Table of contents for 2023-02-02 in Mercury

The Auditor-General’s (AG’s) office has made a series of findings about the administration of the Msunduzi Municipality, including that there are poor financial management practices, an inability to implement debt control policy and poor collection mechanisms. The AG’s revelations led to the municipality receiving a qualified audit opinion. A qualified opinion means the financial statements contain material misstatements or omissions. The AG’s office also noted the city’s declining reserves. Just as with eThekwini Municipality, Msunduzi has been warned of massive losses in water and electricity, and the overall impact this has on the city’s financial standing. Reflecting on the significant losses of electricity and water, the AG’s office noted that a significant number of prepaid electricity consumers had not purchased electricity in the current year. “Management didn’t perform compulsory audits,…

HEY, happy days are here again. We’ve beaten the Poms in the T20 cricket series. Temba Bavuma is back on song. And the Sharks showed themselves to be rugby world-beaters in their scintillating performance against Edinburgh in Bonnie Scotland. ’Twas uplifting, heart-warming, something we’ve been waiting for for a long time. This match was a kind of benchmark. Against truly formidable opponents, the Sharks showed a cohesion, an almost impenetrable defence and a commitment to an attacking game plan that seldom faltered. That interception try – a lengthy sprint by scrumhalf Grant Williams – was fairy-tale stuff. That gutsy defence in the closing minutes, defending a slender lead, was simply heroic. Yes, the Sharks have clicked. They are a cohesive and highly mobile unit. They are on the crest of…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s smile as he inks the deal with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen making South Africa the first country in the world to accept transitioning to what is called “Just Energy,” is misplaced (Business Report, January 27). Committing South Africa to net-zero carbon emissions reduction by 2050 is pie in the sky for several reasons. First of all, it is based on the falsehood that fossil fuels cause global warming. There is no scientific evidence of that because temperatures have been constant for more than 60 years. In any case, two warmer periods occurred in the past 2 000 years when fossil fuels were unknown. The second reason Godongwana should not be smiling is because coal-rich South Africa provides 92 000 jobs directly in coal mining…

The DA in eThekwini welcomes the findings of the auditor-general’s (AG) report exposing the eThekwini Municipality’s continued flouting of supply chain management processes and irregular expenditure. Since 2018, the metro has continued to rack up billions in unauthorised spending. In the fiscal year 2021-2022, the ANC-led municipality racked up a bill of R1.5 billion in irregular expenditure, a significant rise over the preceding three years. The AG also disclosed that the city has not recovered any of the money improperly spent and has no inten tions to do so. The irregular expenditure closing balance also indicated R554 million was written off, with over R3bn remaining unaccounted for. The DA has long claimed that the city lacks consequence management, which the AG has also stated. In addition, the city has only…

Data collected by the Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) immigration officers at ports of entry shows tourists are flooding back to South Africa and locals are travelling more. In December last year, more than 2.8 million travellers (arrivals, departures and transits) passed through the country’s ports of entry. These were made up of 965 599 South African residents and 1.9 million foreign travellers. Foreign traveller arrivals increased by 179.8% from 347 188 in December 2021 to 971 425 in December 2022. Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) which compiled the DHA data for December 2022, said a comparison between the movement in December 2021 and December 2022 showed the volume of arrivals, departures and travellers in transit increased for both South African residents and foreign travellers. Stats SA said 190…

WITH research showing that children who are read to, and who read, perform better at school, national reading-for-enjoyment campaign, Nal’ibali, has set out to read aloud to 3 million children – with the help of all South Africans. Yesterday marked World Read Aloud Day (WRAD), with Nal’ibali once again calling on everyone to join them in reading aloud to children. It said for some, it would be the first, important step to habitual reading while for others, it would be a continuation of their reading journey. “For WRAD 2023, Nal’ibali aims to reach their goal of reading aloud to three million children. “Young children who are read to in languages they understand, perform better in school, develop better memories, stronger vocabularies and comprehension skills. “This year’s story, Every day’s a…

THE R1 billion proposed three-year sponsorship deal between SA Tourism and English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur has been characterised as a good initiative being implemented at the wrong time. According to reports, Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu was attempting to get the deal approved before an imminent Cabinet reshuffle. However, her spokesperson, Steve Motale, flatly denied the claims and insisted that the minister was in no way involved in the deal. “Sadly, the Daily Maverick report is riddled with inaccuracies and untruths aimed at tarnishing Minister Sisulu’s image. There is no doubt the report seeks to drive a political agenda rather than inform the public truthfully. “The reporter falsely claims that Minister Sisulu is forcing SA Tourism to push the deal through before she is moved from the tourism portfolio.…

