Innehållsförteckning för 2024-01-17 från Mercury

THE COUNCIL for Geoscience is hosting technical workshops for geoscience on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technical seminars and technical work. The workshops are aimed at promoting and driving strategic objectives that the government has identified in the CCUS economy and market segment. The workshops are held throughout the nine provinces and led by Mosa Mabuza, the CEO of the Council for Geoscience. The Council for Geoscience has been engaged in groundbreaking projects, study findings and major recent discoveries in the geological space in energy, coal, gas, the oil sectors and mining in general. Through its work, it has been a frontier State agency leading government policy in the various workstreams pioneered by the council and guided by legislation. South Africa should be the leader in CCUS economy and…

A proposal for the two matric exam systems consisting of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) and the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) to be amalgamated to form a single system in order to promote equality and eradicate a class-based schooling system has been dismissed by education analysts. The issue was raised by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi yesterday. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he called for “one country, one matric examination”. Lesufi, who is the former MEC for Education in Gauteng, questioned why the country had two matric exams – one for public schools (NSC) and the other for private schools (IEB), adding that the time has come for all children to write the same exam, like they do at universities and colleges. “Everything is the same, besides the name…

This year people are urged to spend wisely, avoid debt and non-essentials, and shun those who are ungrateful, pessimistic, perpetual moaners and know-it-alls. Getting a good education should be a priority, especially for the youth, as they face rampant unemployment and other adverse issues that still prevail post-apartheid. We have lost icons such as Mbongeni Ngema, Peter Magubane and Franz Beckenbauer. Thanks for blessing us with your wonderful talents. The world is a poorer place without such distinguished persons. Peace is a scarce commodity worldwide. Nations must quickly come to their senses and the savagery, brutality and mayhem of war and accompanying atrocities in the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan and other hot spots must end soon. A big thank you to all who are facilitating and encouraging peace talks and…

GIVEN the bloated, inefficient state of centralised government, it is surprising that The Mercury (January 15) endorses the nationalising of road traffic police. Road traffic regulation is one of the functions of provincial govern ment as specified in section 104 (1) (b) with reference to Schedule 4 of the Constitution. Centralising control at the expense of local or provincial autonomy should be strongly resisted. Besides, reasoning that nationalising streamlines functions and eliminates inefficiencies is not borne out by experience. Just as we have seen the unnecessary establishment of a Ministry of Electricity, with no apparent improvement in supply, the likely outcome of nationalising traffic police will be the establishment of a separate ministry, with all the bloated costs involved, to “oversee” its functioning. Chipping away at provincial autonomy is the…

Two officials at a driving licence testing centre (DLTC) in Mpumalanga were arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s Nelspruit-based serious corruption investigation unit during an entrapment operation. The two officials, aged 45 and 47, were arrested on Monday, according to Hawks Mpumalanga spokesperson Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi. “The arrest followed after information was received by the Hawks about officials who were soliciting for gratification,” she said. “It is alleged that on January 8, the complainant went to Mkhuhlu DLTC to write a learner’s licence. After writing, she found that she had failed,” Sekgotodi said. “Then, the female examiner who was invigilating when they wrote approached her and told her that she could be assisted in passing a learner’s licence only if she could pay her a gratification of…

South Africans will continue feeling the pinch as interest rates are not yet expected to come down. However, a rate hike is not forecast when the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) meets at the end of the month. High Street Auctions director Greg Dart said South Africans aren’t likely to feel any reprieve. However, the outlook for local and global inflation was better than it has been for some time and Dart was optimistic that we could see a rate cut in March, or in the second quarter of this year. “South Africa – like most countries – tends to follow the US Central Bank and economists there are predicting the first rate cut to come at the end of Q1. “Hopefully, we’ll be close behind.” Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty…

EXTENSIVE damage has been reported in the Ugu, KwaDukuza, eThekwini and Ndwedwe municipalities as a result of Saturday’s storm, with the death toll climbing to 8. In eThekwini, the bodies of the two missing people from the oThongathi area have been recovered. IPSS Search and Rescue spokesperson Dylan Meyrick said that on Monday night their team, with uMhlali SAPS K9 Search and Rescue and Cert KZN, recovered the body of a woman in the oThongathi area. Meyrick said that the teams returned to the area to search for the missing man and after several hours, SAPS K9 Dante was able to locate the body several kilometres down the river from where he was washed away. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs confirmed that the death toll had…

