Содержание выпуска: 2023-04-18 — Mercury

ALTRON group’s operations generated double digit turnover growth in the year to February 28, but headline earnings a share growth was expected to be slower due to once-off impairments. The share price slipped 4.89% to close at R8.75 on the JSE yesterday. The IT group said in an operational update yesterday – the results are expected to be released on May 15 – that the good results were achieved in spite of increasingly challenging trading conditions. Revenue was expected to be between 14% to 18% higher, while headline earnings per share was expected to be 8% to 28% higher at 81 cents to 96c per share. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) was expected to increase by 1 to 21% to between R1.21 billion and R1.45bn.…

FORMER President Jacob Zuma has filed a new application to arms deal trial Judge Nkosinathi Chili, asking for State advocate Billy Downer to be removed from the trial when the matter is heard in August. Zuma’s new application for Downer’s removal, is based primarily on the fact that the former president is seeking to privately prosecute Downer for breaching the National Prosecuting Authority Act for allegedly sanctioning the leaking of confidential medical information in 2021 to News24 journalist Karyn Maughan. His original basis for Downer’s removal was based on a special plea application. Previous trial Judge Piet Koen recused himself from the case in January because he had dealt with Zuma’s initial application for Downer’s removal and ruled against it. Downer yesterday told the court that they had received a…

Who leads in your extended or blended family? It may be the person who: Initiates meetings and facilitates conversations where there has been an ongoing conflict or a falling out. He or she is the peacemaker who understands some conflict may be necessary for long-term healing, and not the peacemaker who avoids conflict at all costs. Empowers family members to take a hard and loving stand against cruel or harsh treatment at the hands of another member of the family or even someone outside of it. Goes first. The one who is first in the family to travel or to go to university or to branch off into an area of interest or study that no one in the family has done before. Goes back and visits childhood places and…

My late cousin who lived in Marondera, Zimbabwe, used to say that on a good day they might have six hours of water and electricity. Otherwise, there were periods of three days when one or both necessities were not available. Since March 9, there have been seven occasions when water has not been available for anything: from three hours to over 20 hours in the Grosvenor section of the Bluff. But those experiences have been eclipsed by five days of no water since April 12, with still no certainty as at April 17 when flow will be re-established. So it seems our Zimbabwe experience is well under way. The situation is the result of decades of poor maintenance and the failure to upgrade and renew pipelines and equipment. The…

Now that fugitives Thabo Bester, a convicted murderer and rapist, and his accomplice, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, have been “returned” to South Africa as a result of a high-level delegation travelling to Tanzania to secure their deportation, some important questions have arisen. There were obviously substantial costs incurred by this sortie to Tanzania to ensure the “re-capture” of Bester and co in terms of the aircraft, accommodation, food and other expenses. While the portfolio committee’s inquiry into G4S, the company contracted by the government to secure the safety of prisons and prisoners, is on-going, and prima facie evidence clearly suggests that G4S was both negligent and criminally negligent in allowing the escape of a prisoner, will there be a civil suit instituted by government against G4S for the recovery of taxpayer…

Former SA Revenue Service (Sars) operational manager Bayanda Mehlala will be back in court again later this month on charges including contravening the Tax Administration Act. Hawks spokesperson Yolisa Mgolodela said the East London-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit of the Hawks arrested Mehlala, 38, on Friday. “It is alleged that in 2020, Mehlala, as the operational manager at Sars, registered two companies Zeechor (Pty) Ltd and Astral Commodities (Pty) Ltd. “He allegedly unlawfully and intentionally submitted false tax returns for both companies, with the intention to evade tax so as to obtain an undue VAT refund with the total prejudice of more than R2 million. “He is reported to have orchestrated the act with Siyanda Rixana, 38, who he allegedly made the director of the two companies. Rixana had…

WITH signs pointing towards the likelihood of imported cases of cholera leading to the local transmission of the bacteria through contaminated water supplies, calls have been made for heightened surveillance of Gauteng’s water supplies. Even though cholera is not endemic to South Africa, since February 5 there have been at least 10 confirmed cases of the illness and one death in the province reported by provincial health authorities. At the time, no other cases of cholera were reported in any other provinces. While the number of cases has yet to increase in the province, concerns have been raised about the safety of the province’s water supply in the light of the continued existence of the illness. The DA’s Jack Bloom said the provincial health and municipal authorities needed to heighten…