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has outlined plans by the provincial government to convert non-viable schools with dwindling enrolment numbers into vocational skills centres. Dube-Ncube was speaking during school monitoring visits in Umbumbulu, south of Durban. Yesterday, the provincial government said the viability of schools with dwindling enrolment numbers had come into sharp focus during the visit. “We are in discussions with the Department of Education. Our view is that some of the schools that have good infrastructure but are unused or have been closed because of dwindling enrolment numbers must be converted into Vocational Skills Centres to address the shortage of technical skills,” said Dube-Ncube. The premier said skills training were required in the field of artisans, plumbers, electricians, construction and carpentry, among others. This would equip the youth in…

The daily load shedding impact on our small business has caused instability and disruption to our productivity and operations. Our company, Ntsikie Real Estate, is a 100% black, female-owned real estate agency, whose core business is selling and leasing out properties in Gauteng. I started this business after being in the property industry in Cape Town for some time. I realised that I needed to grow. I returned to Gauteng, armed with a love for the property industry ,and started my own business because there are too few black owners in this sector. I also wanted young people to become players in real estate. We mentor and train interns from intern agents to full status and, finally, to principalship. This is important because they will become players in the industry,…

Myanmar’s junta extended the country’s state of emergency by another six months, the acting president said at a leadership meeting yesterday, as people marked the anniversary of a 2021 military coup with a “silent protest”. Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing, in a meeting this week with the army-backed National Defence and Security Council (NDSC), also said elections must be held “as the people desire”. “Although according to the section 425 of the constitution, (a state of emergency) can only be granted two times, the current situation is under unusual circumstances and it is suitable to extend it one more time for six months,” Acting President Myint Swe said. The Southeast Asian country’s top generals led a putsch in February 2021 after five years of tense power-sharing under a quasi-civilian…

THERE will be no job losses in the water and sanitation sector despite a country- wide reconfiguration of the role and functions of water boards. This was the commitment made by the Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu. He made the initial announcement before a virtual water and sanitation portfolio committee meeting, held on Tuesday, to respond to the resolutions of the National Assembly on several issues in the water and sanitation value chain. He said the reconfiguration of water boards was meant to give adequate support to the under-capacitated Water Services Authorities to meet the ever- increasing demand for services by communities, and ensure adequate capacity with quality and skilled engineers. Mchunu said the reconfiguration would address transformation challenges, increase water access to unserviced areas, enhance market capitalisation…

Surround yourself with healthy people by being as healthy as possible yourself. Here are signs you are with healthy people: They don’t get sucked in or sidetracked by other people’s issues. They know the limits of their skills and talents and they don’t volunteer or get involved with things just to appear nice. They build friendships slowly. When you are with them you always have more choices than you thought possible and you always feel a greater sense of freedom. They are ambitious and have goals and sacrifice as necessary to achieve their goals. They are close to their families but not trapped by the closeness. They honour their parents, but, as adults, they know they are not expected to obey their parents. They are kind to people who appear…

Once again some questions need to be asked: Why did the city’s billing sys tem (revenue management system, or RMS) that was originally meant to cost R150 million suddenly cost R1 billion? How come a system that was implemented in 2016 is now suddenly found deficient? Why can the system not be upgraded to fit in with current requirements (at no extra cost)? Who was responsible for developing the system? Every time we hear of something being developed, the costs escalate. Why is this? Surely one has a fixed price when one puts through the tender and it is up to the supplier to make sure that it is done accordingly, at the quoted price. Why are there no penalty clauses in the contracts regarding costing and timing? Why…

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), which has taken the blame for NSFAS-funded students who owe fees, has urged universities not to evict students from their accommodation. NSFAS chief executive Andile Nongogo said just as all NSFAS-funded students must be allowed to register for the 2023 academic year without paying their registration fees upfront, the same had to apply to accommodation. “NSFAS-funded students perhaps have outstanding debt because of the closed out project. We will engage with institutions as we have been engaging and agreed that such students should be allowed to have access to accommodation and other things because in essence NSFAS has indicated that it is the one that owes the fees to the institutions and not the students,” he said. Nongogo was speaking at a…