Israel pummelled southern Gaza yesterday, killing dozens, even as authorities announced the winding down of the intense phase of the war that has inflamed tensions across the Middle East. The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under mounting international pressure to end its offensive in Gaza launched in response to Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attacks. But fears are mounting the war could be widening, with Iran and its proxies stepping up attacks across the region in solidarity with Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the Palestinian territory. A wave of Israeli strikes killed at least 78 people in the Gaza Strip overnight, Hamas’s press office said. An AFP correspondent said the southern city of Khan Yunis was hit hard. A barrage of 50 rockets was fired later…

Donald Trump romped to a landslide victory in Iowa’s caucuses – the first vote in the US presidential race – cementing his status as the presumptive Republican standard-bearer to challenge President Joe Biden in November’s election. The former president has led polling for more than a year, but the contest offered the clearest insight yet into his ability to convert that advantage into a stunning White House return. Major US networks took just half an hour on Monday to call the race, with Trump taking 51% of the vote and opening an unprecedented 30-point gap over Ron DeSantis – the biggest victory for an Iowa challenger in modern history. The Florida governor and Trump’s other main rival, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, were locked at 21 and 19% respectively, with…

THE Jacob Zuma-backed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party says it will continue discussions with like-minded parties which share its values ahead of the coming general elections. It is understood that 10 left-aligned parties have held discussions with the MK Party in recent weeks, with former ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule confirming that the African Congress for Transformation (ACT) had joined forces with it. The PAC and Black First Land First have also indicated willingness to work with the Zuma-backed party. MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela said they would continue discussions with like-minded and progressive parties. “We are always open to discussion with other parties that share the same values but no decision has been taken. If any decision is taken we will communicate these but right now none have been taken,” said…

The Presidency has remained mum about the absence of President Cyril Ramaphosa from the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos this year for the second time running as it officially kicked off yesterday. For the second year in a row, Ramaphosa skipped the annual meeting of world leaders, governments, business, and civil society groups after he last year cancelled his trip to Davos at the height of intensified power cuts in South Africa. TeamSA is comprised of six Cabinet ministers and business executives, led by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, carrying a message that “South Africa is open for business”. The delegation is expected to add the country’s voice to discussions about global issues, with the overall aim to position South Africa as a competitive business and investment destination.…

THE People’s Movement for Change (PMC) applauds the exemplary legal acumen displayed by the South African legal team during their compelling presentation before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the apartheid state of Israel. Representing South Africa, the legal team courageously confronted the heinous atrocities perpetrated by the Israeli regime, laying bare its inhumane treatment of innocent civilians in Palestine. In resonance with Nelson Mandela’s enduring conviction that “our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians”, South Africa has once again undertaken the responsibility of being a steadfast guardian of the universal application of human rights and justice. To this end, South Africa’s application to the ICJ seeks an interim order for the people of Gaza, aiming to, among others, halt the genocidal actions of the apartheid…

A HUGE ancient city has been found in the Amazon Basin, hidden for thousands of years by lush vegetation, according to the BBC. The discovery changes what we know about the history of people living in the Basin. The houses and plazas in the Upano area in eastern Ecuador were connected by an astounding network of roads and canals. The area lies in the shadow of a volcano that created rich local soils but may also have led to the destruction of the society. While we knew about cities in the highlands of South America, like Machu Picchu in Peru, it was believed that people lived only nomadically or in tiny settlements in the Amazon Basin. “This is older than any other site we know in the Amazon Basin.…

ALL nine EFF members hauled before the powers and privileges committee for charges related to alleged disruptions when President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the Presidency’s budget vote speech in June 2022 have pleaded not guilty. This as the hearing into allegations of misconduct and contempt of Parliament continued before the committee this week. The accused EFF MPs are Natasha Ntlangwini, Anthony Matumba, Isaac Mafanya, Babalwa Mathulelwa, Paulnita Marais, Naledi Nokukhanya Chirwa, Sinawo Tambo, Yoliswa Nomampondomise Yako and Khosi Mkhonto. Each was asked to plead and given three minutes to give a plea explanation. No one took up the offer, instead saying: “I do not wish to make an explanation at this point. I do reserve my right to make it at a later stage.” The charges include “contravening Section 7(a) of…

