Содержание выпуска: 2023-05-16 — Mercury

LAST week was a time of celebrating history. Wednesday was the 150th anniversary of the first game of rugby in the province (and probably the first game of rugby in Africa). Saturday saw the 160th anniversary of Maritzburg College. The first game was between Hermannsburg School (founded in 1856) and Pietermaritzburg High School (now Maritzburg College), founded in 1863. The match was played on the old Market Square, spectators apparently roaring with laughter when the first scrum went down. Pietermaritzburg High School won by two goals (whatever that might have meant back in those days) to nil. The Pietermaritzburg High School team was captained by George McFarlane, later a mayor of the town and officer commanding the Natal Carbineers. The Hermannsburg team was captained by B Lindley. Last Wednesday, staff,…

As Durban hosted another international travel indaba, tourism stats continue to point to good governance still being the biggest contributor to tourism figures. While eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda may wax lyrical about Durban’s tourism growth, the figures simply don’t match up. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, visitors to the Western Cape last year numbered 885 000, with KwaZulu-Natal slotting in at 538 000. Not surprisingly, the same year was marred by catastrophic flood damage, which the City of Durban has not yet fully recovered from or repaired. The ongoing failure to fix the Golden Mile, sewage in the oceans and total neglect of most of our heritage and natural assets has cost the province dearly. Tourism foreign-direct spend comparisons should rip the rose-tinted glasses right off the mayor and…

The allegation made by US Ambassador Reuben E Brigety is quite a statement to make so publicly and, by making such a public statement, it seems to have a ring of truth to it. Ramaphosa, during the Q&A session in Parliament, mentioned that the government had undertaken to institute an independent inquiry to be led by a retired judge. Why this is needed is another mystery when he should have been aware of this saga from the outset in December. Do his ministers not keep him informed? This is now some five months later, does he not know what is going on in his own Cabinet? As pointed out by UDM leader Bantu Holomisa, there is no need to incur these extra costs; why not just ask his minister of…

Three Fidelity security officials have appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on a cash-in-transit heist charge. Mzwandile Choko, 60, Molefe Sidwell Molefe, 61, and Deon de Lange, 48, were arrested on May 10 by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team based in Bloemfontein after a cash-in-transit heist on May 9. Police said it was alleged that Fidelity’s armoured vehicle was en route from the company depot to the Bloemfontein CBD when armed men stopped the vehicle and used explosives to blow open the vault and the drop safe. The men fled with an undisclosed amount of money. Police said investigations led to the trio| Mercury Correspondent…

The ANC is to deploy a team of its national executive committee members to KwaZulu-Natal to help prepare for next year’s national elections while its national working committee (NWC) plans to return to the province soon to ensure governance challenges that it noted at its weekend-oversight visit are being addressed. President Cyril Ramaphosa and ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula both said there was no plan to disband the provincial executive committee, but conceded there were significant challenges in the province. Some ANC members called on the NWC to disband the provincial executive committee (PEC) and other structures in the wake of the near collapse of the National School Nutrition Programme contract, which affected 5 400 schools that feed 2 million pupils. The worrisome financial state of eThekwini Metro was also…

Two countries cannot afford to forget where they come from THIRTY years ago, in the early 1990s, Türkiye was shaken by an earthquake while South Africa was moving towards democracy. The country was undergoing a turbulent period, with threats from the military, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) onslaught, and the challenges of modernising the state. Meanwhile, anti-apartheid movements in South Africa were gaining momentum. Despite negotiations between the National Party and the ANC, violence persisted due to the right-wing militants’ resistance to change. Nelson Mandela and his inner circle’s leadership enabled South Africa to negotiate its way to the peaceful elections of April 27, 1994. In contrast, Türkiye’s political landscape was dark and constrictive under a military junta, leaving no time for Africa or Islam. However, the reformative ‘’Islamic…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on a visit to Britain yesterday won the promise of “hundreds” more missiles and drones – and said his coveted goal of enlisting Western fighter jets was drawing nearer. The visit came as a Russian missile strike killed four people and hit a hospital in eastern Ukraine, but also as Zelenskiy’s army readies a long-awaited counter-offensive against the Russian invaders with claimed gains around the flashpoint town of Bakhmut. After meeting UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Zelenskiy said he was “very positive” about creating a “jets coalition” in the war against Russia, with a decision expected “in the closest time”. Western nations have balked so far at providing advanced jets to help Ukraine take command of the skies against Russia, although Sunak said the UK was…