An ANC member of Parliament, Sibusiso Kula, has been denied bail at Orkney Magistrate’s Court after he was charged with murdering his wife. Kula’s case was postponed to February 24 for further investigation, according to the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) North West spokesperson, Henry Mamothame. Mamothame said the NPA welcomed this decision and hoped investigations would be completed quickly for the trial to be set down. “Further to this, an application will be made at a later stage with the Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West for the matter to be transferred to a higher court, owing to its serious nature,” said Mamothame. He said police reports reveal that Kula’s wife was found murdered on November 27 last year in what appeared to be a robbery. “She was…

Health experts are warning of a “diagnostics apartheid” in the global distribution of tests for Covid-19 and mpox (previously known as monkey- pox), with access for developing countries impeded by high prices, an over-reliance on slower PCR tests, and burdensome intellectual property rules on test components. According to the People’s Vaccine Alliance and Matahari Global Solutions, a report commissioned by them and written by health experts from Matahari Global Solutions focuses on mpox and Covid-19 as examples of the inequality in access to tests in developing countries. “It comes as the World Health Organization considers a resolution proposing a range of measures to improve access to diagnostic tests for all diseases,” read a People’s Vaccine Alliance (PVA) statement. The PVA said the authors called for governments and international institutions to…

NO TICKET, no claim. This was the verdict of the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in a damages claim brought by a train commuter against Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) after he was pushed off a moving train and injured himself. Mamelodi resident Gabriel Bhiya instituted a damages claim against the rail agency as he argued it had a duty towards him to ensure his safety while he was a paying commuter travelling on its trains. Bhiya testified that he was a regular commuter on a morning train from his home in Mamelodi East to Midstream, Centurion, where he was employed. He said that in October 2016, he was in possession of a ticket when he boarded the train at the station at Mamelodi on his way to work.…

Pope Francis said it was “tragic” that Africa still suffered from various forms of exploitation. “Get your hands off the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), get your hands off Africa! Stop choking Africa: it is not a mine to be exploited or a land to be devalued. Let Africa be the protagonist of its own destiny,” he continued, adding that the DRC and Africa deserved to be “respected and listened to”, become more valued internationally, and “have more weight and representation among nations”. He made the comments yesterday during his visit to the DRC where the celebration of the Holy Mass took place at Ndola Airport. On the first full day of his trip, his third to sub-Saharan Africa as pope, Francis presided at the open air Mass for a…

MOSCOW: Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny said yesterday he had been moved to a harsher “cell-type” regime of solitary confinement for the next six months where he would be denied visits. “I haven’t had any visits for eight months and yesterday I was told that I’d be transferred to a cell-type facility for the maximum possible term of six months,” Navalny, 46, said via a Twitter feed maintained by his associates. “No visits are allowed there. This means more than a year without a visit,” he said. | Reuters…

ANOTHER fuel increase of 28 cents in both grades of petrol, that came into effect yesterday, might appear marginal, but data from the AA shows the sharp rise in the price of fuel since February last year. Diesel 0.05% Sulphur has gone up by nine cents, while diesel 0.005% Sulphur decreased by a marginal 0.84 cents. Information from the AA’s website indicates that the coastal price of petrol unleaded 93 per litre now stands at R20.73 while at the same time in February 2022, it was R19.37. For petrol unleaded 95, with the latest fuel increase the coastal price is now R21.03 compared with R19.42 in February 2022. A calculation shows that to fill a 55-litre 4x4 petrol vehicle would now cost a consumer at the coast R1 156.65 for…

The NFP leadership says its political rival, the IFP, will emerge as the biggest loser from the current developments taking place at local government level in KwaZulu-Natal. This was in reference to the EFF decision to end its coalition governance arrangement with the IFP, which will affect a number of municipalities in the province. At a media briefing in Durban yesterday, the NFP’s Canaan Mdletshe announced that the party was throwing its support behind the expected ANC/EFF coalition in KZN as it regarded the two organisations as being committed to serving people. However, the ANC and EFF have remained mum about any coalition arrangements between the two. According to the NFP, there was already evidence that when they worked with the ANC there was stability, citing eDumbe Municipality under Zululand…

Apartheid was an abominable system. It created an unjust society based solely on the colour of one’s skin. Then along came democracy, with much hope and euphoria. It toppled apartheid and promised an equal society for all to enjoy. But it turned out to be a grand illusion. The ANC tricksters had hoodwinked the masses. In return for their votes, they dished out empty promises to the hungry masses. The failure of democracy is pervasive. Everywhere you look you see the faces of disillusionment. On the streets, in the towns, workplaces, homes and the hovels, a forlorn look of disappointment and despair has gripped the country. Democracy under the ANC is a failure. Whatever good it created in the first few years of its rule has been all wiped out.…