THE new head of the eThekwini metro police could be appointed by June 1, if the municipality sticks to its proposed deadlines. Two key posts in the City are vacant, the head of metro police and the position of deputy city manager (DCM) for Economic Development and Planning. The Mercury understands that the process to appoint the head of metro police is close to finalisation. Acting head of metro police Sbonelo Mchunu is among the front-runners for the post, which became vacant after the retirement of Steve Middleton in January. The post for Economic Development and Planning was previously held by Philip Sithole, whose contract expired last year. It is not clear whether he reapplied for the post. In a statement, the City said it hoped to appoint the…

The world has a huge waste problem. Globally, about 2 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste are generated annually. In 2017 alone, South Africa generated an estimated 55.6 million tonnes of general waste. Municipal solid waste contributed 23.1 million tonnes, and it is estimated that one third of municipal solid waste is made up of food waste. A 2021 study on food waste in South Africa by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, indicates that around 10 million tonnes of food waste are generated annually. This equates to one-third of the 31 million tonnes of food produced for worldwide human consumption annually. According to World Wide Fund for Nature data, about 90% of waste in South Africa is disposed of in landfill sites, and it is estimated that almost…

Sudan’s army chief yesterday branded the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a rebellious group and ordered it be dissolved, as the faction battled the army in deadly violence that derailed a shift to civilian rule and prompted US calls for a ceasefire. Both sides claimed they made gains yesterday in a violent, nationwide power struggle, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, an activist group, said has killed at least 97 civilians and 45 soldiers, with a total of 942 injured, since the fighting started at the weekend. The government has not published a toll in fighting that has spurred fears of a wider civil conflict. Bombardments and strikes from fighter jets rocked Khartoum yesterday, including near the military headquarters, and in Bahri just across the Nile River near another base,…

YANGON: Myanmar’s junta released 3 113 prisoners, including 98 foreigners, to mark the country’s traditional New Year yesterday, according to the military government It has jailed thousands of opponents and pro-democracy activists since it seized power in 2021 and brutally put down protests, drawing global condemnation. Ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate and figurehead of opposition to military rule, is serving 33 years in prison after a marathon of trials condemned as a sham. At least 17 460 people remain in detention and 3 240 have been killed by the junta, an activist group said. | Reuters…

PYONGYANG: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a ceremony to mark the completion of a building project in which 10 000 housing units were constructed in Pyongyang, state media said yesterday, describing the project to supply more homes as one of the top policy priorities. Kim attended the ceremony, which marked the completion of the first stage of the housing project in the Hwasong district of the capital. It comes a year after the North began the construction in February last year under a five-year project to build 50 000 new homes in Pyongyang by 2025, or 10 000 units each year. The project is being driven by Kim to improve people’s lives amid economic hardships. | IANS…

SpaceX yesterday postponed the first test flight of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, designed to send astronauts to the Moon and Mars and beyond. Lift-off of the gigantic rocket was called off just minutes ahead of the scheduled launch time because of a pressurisation issue in the booster stage, SpaceX said. SpaceX founder Elon Musk said a pressure valve appeared to be frozen, forcing a postponement of the launch which had been planned from Starbase, the SpaceX spaceport in Boca Chica, Texas. “Learned a lot today, now offloading propellant, retrying in a few days,” Musk tweeted. SpaceX said the launch would be delayed for at least 48 hours. The US space agency Nasa has picked the Starship spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the moon in late 2025 –…

Victor Osimhen and Mike Maignan will face off for a place in the Champions League semi-finals tonight when AC Milan travel south to Naples for the decisive second leg of the all-Italian quarter-final. Nigerian striking sensation Osimhen and France’s new first-choice goalkeeper Maignan arrived at two of Italy’s most storied clubs via Ligue 1 outfit Lille, where they played together for a season before both eventually made their way south of the Alps. Osimhen hadn’t played for Napoli since the last international break before making a substitute’s appearance in Saturday’s goalless draw with Verona which cut his team’s imposing Serie A lead to 14 points. The 24-year-old only played the final 17 minutes of that frustrating stalemate, but the match came alive once he was on the pitch. He caused…

THE “mishandling” of the tender for the provision of meals to millions of pupils across KwaZulu-Natal has led to many of them going hungry and schools being forced to close early as they were struggling to concentrate on empty stomachs. This is the view of teacher unions, that yesterday said since schools reopened after the Easter break, pupils had been going hungry. The crisis, unions claimed, stemmed from the decision of the KZN Department of Education to change suppliers for the school nutrition programme, and to appoint a single service provider for all of KZN, instead of having individual suppliers for different schools. Doctor Ngema, general secretary for the National Teachers Union (Natu), said they have been struggling to get answers from the department on what he labelled as a…