Malawi has started a mass vaccination drive to inoculate more than 9 million children against several life-threatening diseases, as it seeks to prevent a health crisis after deadly Cyclone Freddy. The cyclone killed more than 1 000 people in the southern African country, Malawi’s president said. It was one of the deadliest storms to hit Africa, ripping through Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar in late February and March. The one-week, nationwide vaccination drive will target children up to the age of 15 and deliver vaccines against typhoid fever, measles, rubella and polio, said partners including the World Health Organization, Unicef, and global vaccine alliance GAVI. Children will also be offered a vitamin A supplement, the agencies said. They said the typhoid vaccine would become routinely available for babies. Natural disasters and…

WASHINGTON: The US has imposed entry restrictions on more Nigerians for undermining the democratic process during the African nation’s 2023 election cycle, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday. “These individuals have been involved in intimidation of voters through threats and physical violence, and the manipulation of vote results,” he said. Nigeria’s election tribunal is this month set to hear opposition petitions challenging president-elect Bola Tinubu’s victory. He defeated Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who both want the tribunal to invalidate Tinubu’s victory, arguing the February vote was fraught with fraud. Tinubu, set to be sworn in on May 29, says he won fairly. | Reuters…

MOSCOW: Supporters of Pakistan’s ruling coalition staged a sit-in in front of the supreme court in Islamabad yesterday to protest against the release of former prime minister Imran Khan from custody. Khan, the leader of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was taken into custody on May 9 over a corruption case involving the Al-Qadir Trust, which he runs with his wife. Two days later, the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared Khan’s arrest illegal and ordered his immediate release. The protesters reached the capital’s Red Zone, where government buildings are located. Police arrested one person who stole cellphones from protesters. | Sputnik…

STAFF shortages and the impact it has on patients receiving care was observed at Prince Mshiyeni Hospital last week by members of the Health Portfolio Committee who were conducting oversight visits to health facilities in the province. Committee members from the provincial legislature who visited Prince Mshiyeni and RK Khan hospitals said it was disheartening to see frail and elderly patients waiting in long lines. “What we saw there was terrible and there is no way to hide it. The overflow of patients and testimony of those waiting is just not acceptable,” said committee chairperson Nomakiki Majola of what she saw at Prince Mshiyeni. She added that while the department was rolling out the e-filing system, there appeared to be not enough staff to capture patient information at the hospital…

For women in trying marriages and so-called impossible circumstances, which I’ve heard referred to as “the box”, the “prison” and terms much worse than those, nothing is gained by attempts at convincing a woman that there are ways out. Until and only if a woman sees it on her own, she will stay and try to fix that which might be impossible to fix. A few things I’ve heard over the years about why women remain in destructive and abusive set-ups: His parents are such good people and I don’t want to let them down. If I don’t stay, they will have to deal with him. He means well even when he’s angry and beats me. He had a very bad childhood. He always says he’s sorry afterwards, and…

It is with great pleasure that I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Dr Michael Sutcliffe on his esteemed recognition by the University of KwaZulu-Natal in the form of an honorary doctorate. This honour is a testament to his distinguished career of outstanding leadership and his exemplary contributions to the public service, particularly during his tenure as city manager of eThekwini Municipality. Dr Sutcliffe’s astute management skills have been widely recognised and admired, and his visionary leadership transformed eThekwini into one of the most successful municipalities in the country. Under his watch, the municipality delivered more houses than any other municipality in South Africa, and received numerous national and international accolades. Dr Sutcliffe is a true pioneer, not only in the field of municipal management, but in the larger realm…

The exhibition in Cape Town showcasing the present plight of the Palestinian people refers. This photo display attempts to remind the present generation of the “Nakba” (the catastrophe that befell an innocent people 75 years ago, when Zionists, assisted by the US and Britain, invaded the Palestinians’ country and started the process of removing them). The process continues daily. Outdated rockets and low-grade guns provide the only ammunition for the Palestinians to fight against the Israeli army, which is second to only the US. Both sides suffer casualties. The ratio is at least four Palestinian fatalities against, at the most, one Israeli soldier killed daily. So the Nakba continues. A close parallel method of operation is in full existence eastwards of Israel across the Indian Ocean, where a small band…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has been under immense pressure to make the government’s loyalties known in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, South Africa has always declared neutrality in the war. There was furore over claims made by US Ambassador Reuben E Brigety last week that South Africa provided arms to Russia. Brigety has since said he had met with International Relations and Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor to “correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks”. Ramaphosa has said an independent inquiry headed by a retired judge will be established to look into the claims. In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa unpacked South Africa’s independent foreign policy. “With the outbreak of the Russia- Ukraine conflict, however, there has been extraordinary pressure on the country to abandon its non-aligned position and take sides in what…