THE Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, ruled in favour of a widow and has found that the subsequent death of her husband should not be a bar to the registration of her marriage to him. The husband died before the couple could register their marriage with the Department of Home Affairs. When the wife attempted to register the marriage, the department refused. She subsequently turned to court for an order for the posthumous registration of her customary marriage. The court was tasked with the issue of whether the death of the deceased before registration of the customary marriage invalidated the customary marriage. The widow told the court that the deceased proposed to her in 1991. She agreed to this and in November the following year, a meeting was held at her…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has visited the families of the six ANC members who died in an accident in the early hours of Saturday on their way to the party’s 112-year celebrations in Mbombela, Mpumalanga. The president also visited the nine survivors of the crash who are still being treated in hospital. Ramaphosa took part in a briefing session with the ANC provincial leadership, led by Chupu Mathabatha, and hospital management at Mankweng Hospital in the Polokwane sub-region. He was accompanied by ANC second deputy secretary-general Maropene Ramokgopa. Ramaphosa’s visit comes after Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba, forensic pathology experts and members of the SAPS on Sunday met with the families of the victims who died in the accident that happened on the R71 road near Magoebaskloof. Speaking during their visit…

South Africa’s case is a symbolic indictment of the West’s hypocrisy Analysis of global events in the local and international media and other sources consciously avoids two realities happening in the world today. First, the so-called modern world has not really transformed in its thinking about communities outside the West, and the communities have accepted this as their natural state of being. Second, the West experiences seismic shifts emanating from a gallant fight by the “other” in the quest to gain recognition. This article uses the South African legal case pending before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to provide evidence that the world is ill-prepared to address efforts to uphold the rights of the other within the international system. The West is deeply worried that its long-standing strategy of…

Mauritius yesterday removed a maximum cyclone alert warning as it assessed the devastation wrought by tropical storm Belal. Belal has claimed the life of one person in the paradise island, left thousands without power, and caused traffic chaos with numerous cars submerged under floodwaters or piled up on streets. The Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) said a “safety bulletin” was now in force as Belal was moving away from Mauritius, three hours after saying it was raising its alert to four, the maximum level. The government on Monday had ordered people to stay indoors, but the restriction was eased yesterday, with the MMS instead saying the public was strongly advised to stay in safe places. The National Emergency Operations Command warned that winds of 80km/h were expected, and waves of up…

The number of adult tobacco users has dropped steadily in recent years, the World Health Organization said yesterday, but it warned Big Tobacco was working hard to reverse that trend. In 2022, about one in five adults around the world were smokers or consumed other tobacco products, compared to one in every three in 2000, the UN health agency said. A fresh report looking at trends in the prevalence of tobacco use between 2000 and 2030 showed that 150 countries were successfully reducing tobacco use, the WHO said. But while smoking rates are declining in most countries, the WHO warned tobacco-related deaths were expected to remain high for years to come. Currently, tobacco use is still estimated to kill more than 8 million people each year, including an estimated 1.3…

Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad called up Western Province opener Eddie Moore for the two-match series against New Zealand next month. The Proteas are severely depleted for their tour to the Land of the Long White Cloud with all national and domestically contracted players currently participating in the ongoing SA20, which includes captain Temba Bavuma and remainder of the regular Test squad. Only David Bedingham and Keegan Petersen of those who played in the recent Test series against India will be part of the travelling squad to New Zealand. The Proteas have also been hit by the retirement of former Test captain and opener Dean Elgar after the India Test series, which has further opened up the opportunity for Moore’s maiden international call-up. The 30-year-old has been in prolific form…

The Paarl Royals are not loaded with superstars. Bar captain David Miller and England opener Jason Roy, they are very much a side that place emphasis on the collective rather than the individual. Mitchell van Buuren certainly believes this is the secret behind their successful start to SA20 season 2, with back-to-back wins over the Pretoria Capitals. The Royals will be looking to maintain their 100% start to the season when they host the Joburg Super Kings at Boland Park today. “We have prepared well in the build-up to the competition. We had really clear plans at practice and in our warm-up games. We’ve implemented them really well going into the competition now,” said Van Buuren. “Those were two proper team performances (against the Capitals). Of course, there were individual…

