Содержание выпуска: 2023-09-01 — Mercury

THERE were scenes of despair and desperation in downtown Johannesburg yesterday after at least 74 people died and scores of residents were taken to health-care facilities for injuries and smoke inhalation caused by an inferno in a hijacked building. Joburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi said seven minors were among the dead, with the youngest being 18 months old. He said the cause of the fire was still unknown and that firefighters were alerted to the blaze in a 5-storey building on the corner of Delvers and Albert streets in Marshalltown after 1am. According to reports, the building belonged to a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that was abandoned and then hijacked by inner-city residents living there illegally. Mulaudzi said the fire had been extinguished at around 9am yesterday and…

NO RUGBY internationals tonight or over the weekend. The World Cup sides take a breather until next Friday’s opening match between hosts France and the All Blacks – which is certain to be a humdinger, accompanied by frenzy. So let’s turn our attention to the World Bog Snorkelling Championships. This annual competition is in the tiny town of Llanwrtyd Wells, in Wales, according to Associated Press. It sees competitors race to complete two lengths of a 55m water-filled trench cut through a peat bog. They can use flippers on their feet, but conventional swimming strokes are banned. Intrepid athletes donned snorkels and slithered through the slime last Sunday. Some contestants accessorised their snorkels, masks and flippers with more flamboyant touches – one carried a giant plastic toad on his head,…

The church has lost its godliness. It is no longer a sacred religious institution devoted to the worship of God. It has become a haven for the crooked and the wily – from imposters, swindlers, conmen to sexual predators. Many of its flamboyant leaders are rolling in money. They no longer lead simple, humble lives committed to the religious and social upliftment of their flock. They masquerade as men of God, but if you pull off the religious mantle, you will see they are the biggest humbugs who walk this earth. Through the ages, the church has been embroiled in numerous scandals, mostly of a sexual and immoral nature and using religion to amass a fortune. Many of its leaders see the church not as a sacred institution for the…

Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) implemented its Operation Bekela (move over)interim plan yesterday to recover land invaded by the Siyahlala shack dwellers in the Western Cape, in 2019. Prasa’s CEO, Hishaam Emeran, announced the plan on Wednesday while unveiling parts of the recovered Northern corridor on the Elsies River Line. He said Prasa would be implementing the plan to remove about 900 people whose structures were built on top of rail infrastructure within a week, before rail reconstruction efforts started. Emeran said the group had disclosed its plan to all involved parties and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday, saying that it was placing the timeline to complete the plan at between three and four weeks, and the complete recovery of the Central Line corridor…

WHEN the very people who ought to uphold the Constitution promote personal interest above the rights of others and perpetrate acts that violate it, the country is operating on extremely dangerous turf and places it and hard-earned freedoms at risk. This is according to the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, which ordered the minister of police, in his official capacity, to pay R30 000 in damages to each of the 11 claimants arrested for no reason following a peaceful picket outside a police station. The 11 were detained for two nights in holding cells before charges were dropped against them. Wandile Yani and his 10 co-claimants turned to the court for compensation following their ordeal. Each initially claimed R1 million in damages. In finding that the SAPS conduct was unlawful, Acting…

The IFP has called into question the KwaZulu-Natal government’s crime-fighting ability and asked how R100 million earmarked for anti-crime initiatives had been used. IFP Member of Provincial Legislature Blessed Gwala said while it had been months since KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube announced that each department would set aside R10 million towards a fund for crime-fighting, nothing concrete had been heard on the initiative since the State of the Province Address. “It is perplexing that people in KwaZulu-Natal are being robbed and even killed by ruthless criminals, yet the ANC-led provincial government has received a combined R100 million in contributions from various departments and provincial entities towards the fight against crime,” said Gwala. This was in reaction to the measures announced by Dube-Ncube on Wednesday, which were said to…

I hope this piece is not going to open healed wounds, but instead do what is intended to do, and that is the remembrance and commemoration of a youth who died on a good mission in South Africa. Amy Elizabeth Biehl came to study in South Africa as an exchange student. In a way, that was the beginning or birthing of a new country that many South Africans fail to make a reality. This was not only proved by her coming to the country, but by her attitude. The Bible says the reward for sin is death. But in Amy’s case the reward of righteousness was death. Thanks to her parents, who instead of being bitter with hatred responded the other way. They met the youths responsible for her death…