Six months after a Pretoria law firm launched a Constitutional Court challenge on behalf of six road accident victims to secure trial dates for their matters, they are still waiting to hear if their case will be entertained. Gert Nel, of the law firm, Gert Nel Incorporated, said despite filing the application on an urgent basis, the applicants were yet to hear from Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. Nel said in many cases claimants had been waiting for years and in some cases, they had died before their claims could be finalised. His constitutional challenge is directed at the validity of practice directives implemented by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, and what he deemed as poor administration by court staff, which he said effectively prevented victims from gaining access to court.…

THE KwaZulu-Natal provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, yesterday handed over more than 100 new vehicles to police stations and units in the province. The provincial police said in a statement that a total of 188 vehicles, including mobile Community Service Centres, tow trucks and motorbikes, were handed over to stations and units during a parade that was held at the Truro Hall Sports Ground in Northdale, Pietermaritzburg, yesterday. The police said the allocation of resources coincided with the provincial management’s strategy to intensify operations throughout the province, as well as crime intelligence-led targeted operations at identified hot-spot areas. “Mobile Community Service Centres will come as a relief to communities at rural stations that are responsible for a vast area where residents have to travel long distances to access police…

Africa is a continent of immeasurable wealth – her people and all the teeming life in the Earth, air, and sea. Minerals are not the index of Africa’s wealth as we are constantly and daily brainwashed and indoctrinated into accepting as a cardinal truth by Europhiliac and Eurocentric African regimes and ruling classes. This is not to demonise western Europe, but to underscore how adopting colonial and capitalist values has always worsened things for the earth, land, water, ecology, women, children, our youth, miners, workers, and indeed all life. It is out of greed for more and for conquest of other peoples’ lands that colonialism spread to the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, accompanied by slavery and mass genocide followed by predatory capitalism. Only a tiny number of wealthy…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday emerged from his toughest election test unbowed and in a strong position to extend two decades of his Islamic-rooted rule by another five years in a historic May 28 runoff. The 69-year-old leader defied pollsters and his country’s most dire economic crisis since the 1990s to come within a fraction of a percentage point of winning Sunday’s presidential ballot. His right-wing party also retained control of parliament through an alliance with ultra-nationalists on a drama-filled night that concluded with Erdogan delivering a victory speech from a balcony to jubilant supporters. He even won in regions hit by a calamitous February quake that claimed more than 50 000 lives – and where anger at the government’s slow response to Türkiye’s worst disaster of modern…

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron met billionaire businessman Elon Musk yesterday to discuss future investment projects, as the French leader hosts a conference aimed at persuading business leaders to put their money in France. Macron hosted the world’s second-richest man, who is the chief executive of electric car firm Tesla, social media company Twitter and cosmic exploration outfit SpaceX, six months after their last encounter in the US, his office said. They met at the Elysee Palace before heading to Versailles for the president’s Choose France conference where Macron seeks to drum up investment in the country. “We talked about the attractiveness of France and the significant progress in the electric vehicle and energy sectors,” Macron said. “We have so much to do together.” Macron confirmed the pair “also…

Belgrade: A girl who was wounded in an elementary school shooting in Serbia earlier this month died yesterday, state television said, becoming the tenth victim of the unprecedented massacre. On May 3, a 13-year-old allegedly brought his father’s gun to school and murdered eight of his fellow classmates and a security guard at an elementary school in downtown Belgrade. Seven people were wounded – six students and one teacher – including the girl, who was rushed to a Belgrade hospital and operated on by a team of brain surgeons, according to local media. Serbian ministry of health said the patient had sustained “severe head injuries”. | AFP…

BEIJING: Major Chinese cities have issued heat advisories, with Beijing expected to swelter in 36°C temperatures yesterday, as China braces for record-breaking heat that could threaten electricity supply, crops and a fragile economy. China has suffered from heat waves in several regions since March, burdening the power grid as millions switch on air conditioners. The heat waves and resultant crop damage could drive up food prices, exacerbate inflation and put pressure on water reserves. Last year, a two-month stretch of record-breaking temperatures caused major rivers and waterways to dry up, severely impacting the Yangtze River. | Reuters…