NOT quite a traditional German delicacy … cooked bats and almost a ton of unrefrigerated fish were seized by police who stopped a van that had come into Germany from Belgium, according to Associated Press. A vet from the local consumer protection office was called to the scene and he ordered the bats and the fish to be confiscated. Police arrested the driver. The big question is who in Germany eats cooked bats? Is there a hidden market? Goofy and Pluto Some posers: Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto is on all fours? They’re both dogs. Do illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup? How is it that we put a man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put…

Coming to a cinema near you is Africa’s version of Bonnie And Clyde, titled From Mangaung to Arusha. The brilliant, star-studded cast includes, well-known escape artist, Thabo Bester as Tom Motsepe and celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana as Martha Ntshani. An epic movie that will overwhelm movie-goers with its scope and grandeur. This blockbuster is based on a true story that continues to reverberate across the landmass of Africa. A mammoth epic, arguably an epic movie on a scale that has not been seen before and is unlikely ever to be seen again. Thirteen years in the making, this is a true story of deadly romance, gory murder and a Houdini escape strategy, incorporating corpses and deception. This truly stunning performance by two ruthless lovebirds is nothing short of a masterpiece.…

The national Health Department has appointed the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to conduct a due diligence check on the roll-out of solar energy to all health facilities across the country. “The proposed solar-energy programme is going to cover the roll-out of solar energy and battery storage as back-up supply to all the clinics, community heath centres, hospitals, emergency medical centres and the forensic laboratories. “The objective of the exercise by CSIR is to identify the required critical consumption for critical areas of each health facility so that the department can be able to compile a comprehensive business case that will assist the department in justifying for the required budget,” Health Minister Joe Phaahla said. Phaahla was responding to Freedom Front Plus MP Philip van Staden when he…

A CEREMONY will be held this week to seal the National Union of Metalworkers of SA’s (Numsa’s) acceptance of a 7% wage increase with employers in the bus sector. This follows a meeting at the National Bargaining Forum (NBF), which was set up by the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council. The one-year agreement will be implemented retrospectively from April 1 and expire on March 31 next year. The 7% increase across the board includes allowances and the minimum wage, while the outstanding issue of medical aid or medical insurance will be referred to a task team. The task team is expected to conclude its work by November this year in time for wage negotiations for the 2024/25 period. Numsa general-secretary Irvin Jim said the union had consulted…

The Asset Forfeiture Unit and Investigating Directorate (ID) has been granted a provisional restraint order for assets amounting to R165 million connected to accused facing charges related to a police accommodation tender scandal during the 2010 Fifa World Cup. ID spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said a provisional restraint order of R165m was granted against Durban businessman Thoshan Panday, his ex-wife Privisha Panday and former KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Mmamonnye Ngobeni and others –Colonel Navin Madhoe, Captain Ashwin Narainpershad, Arvenda Panday, Seevesh Maharaj Ishwarkumar, Kajal Ishwarkumar and Tasleem Rahiman. “The restraint order is directly linked to the criminal case first enrolled by the ID, S v Madhoe and eight others in the Durban Magistrate’s Court in October 2021, which has been transferred to the Durban High Court.” She said the restraint order was…

The West, not Russia, needs an off-ramp from this crisis of its making On February 24, 2022, Russia being left with no other option but to protect the people of Donbass from constant violence emanating from the Kyiv regime, which included not just threats but daily shelling and bombardments of civil residential areas, as well as tackling strategic security threats to Russia, had to launch the special military operation in Ukraine for the purpose of its denazification and demilitarisation. Russia came to stop the war against the people of Eastern Ukraine, launched by the Kyiv regime and inspired by the West through its financial, military and political support. We are a year into this conflict now. We would like to use this opportunity to explore the role of the…

For G7 diplomats meeting in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa, unity was the name of the game yesterday, with ministers lining up to insist there was no daylight between them on China policy. The two days of talks are taking place under the long shadow cast by controversial remarks from French President Emmanuel Macron, who last week suggested Europe should avoid “crises that aren’t ours”. Yesterday’s session focused on China and regional challenges, with Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi urging counterparts to “demonstrate to the world the G7’s strong determination” to defend the “international order based on the rule of law”. Host Japan has put regional challenges atop the agenda, and recent events including Chinese military drills around Taiwan and North Korean missile tests have sharpened that focus. As…