ABOUT 220 Israeli youngsters have announced their rejection of the mandatory military draft in protest against the government’s judicial overhaul plan, further raising concerns over the plan’s potential impact on the country’s military preparedness. The group, known as Youths Against Dictatorship, said this week that about 220 high school students have decided to reject the mandatory conscription due to the legal overhaul, which has sparked mass demonstrations across the country for 34 consecutive weeks. In July, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition passed a contentious law that revoked the Supreme Court’s authority to overturn government decisions. As a response, thousands of reservists have opted not to report to their military units. The recent letter from the teenagers highlights a worrying progression of the refusal, from reservists to regular soldiers. There…

MOSCOW: A video of Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin purports to show him in Africa only days before his death. “For those who are discussing whether I’m alive or not, how I’m doing – right now it’s the weekend, second half of August 2023, I’m in Africa,” Prigozhin says in the video published by the Grey Zone Telegram channel which is linked to his Wagner Group. “So for people who like to discuss wiping me out… everything’s okay,” he said. His “weekend” reference implied the latest clip must have been made on August 19 or 20, days before he and other top Wagner figures were killed in a plane crash north of Moscow on August 23. | Reuters…

BANGKOK: Thailand’s former premier Thaksin Shinawatra has submitted a request for a royal pardon, outgoing Justice Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said yesterday, his latest move in a long-running power struggle with the country’s establishment. Thaksin made a dramatic homecoming last week after 15 years abroad where he lived in self-exile to avoid prison. He arrived on a private jet and was moved to a prison to serve an eight-year sentence for abuse of power and conflicts of interest from his time in power. Hours later, Srettha Thavisin of the Shinawatra-backed Pheu Thai party won a parliamentary vote to become prime minister. | Reuters…

Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi said that the amended Employment Equity Act would provide more representation in senior management in companies of 50 or more people in the next five years for previously disadvantaged race groups, which includes those from black, Indian and coloured communities. Nxesi was speaking during an engagement related to the act in Chatsworth, yesterday. Nxesi said the DA had presented a false narrative that the act would promote racial discrimination and cause some people to be removed from their positions. The DA said it would go to court to seek a declaration that various sections of the Employment Equity Amendment Act were unconstitutional and invalid. Nxesi said transformation in workplaces was moving at a snail’s pace. “The Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) showed that…

In the recent article titled “Let’s deal with GBV decisively”, published by The Mercury on August 24, Honourable Mmabatho Tembe, a Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, presented assertions that egregiously distort and misrepresent the factual efforts undertaken by the Department of Social Development to combat gender-based violence (GBV). It is gravely concerning to observe how the Honourable Tembe manipulates semantics in her critique of the statements made by MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza. These statements were in response to a heart-wrenching incident involving the murder of a pregnant woman by her police officer boyfriend. Rather than empathising with MEC Khoza’s expression of shock and sorrow in the face of such an appalling crime, Honourable Tembe chooses to deride it. Yet, the MEC’s reaction is a poignant representation of the very outrage that…

University of Fort Hare (UFH) vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu and management have been accused of conducting illegal cyber- surveillance and investigations against council members. This was heard in Parliament on Wednesday where the National Assembly committee on higher education was briefed by universities on their state of governance and administration related matters. According to Buhlungu, in response to safety issues, about 18 staff members, not all of them senior or executive staff members, were part of a special protection programme. “The university works closely with the State Security Agency and Crime Intelligence. A process is under way to establish a Community Policing Forum at both the Alice and East-London campuses. A R32 million DHET-funded project is under way to install an Integrated Electronic Security System across three campuses, including CCTV…

AFTER their unveiling last week, the highly anticipated Honor 90 5G and HONOR 90 5G Lite are now available in South Africa, according to the top tech brand Honour. The Honor N Series smartphone introduces cutting-edge technology and features that completely alter the smartphone experience for customers. Both the Honour 90 5G and the Honour 90 Lite 5G are available in Cyan Lake and Titanium Silver, and both are designed with fashion-conscious users in mind. The Honour 90 5G is offered in two colour options: diamond silver and midnight black. An impressive camera that significantly enhances your photography skills With the Honor 90 5G and its outstanding selection of cutting-edge capabilities, users will enjoy photography like never before. With a 1/1.4-inch sensor, the ground-breaking 200MP main camera at the heart…

Two wins in five days, two clean sheets and a rich harvest of five goals points to a dramatic upturn in form for Kaizer Chiefs, who suffered two defeats in their opening three Premiership matches this season. On Wednesday night, Chiefs defeated 10-man Stellenbosch FC 2-0 after brushing AmaZulu aside last Sunday with a 3-0 triumph. These back-to-back victories marked Chiefs’ first Premiership wins this season, and also marked Molefi Ntseki’s first Premiership successes as a coach in the top-flight league. In both matches, the losing sides enjoyed the greater share of possession and enjoyed more shots at goal. It does not suggest convincing performances, and Stellenbosch coach Steve Barker did not hesitate to say that even when his side were reduced to 10 players, they were better than Chiefs.…