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku has entered the final month of the season in the “best possible way”, manager Simone Inzaghi said yesterday ahead of the return leg of their Champions League semi-final tie against rivals AC Milan. Lukaku, on loan at Inter from Chelsea, has struggled with injuries and form this season, but has scored three goals in his last three games. Asked if the Belgian had returned to the level he displayed during his first spell at Inter - during which he scored 64 goals in two seasons and won the Serie A title - Inzaghi told reporters: “You know him, you know what he can do. “That’s what we expected during the year, unfortunately something unforeseen happened to both him and (Marcelo) Brozovic that took away two…

ALTRON Group’s strong annuity and defensive earnings-base saw it raise its dividend 17% to 35 cents for the year to February 28, in spite of increasingly tough trading conditions. Results for continuing operations were impacted by non-cash provisions relating to the City of Tshwane exposure and for excess inventory from the Gauteng Broadband Network contract that was not renewed. Continuing revenue increased 19% to R9.5 billion, while earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortisation rose 2% to R1.2bn. Continuing adjusted headline earnings per share was up 19% to 89c. A final dividend of 19c was declared, “The company has a strong balance sheet and remains highly cash generative with low gearing ratios, providing flexibility to pursue its growth strategy,” CEO Werner Kapp said. He said in a statement…

THE Parks, Recreation and Culture (PRC) unit in the eThekwini Municipality has come under fire for failing to perform basic tasks, such as cutting grass. In addition, a report that came before the City’s community services unit said the city manager had directed that all grass-cutting functions that previously fell under the Roads Department be moved to the PRC unit. While this was agreed to, the roads unit had refused to give up the budget of R80 million and workers attached to the function, leading to an impasse. Residents in some areas have taken it upon themselves to pay contractors or set up community-based organisations to keep areas neat and tidy. DA councillor Nicole Bollman, who sits on the community services committee, said she was aware that the unit had…

Colonialism has been a favourite target for the majority of South African politicians, journalists and letter writers for decades, but recently it’s become fashionable to have a go at the Brits and their iconic monarchy, with much of the vitriol spewed out about their new king and queen seeming to stem from feelings of envy and jealousy. But the letter written in the May 11 edition by Thyagaraj Markandan takes the biscuit. In it he portrays Queen Camilla as a “mistress” and “marriage-breaker” who “had driven a wedge between Charles and Diana”. While Markandan had the grace to mention that Charles “never let go of his childhood sweetheart”, he described her as “the most hated woman in Britain”, completely overlooking the fact that the media once published numerous stories alleging…

A letter was published recently, which to my mind was a vituperative attack on the record of the English in Africa and India during “colonial times”. I do not hold any candle for the English, far from it. As a South African with a centuries old Irish heritage and close family living there, I am well aware of what the English did to the Irish in times past and deplore it. But times change and the so-called (by the English) terrorist organisation, the Sinn Fein, is now the most popularly supported political party in the Irish parliament in Dublin and also in the Belfast parliament of the “black counties” Ulster, or as the English call it Northern Ireland. However, I do subscribe to the words of the Irish philosopher of…

WORK is set to get under way to restore the Parliament buildings that were damaged in a fire last year. The national legislature was allocated R2 billion for the restoration programme of the Old and New Assembly buildings by the Finance Minister in his medium-term budget policy statement. A total of R118 million was also allocated for unforeseen and unavoidable expenditure. The Development Bank of Southern Africa has since been appointed as an implementing agent for the restoration work. National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and officials recently briefed the MPs on the restoration and precinct design project. Special project manager Simon Mashigo said Parliament engaged the Development Bank of Southern Africa as an implementing agent and a handover report from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure took place on…

LIVESTOCK farmers, meat producers and politicians are in an uproar over the shortage of strategic vaccines allegedly caused by ongoing challenges at the state-owned animal vaccine manufacturing company Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP). OBP’s mandate is to manufacture animal vaccines with the aim of preventing and controlling animal diseases that impact food security, human health and livelihoods. The South African livestock sector represents nearly 50% of the total value of agricultural production in the country. DA MP Noko Masipa said she had gathered more than 11 000 signatures in the past week in an online petition urging the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to ensure market availability of registered vaccine strains developed by OBP. OBP is the only institution in South Africa with registered animal vaccine strains to…

Two Correctional Services wardens have been arrested by the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) for allegedly engaging in “hook-ups” with inmates in return for privileges. This comes after the Department of Correctional Services said it was investigating claims that former fugitive and Facebook rapist Thabo Bester and his lover, Dr Nandipha Magudumana, were allowed conjugal visits. The arrests of the two, aged 53 and 45, stemmed from information received about wardens who were receiving money from inmates in January. Zinzi Hani of the Hawks said the alleged commission of the crimes happened in the period between March 2020 and 2021. “This then led to the matter being reported to the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation team for further probing,” she said. The two, a warrant officer and a sergeant, were…