A presentation by the Office of the Auditor-General (AG) to the eThekwini Municipality painted a bleak picture of poor management and confirmed that this council is on the verge of collapse. The Adec has repeatedly raised concerns about poor service delivery and declining standards in the city. The AG has exonerated those of us who have been critical of this leadership. Irregular expenditure exceeded R1.5 billion. The root cause of this is the fact that controls were not implemented and monitored to ensure appropriate procurement processes are adhered to. The AG also identified a lack of understanding of the supply chain management regulations, by senior staff, as well as ineffective consequence management procedures. Of particular concern to us is the fact that 56.2% of water bought by the municipality is…

As the global anti-corruption movement Transparency International’s (TI) 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) showed that South Africa had fared worse than before in the rankings, a political analyst said he feared corruption was in vogue. Political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast said: “Corruption has become fashionable in South Africa. “It is a phenomenon embedded in the state machinery and particularly at local government level as can be seen from the reports by the auditor-general every year.” However, Breakfast said there were signs all was not lost in the war against corruption. He pointed to the recent incident where the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit and the Special Investigating Unit had obtained a preservation order to freeze five properties worth millions of rand linked to the ongoing probe into fraud at…

A KwaZulu-Natal police constable has been sentenced by the Pietermaritzburg High Court to 30 years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to murdering his friend and his fiancé. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the police constable, Lindokuhle Sikhakhane, 27, was sentenced this week. Ramkisson-Kara said that in Sikhakhane’s plea, he said on January 6 this year he phoned his fiancée, Samkelisiwe Mtshali, who told him she was not feeling well and was travelling from Pietermaritzburg to her parent’s home in Nquthu. “He tried calling her several times thereafter, but she did not answer. He then went to his friend, Sandile Nene (a security guard), who owned a vehicle, asking him for a lift to Nquthu. They agreed that Sikhakhane would pay R3 000 for fuel, and…

THE Siyathuthuka Secondary School in Newtown A, Inanda, has seven teachers teaching more than 600 pupils. Makhosi Nxele, a school governing body member, confirmed that there were more than 600 pupils in the school, but it had just seven teachers. Nxele said the governing body had raised the matter several times with the department’s circuit office. “What bothers us is that some pupils spend the entire day learning just one subject, and that is not a good thing. We have cases where some classes have to be combined because teachers cannot teach all the classes as there is a shortage,” Nxele said. Nxele said the issue started early last year as they received an increase in enrolment compared with other years. She said they had had meetings with teachers, the…

Three suspects have been shot dead, while two were critically injured, during a high-speed chase and a shoot-out with several law-enforcement units. Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale, said the shoot-out in Johannesburg came after a tip-off was received about suspects who were allegedly involved in shopping mall robberies, courier robberies and other serious violent crimes. “The suspects had just committed a shopping mall robbery near Carnival City where they overpowered security guards. A lookout was given for a silver Volkswagen Touareg and a blue BMW. “The vehicle (VW Touareg) was picked up on the R21 highway northbound. An operational plan was executed to stop the suspects’ vehicle. The suspects tried to evade police and a chase ensued. The suspects opened fire on the officers who returned fire.” Mogale said the…

Institutional capacity and integrity are essential to good governance What happens when those responsible for managing universities cannot trust each other to act with integrity? In a nutshell, as I discuss in my new book, Corrupted: A study of chronic dysfunction in South African universities, dysfunction is the consequence. This is the situation playing out in some South African universities – sometimes with fatal results. In early January, a protection officer who was guarding Fort Hare University vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu was shot dead in an apparent assassination attempt. The shooting has been linked to ongoing investigations into corruption at the university. This appears to be just one example of how eroded trust has led to conflict among university managers that has spilled into the public domain. The principal conclusion…

Half a million workers went on strike in Britain yesterday, calling for higher wages in the largest such walkout in over a decade, closing schools and severely disrupting transport. As Europe battles a cost-of-living crisis, Britain’s umbrella labour organisation the Trades Union Congress called it the “biggest day of strike action since 2011”. The latest strikes come a day after more than 1.27 million took to the streets in France, increasing pressure on the French government over pension reform plans. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for pay rises to be “reasonable” and affordable”, warning that big pay rises would jeopardise attempts to tame inflation. But unions have accused millionaire Sunak of being out of touch with the challenges faced by ordinary working people struggling to make ends meet…