The European rights court said yesterday that it would hear an appeal by sex workers against a French anti-prostitution law they say has shattered their livelihoods and driven them underground. Sex workers technically operate legally in France, but the country in 2016 moved against their clients by outlawing the purchase of sexual acts in the hope of curbing the sex trade. Arguing that their livelihood is unjustly threatened by the law, 260 sex workers backed by several groups filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2019, after exhausting all legal recourse in France. Sex workers and their associations regularly protest against the anti-prostitution law with action days and street marches. The court’s agreement to hear the case is in itself a victory, as it usually…

ATHENS: Greece’s prime minister said yesterday that the country would use drones and install temperature sensors in forests to improve preventive firefighting after criticism from climate activists over a devastating wildfire burning for almost two weeks. A wildfire in the north-eastern region of Evros, Europe’s deadliest blaze this summer, continued to burn for the 13th day yesterday after killing at least 20 people, destroying homes and scorching lush forests. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the authorities had initiated steps to acquire more than 100 drones. There were also plans to install the sensors at archaeological sites. | Reuters…

African leaders were working on a response yesterday to officers in Gabon who ousted President Ali Bongo and installed a general as head of state, the latest in a wave of coups in West and Central Africa that regional powers have failed to reverse. The takeover ends the Bongo family dynasty’s almost six decades in power and creates a new conundrum for a region that has struggled to deal with eight coups since 2020. Central Africa’s political bloc, the Economic Community of Central African States, condemned the coup in a statement, saying it planned an “imminent” meeting of heads of state to determine how to respond. It did not give a date. The AU’s Peace and Security Council was to meet yesterday to discuss the coup, a spokesperson for the…

The Proteas Women begin a new era under the leadership of Laura Wolvaardt when they take on Pakistan in a historic first-ever T20 International at the National Stadium in Karachi today (4.30pm start). The South Africans have never played in Pakistan, with only Wolvaardt and former captain Sune Luus, having played in a couple of exhibition matches earlier this year. Although Wolvaardt has only been appointed on an interim basis for the Pakistan tour and the subsequent home series against New Zealand, the stylish right-handed batter possesses all the qualities to usher in a new generation of Proteas cricketers. The 24-year-old has earned the respect of both her senior and junior teammates through not only her world-class performances on the field, but also her work ethic at practice. Wolvaardt is…

THE weather has not been playing the game, but the fishing has still been on top form. From the bass to the billfish, there is something for everyone to catch. Billfish and dorado are two of the most prized offshore targets along the KZN coast. Dorado are easier to target most of the time, but the billfish can be targeted doing much the same. Trolling skirted lures along the deeper drop-offs and the colour lines is a great way to target both. Look at using medium to large skirted lures with a good smoke trail and or good movement. Colour is often a personal choice when it comes to lures but a combination of colours in your spread will quickly reveal the flavour of the day. Live baits are happily…

AS THE City of Joburg reels from a devastating building fire that claimed more than 70 lives, the eThekwini Municipality has been warned that some of the buildings in the city centre are being “misused” and are primed for a similar fate. City councillors and officials warned that buildings in the CBD, Umgeni Road and other areas are disasters waiting to happen. They say a major problem with these buildings is the illegal change of use to accommodation, with people packed in to increase rentals. An official who is aware of the City’s struggles in dealing with derelict buildings said a building in Umgeni Road and one in Alexander Road were disasters waiting to happen. “There are cubicles inside the building (being rented out to desperate tenants), and these are…

Are you married to a man or dating a man who could harm or kill you or someone you love? He demands his own way and has an inordinate perception of his own importance. He shows off his “power” by threatening to “talk to the manager” or “go to the top”. He becomes irrationally angry at the smallest inconvenience. He accuses you of “taking sides” if you suggest he is being unreasonable. He lives on the edge of “white hot” anger, becoming very angry with children, animals and anyone or anything that doesn’t obey him. He hides this anger from people outside the “inner circle” and his mood quickly changes if an “outsider” appears so that his anger is kept secret. He removes your car keys or your purse to…