ROME: Almost 2 tons of cocaine with a market value of more than €400 million (R7.9 billion) were found floating at sea off eastern Sicily, in what Italy’s tax and customs police yesterday called a record seizure. The drugs were stored in about 70 waterproof packages, carefully sealed, held together by fishermen’s nets and equipped with a luminous signalling device, police said, which suggest the haul was dumped at sea by a cargo ship in order for it to be recovered later. According to police, Italy is a key transit route for the cocaine trade, and where Balkan criminal gangs were consolidating their positions. | Reuters…

PARIS: A wildfire destroyed nearly 1 000 hectares on the French-Spanish border on Sunday and yesterday, authorities said, as parts of southern Europe remain gripped by a drought. France’s first major wildfire this season was brought under control yesterday, the Interior Ministry said. The fire spread around French villages on the Mediterranean coast, fanned by strong winds. Fire crews had managed to prevent the fire from engulfing the villages. About 300 people were evacuated. The blaze later spread across the border into Spain, burning 500ha and prompting the evacuation of about 50 people. On the French side, a second fire later broke, burning about 10ha. | Reuters…

Berlin: Former chancellor Angela Merkel has received Germany’s highest honour despite facing continued criticism of her legacy since leaving office, especially over her policy towards Moscow. Merkel, who led Europe’s biggest economy from 2005 to 2021, received the special class Grand Cross from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier last night. The award has been bestowed only twice before, to former chancellors Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl. Although popular through most of her time in power, Merkel, 68, has seen her star fade since she retired in December 2021. The long-time leader has faced criticism of her policy towards Russian President Vladimir Putin and for leaving Germany dependent on Russian energy – a weakness laid bare by the war in Ukraine. Merkel has also been criticised for her decisions in 2011 to exit…

Under a fortnight ago, Chelsea owner Todd Boehly picked up the phone and called Blues great Frank Lampard to come back and try to steady the ship, with the team in shambles. In another world, it might have been Carlo Ancelotti on the line to the American. Instead, Ancelotti returns to the Stamford Bridge dug-out strictly as an opponent, representing Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final second leg clash tonight. It was Madrid president Florentino Perez who brought the Italian back for a second stint at the helm, after Zinedine Zidane walked away again in 2021. Ancelotti’s Real picked off Chelsea in the first game, carving out a 2-0 lead through Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio, and they could have added further goals as they controlled proceedings. At the…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law the Electoral Amendment Bill, which provides for independent candidates to stand for election in Parliament and provincial legislatures. The bill is a sequel to the judgment by the Constitutional Court, which found in June 2020, that the Electoral Act was unconstitutional by only allowing the election to Parliament and the legislatures through membership of political parties. The bill sets out provision for objections to independent candidates; requirement for the appointment of agents by independent candidates; and a revised formula for the allocation of seats and their reallocation in the event of vacated seats, among others. It also provides for the appointment of the electoral reform consultation panel by the minister of home affairs in consultation with Parliament, and the Electoral Commission of South…

Some achieve fame through greatness; others through evil. Nelson Mandela became the world’s most famous prisoner for standing up against the evil of apartheid. Thabo Bester, on the other hand, has become a household name in South Africa, not so much for murder and rape which are common in the country, but for his sensational escape from prison. Day after day, week after week, he continues to grip the public’s imagination and dominate headlines across the country. With only a Grade 5 education and virtually abandoned by his mother and allowed to fend for himself from an early age, Bester showed that his poor education was no barrier to a successful life in crime. It’s just sad that he couldn’t put his brilliant mind to better use. Prisoners all over…

KWAZULU-NATAL is largely a rural province, with the majority of our schools in far-flung areas still without proper access to water and sanitation. Many years of ANC rule has also seen access to this basic human right move at a snail’s pace. And, as always, it is our learners who suffer the most. In 2021, KZN’s former education MEC, Kwazi Mshengu, stood on the podium – at the seat of government in our province – and promised that his ANC government would eradicate all pit latrines in the 1 377 schools identified – by the end of 2022. Two recent horrific incidents, one in the Eastern Cape and the other in Gauteng, saw children drown in these abominable structures. In KZN, I visited a school in the Harry Gwala…

Police Minister Bheki Cele has made an about-turn on filing an application to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to fight a high court order directing the SAPS to pay the legal fees of a former apartheid-era police officer on trial for the killing of the Cosas 4. In January, the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg issued an order dismissing Cele’s application for leave to appeal last May’s judgment directing the police to pay the legal fees of Christiaan Siebert Rorich, one of the accused in the Cosas 4 matter. At the time, State attorney Kobus Meier, representing Cele, said that he had instructions from him to petition the SCA and if necessary the Constitutional Court on the matter. However, the instructions have changed and Meier has since informed…

