from an alleged human trafficking ring in Mpumalanga. Police said the victims comprised seven women, nine children under the age of 5 and 23 men, all over the age of 18. According to police, they were rescued from a farm in Belfast during a multidisciplinary operation by members of Nelspruit Serious Organised Crime team and the Flying Squad, along with officials from the Departments of Labour and Home Affairs. “The modus operandi allegedly entailed the victims being brought into South Africa from Mozambique in a taxi. In Lydenburg, the farm owner’s son and one of the traffickers would meet the taxi driver and pay him. The victims would then be brought to the farm to be…

President Xi Jinping lit the way at last week’s BRICS gatherings FROM June 22 to 24, BRICS co-operation once again reached a “moment of glory”. The BRICS Business Forum, the 14th BRICS Summit and the High-level Dialogue on Global Development were held in succession. President Xi Jinping and President Cyril Ramaphosa attended and addressed the events together with leaders of other countries. Bearing in mind the well-being of mankind, President Xi has focused on BRICS and gone beyond it. He has answered the question of history and the question of the times as to where the world is heading. His remarks have opened a new stage for BRICS co-operation and injected new strength into the development and progress of mankind. First, we should safeguard fairness and justice and make concerted…

Several tiers of crowded stands in an improvised bullring collapsed during a bullfight in central Colombia on Sunday, leaving four people dead and hundreds injured – figures that could increase in the coming hours – as terrified spectators were trapped in the rubble. The tragedy took place in the town of El Espinal, 150km from Bogota. Footage of the collapse quickly went viral on social media. It showed dozens of people teasing and playing with a wounded bull during a popular event known as corraleja. Suddenly, three levels of stands gave way, trapping hundreds of men, women and children underneath. As people screamed, some jumped out of their seats and rushed to help, trying to heave wood and other debris aside. Hector Ortiz, 64, could not believe the scene. A…

A convicted rapist went on trial in France yesterday for the murder of a student he claims to have killed accidentally, but whom investigators believe was lured to her death. Sophie Le Tan vanished on her 20th birthday after failing to return from what was supposed to be a visit to a flat for rent outside Strasbourg on September 8, 2018. Her dismembered body was found by hikers in a forest in October 2019. Jean-Marc Reiser, now 61, who was convicted of rape in 2003, was arrested a week after she disappeared. After speaking to other students who responded to the property advert only to be stood up, investigators believe Reiser used it to lure women, waiting to see if they came alone. A search of his flat uncovered bloodstains…

Lakhimpur Kheri: A female tiger that has turned man-eater, mauled a 14-year-old boy to death in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh, India, officials said yesterday. The victim, Suraj Singh, had gone out to put cattle to graze on Sunday. His half-eaten body was later found in the forest area. Singh is the 20th victim of the tigress in the past two years. Forest officials said that three elephants have been deployed for combing the area and eight cages had been baited. Camera with sensors had also been put up. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve said the tigress had turned into a man-eater and orders were out to tranquilise the big cat. | IANS…

CAF president Patrice Motsepe has promised that the CAF Champions League final will soon return to its former format of being played over two legs (home and away). This comes amidst an outcry from last season’s Champions League final runners-up Al Ahly to have the venue of their final against Wydad Casablanca changed. The final was played in Morocco for consecutive years, which also gave Moroccan-based Wydad home advantage over the Egyptian giants. Motsepe also played down suggestions that his relationship with former Al Ahly and Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane is unhealthy, referring to Mosimane as his “favourite coach”. Mosimane and Motsepe are believed to not be on good terms since the latter departed Sundowns in order to take charge of Al Ahly in 2020. “We’re going to fix that,”…

Maritzburg United chairperson Farook Kadodia has conceded that his club have to sell star players if they are to remain alive and running. The Team of Choice have had to part ways with a number of talented players in recent seasons including Richard Ofori, Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Bandile Shandu. Shandu and Ofori have since gone on to become important players for Orlando Pirates, while Hlongwane now plays in the United States for Minnesota United. “Over the years, Maritzburg United have sold players to keep us alive in the league,” Kadodia said. “If we did not sell players, financially, we would be long out of this league. This particular year, we don’t have players that we’ve identified to sell. “You can understand that agents put pressure on clubs and they don’t…