KwaZulu-Natal police have launched a manhunt for a suspect in connection with the murder of a 42-year-old woman on Wally Hayward Drive in Ashburton outside Pietermaritz- burg on Saturday night. In a separate incident yesterday, a woman was shot several times by a man known to her in Westville. In Saturday’s incident, Mi7 National Group director Colin David said the woman was allegedly killed over a dispute with a man known to her. “At approximately 11.50pm, Mi7 National Group’s Control Room received a message on an Ashburton community group reporting gunshots from the vicinity of Wally Hayward Drive. Mi7 Reaction Officers were immediately dispatched, and found members of the community congregating around a vehicle.” He said reaction officers found the woman seated in the passenger seat of the parked vehicle.…

THE time has come for municipalities around the country to justify the steep tariff increases they impose on struggling ratepayers. All over the country, ratepayers are up in arms due to hefty tariff increases that have been proposed by various municipalities. These have been described by ratepayers’ associations as “unaffordable and unreasonable”, especially since most of the councils are battling with service delivery. In eThekwini Metro, for instance, ratepayers’ associations have joined forces to oppose these proposed tariff hikes. They have vowed to take the metro to court if the tariff increases are implemented, as they believe that they are placing an “unjustified burden on residents” of the city. Msunduzi Municipality in Pietermaritzburg is another council that has seen ratepayers pitted against it over unaffordable tariff hikes. EThekwini Metro, which…

One month since Sudan’s conflict erupted, its capital is a desolate war zone where terrorised families huddle at home as gun battles rage, while the western Darfur region has descended into deadly chaos. Khartoum residents have endured weeks of desperate shortages of food and basic supplies, power blackouts, communications outages and runaway inflation. The capital of 5 million, long a place of relative stability, has become a shell of its former self. Charred aircraft lie on the airport tarmac, foreign embassies are shuttered and hospitals, banks, shops and wheat silos have been ransacked by looters. Violence also renewed in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, leaving hundreds killed and the health system in “total collapse”, medics said. Fighting continued yesterday morning, with loud explosions heard across Khartoum and…

At least five people were killed, 13 injured and more than 1 000 buildings damaged when Cyclone Mocha pummelled western Myanmar yesterday. But refugee camps in south-east Bangladesh for Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar escaped the worst of the storm, although many bamboo huts were damaged, residents said. It was Myanmar’s strife-torn Rakhine State that bore the brunt of the storm, which unleashed winds of 210km/h that ripped roofs off homes and brought a storm surge that inundated the provincial capital of Sittwe on Sunday. More than 850 houses, 64 schools, 14 health facilities and seven communication towers in Myanmar were destroyed or damaged by the storm, one of the most powerful to hit the country in years. The UN humanitarian office said about 6 million people in the region were…

LONDON: King Charles is said to dislike the idea of living at Buckingham Palace. The 74-year-old monarch, crowned on May 6, has access to more than 30 privately owned residences, but reportedly favours smaller options than the iconic London residence. Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine, said: “Buckingham Palace is so huge and impersonal … It’s not his style.” Reports say he could can choose between Windsor Castle, Highgrove and Sandringham in England and is said to love Highgrove. | Bang Showbiz…

BANGKOK: Thailand’s two main opposition parties agreed yesterday to form a ruling coalition after they trounced in a weekend election military-backed rivals that have controlled government for nearly a decade. The Move Forward party and opposition heavyweight Pheu Thai dominated Sunday’s ballot in a rout of army-backed parties, but could face challenges in mustering enough support to vote in a prime minister, with parliamentary rules drafted by the military after a 2014 coup skewed in favour of its allies. Their alliance would need to ensure its efforts to form a new government would not be stymied by a junta-appointed Senate. | Reuters…

When the sun sets on Saturday, either Orlando Pirates or SuperSport United will end up as runners-up in the Premiership. This will by no means be a sweeter finish than finishing top, which has already been claimed by Mamelodi Sundowns for a record sixth season in a row. But be that as it may, both teams can be proud of the shift that they’ve put in this season as they have punched above their weight to consolidate a top-three finish. Pirates lost in the Caf Confederation Cup final last season after finishing third the previous campaign. The Confederation Cup is not a competition that Pirates will feel that they belong in – having become the first South Africa team to win the Caf Champions League in 1995. Enter Jose Riveiro.…