Ezemvelo says co-governance arrangements entered into with communities that sought to reclaim land occupied by the entity are going well, and have ensured proper functioning of the many game reserves across KwaZulu-Natal. The government entity recently told the KZN legislature’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) that some of KZN’s prime nature reserves were subject to ongoing land claims by individuals and communities that either sought the return of their land or some form of financial compensation. According to Ezemvelo, the land claims targeted: Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP), Ithala game reserve, Ndumo game reserve, Tembe Elephant Park, Vergelegen nature reserve, Weenen nature reserve and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg World Heritage Site. Scopa members in the KZN Legislature had been concerned about the impact of the land claims on the future sustainability of…

The son of a businessman was released three days after he was kidnapped from his father’s business premises in Krans- kop, near Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal, by a gunman on Friday, after successful hostage negotiations. KZN provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said Kranskop police were investigating a case of kidnapping. “It is alleged that a 28-year-old was at a business premises when he was allegedly kidnapped by an unknown man who was carrying a gun,” said Ngcobo. Police said the man was reunited with his family on Sunday. Magma Security and Investigations said it, along with police and other private security had been involved in the hostage negotiations, which led to the man’s release. Detailing the incident, Magma owner Shaheen Suleiman, said on Friday at 8.10am they received a report of…

ANC MP Sibusiso Kula, accused of killing his wife, appeared in the Orkney Magistrate’s Court yesterday with his attorney lodging an application opposing further postponement of the matter. However, the application could not be heard as recording devices at the court had technical glitches which led to the matter being postponed. Kula, 34, is out on R50 000 bail after it was granted on appeal at the High Court in the North West. Kula had approached the high court after the Orkney Magistrate’s Court denied him bail. He has been charged with the murder of his wife, Jennifer Motlhomi. She was found stabbed to death at the couple’s home on November 27, 2022, in what seemed like a robbery. She was found with a stab wound in her back, but…

IF South Africa was a country that held politicians accountable for their actions, Ronald Lamola, the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, and Police Minister Bheki Cele would have been sacked for their poor handling of the Thabo Bester escape saga. Since the story emerged of Bester’s dramatic prison break from Mangaung Prison, which is a privately managed correctional facility in Bloemfontein, embarrassing details have emerged about the government’s handling of the escape. The story of how Bester and his girlfriend, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, allegedly planned and orchestrated his escape from one of the country’s most secure prisons has left the government with egg on its face. As a result of this unfortunate saga, the country has been portrayed locally and abroad as lacking in the rule of law, with…

The BRITISH parliament’s commissioner for standards opened an investigation into Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this month, according to a list of open inquiries yesterday. The matter under investigation was a “declaration of interest”. The inquiry began on April 13. A spokesperson for Sunak said the investigation was linked to his wife’s shareholding in a childcare firm. The Liberal Democrats, an opposition party, called for an investigation after media reports said Akshata Murthy was a shareholder in a company that would benefit from a government policy on funding for child care. Under a code of conduct, all MPs are required “to provide information about any financial interest which might reasonably be thought by others to influence a member’s actions”. If the investigation finds Sunak has broken the code, a commissioner…

Nairobi: A police officer accused of murdering two teenagers in 2017 pleaded not guilty to the charges yesterday, in a case that raised questions about extrajudicial killings in Kenya after video footage of the shootings went viral. Ahmed Rashid was filmed shooting the two young men as they lay on the ground on a busy street in the capital, Nairobi. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority watchdog recommended murder charges last year. Rashid was arrested and released on bail of 200 000 Kenyan shillings (R27 466) yesterday. Kenyan police are often accused by rights groups of using excessive force and carrying out unlawful killings. | AFP…

Russia yesterday sentenced Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza to 25 years in a “strict regime” penal colony on treason and other charges for criticising the Ukraine offensive. International leaders and supporters immediately condemned the verdict, the longest against an opposition figure in recent years, and called for his release. A Moscow court found the 41-year-old guilty of treason, of spreading “false” information about the Russian army and of links to an “undesirable organisation” after a closed-door trial. Kara-Murza appeared in a cage for defendants. He smiled and gestured to his supporters to write to him in prison. “A quarter of a century is an ‘A+’ for your courage, consistency and honesty in your year-long work. I am infinitely proud of you, my love, and I’m always by your side,” his wife…