Regrettably, John Wittstock errs twice in the “facts” he adduces on the US 2020 election – first by claiming them as facts and then by indicating they are the final word in rejecting electoral fraud (The Mercury, August 30). In the Dominion voting machine case, Professor Alex Halderman did acknowledge that the machines could be hacked to flip votes. The seriousness of his claim caused the Biden White House to urge Georgia judge Amy Totenburg not to release Halderman’s analysis of the machines as disclosure “could undermine election security” (Epoch Times, February 12, 2022). In another case involving electoral fraud, the Konnech software company of Michigan was found to have collected voting data, transmitted it to China where it was manipulated then returned to US voting stations. When the information…

MANY municipalities are not budgeting, transacting, and reporting directly in and from their core financial systems. Instead, they prepare their budgets and reports on an Excel spreadsheet and then import the Excel spreadsheets into the system, with this manipulation of data leading to unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful (UIFW) expenditure. This is according to the National Treasury’s local government revenue and expenditure report for the fourth quarter as well as the cumulative results of the 2022/23 financial year. This fourth quarter publication covers 257 municipalities on financial information and conditional grants information. The report was prepared by using figures from the Municipal Standard Chart of Account (mSCOA) data strings. The mSCOA regulations were promulgated on April 22, 2014 and prescribes the uniform recording and classification of municipal budget and financial…

THE digging of trenches which has raised the ire of residents of eNtabeni Road in Pinetown is part of a “major” water project by the eThekwini Municipality to address the water supply challenges in the area. Ward 18 councillor Melanie Brauteseth, of the DA, said the digging is part of a major water project by the eThekwini Municipality to address water issues in the area brought about by ageing infrastructure water leaks. Residents had written to The Mercury about the “endless digging” they said was becoming a growing risk to motorists and residents. They said they often saw Metro workers sitting next to the holes doing nothing. One resident in the area said the eThekwini Metro has been digging on the road for a month. “The holes that have been…

Women’s Month may be over, but the need for empowerment measures continues IN AN era characterised by many challenges and opportunities, the theme “Accelerating Socio-Economic Opportunities for Women’s Empowerment” for this year’s Women’s Month resonated deeply. Women’s socio-economic rights include the right to access economic opportunities, health care, education, and freedom from abuse and discrimination. As South Africa has committed to the globally agreed sustainable development goals, which include the furtherance of gender equality by 2030, it is crucial to prioritise the empowerment of women, recognising that their growth is the cornerstone of societal advancement. The quest for women’s empowerment is not just a mere campaign, but rather a transformative movement that has the power to reshape the world into a more equitable and inclusive place. The theme of this…

More than four months into Sudan’s devastating war, arms dealers are struggling to keep up with demand for a trade that is booming, at a deadly cost. “A Kalashnikov? A rifle? A pistol?” said a 63-year-old dealer known as Wad al-Daou, offering his wares with a resounding laugh. “The demand for weapons has soared so high that we can’t possibly meet it,” he said at a market near Sudan’s borders with Ethiopia and Eritrea. Fighting broke out on April 15 between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The war has killed thousands, displaced millions and flooded the arsenals of a country already awash with weapons. Arms dealers say prices have rocketed, while authorities loyal to the…

Hong Kong: China issued its highest typhoon warning yesterday as Super Typhoon Saola drew closer to Hong Kong and the mainland’s southern coast, with several cities delaying the start of the school year as a precaution. Saola’s wind speeds topped 200km/h by yesterday, with the storm around 370km southeast of the Chinese finance hub, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. It would bring “heavy squally showers and violent winds” today, the observatory said, adding that the threat level was expected to be upgraded to “T8 , the city’s third-highest, early in the morning. On the mainland, China issued the most severe warning in its four-tiered system. | AFP…

PORT-AU-PRINCE: The US embassy in Haiti said Americans there should leave the country “as soon as possible” amid the ongoing unrest and political turmoil. Last month, the US evacuated non-emergency government personnel and the family members of diplomats from the embassy in Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital, after Haitians flocked to the area outside the US embassy, seeking protection from heavy gunfire. Haiti has been overwhelmed by gang violence after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Armed gangs have since taken power in up to 90% of Port-au-Prince, with killings and rapes as they vie for control of territory. | Washington Post…

Former energy minister Grant Shapps replaced Ben Wallace yesterday as Britain’s defence minister, a surprise move that reaffirmed London’s support for Ukraine while raising questions over his lack of experience of the military. Shoring up his team before a national election expected next year and after Wallace resigned, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will likely deploy Shapps’ talent for media communication in his efforts to overturn opposition Labour’s lead in the opinion polls. “I am looking forward to working with the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who defend our nation’s security. And continuing the UK’s support for Ukraine in their fight against Putin’s barbaric invasion,” Shapps said on X after his appointment was announced by the government. Britain, a key defence supplier for Ukraine, is trying to…