José Mourinho said goodbye to Roma yesterday after the Serie A club sacked the “Special One” midway through what has been a deeply disappointing third season in the Italian capital. In a short message, Mourinho simply said “Arrivederci, Roma” to supporters on social media, alongside an image of him holding the Europa Conference League trophy won in 2022. Roma said that Mourinho would leave alongside his staff “with immediate effect”, adding that it was “in the best interests of the club” after a series of poor results left the team way off the pace in the Italian top flight. Mourinho’s contract was due to expire in June and although he had repeatedly stated that he wanted to stay on, talks about an extension to his deal never materialised. Rumours of…

Lionel Messi may have left the limelight of European football behind, but he remains a magnet to the game’s biggest awards after being crowned Fifa’s best men’s player for 2023 on Monday. The selection of the 36-year-old over pretenders to his crown Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe was a controversial one in the year Messi took what many see as a step down in standards to join Inter Miami in Major League Soccer. Yet, Messi’s pulling power was still in evidence last year as he quickly conquered the US. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner dragged a hitherto struggling squad to the first trophy won by the franchise that is co-owned by David Beckham, by lifting the Leagues Cup in August. He also racked up another league title at Paris Saint-Germain…

Besides offering a patently pathetic presentation by Israel to defend the charge of intended genocide, by overusing basically technical jargon, defendants from Tel Aviv pretended that the present brand of the new Holocaust at Gaza was actually not even continuing and rolling away with impunity, in full view of the rest of humanity, in real current time, outside the corridors of the Hague even while the trial was happening. Anyway .... never mind the outcome of this historic trial. Israel may be found guilty and face consequences. Most unlikely for that to occur in a still, white supremacist universe. Might is right, right? Israel may even be found innocent. Because of their repeating confusing technical barrage. A “pack of cards” as somebody in the house commented. Either way, the real…

The insatiable ambition by politicians to attain power, especially the plethora of new parties that have been mushrooming all over South Africa in the lead up to the 2024 elections, is understandable. However, this quest by politicians should be tempered with the reality that their baseless utterances may have dangerous implications and take the country over the cliff. For example, Ace Magashule has proclaimed something to the effect that now that he has his own party, it is going to be very difficult for the ANC to rig the election. What does he mean by this? Is he insinuating that the ANC has been rigging elections in the past? Or that it might be intending to do so in this election? Given his former powerful position in the ANC…

We keep each other’s confidences and know the distinct difference between confidences and gossip. We have each other’s backs and know this does not mean automatic acceptance of every idea or action. We know and love each others strengths and support the unique interests, even if they do not necessarily include or involve the other. We know and love that each of us is growing and changing with full knowledge that growth and change can upset routines and modify expectations. We communicate with each other regularly and each in our own preferred way while knowing the differences can be occasionally annoying. We know that each of us is responsible for monitoring our own levels of anxiety and are careful not to blame each other for things that pre-date our relationship.…

The court will rule on Friday in the bail application of a woman accused of murdering her loved one for a life insurance payout. Agnes Setshwantsho appeared in the Molopo Magistrate's Court on Monday where the State and her legal team completed their closing arguments in the bail hearing. The investigating officer, Sergeant Keshi Mabunda, as well as a nurse from the correctional facility where Setshwantsho is being detained both testified in the hearing. The murder charge stems from claims that she poisoned her niece, Bonolo Modiseemang in March 2023. The accused’s family raised concerns when Modiseemang died claiming that her death was suspicious. Setshwantsho was arrested on suspicion that she murdered her relatives to benefit from insurance claims. Last month, the court heard that she allegedly took out more…

A 20-YEAR-old Verulam man, accused of killing his grandfather and stabbing his father following an argument during the flash floods at the weekend has appeared in court and been remanded in custody. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the accused, Hamza Ally, was charged with murder and attempted murder. NPA provincial spokesperson Natasha Kara, said the case was adjourned to January 22. “The accused will be taken to a district surgeon to assess his mental state,” she said. The incident took place on Saturday evening in the Lotusville area in Verulam, when family members were working in unison to try to prevent water from the flash floods entering the house. KwaZulu-Natal provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said the mother, father and son were inside the house during the heavy…

KwaZulu-Natal teacher unions say the school year will start today with uncertainty due to issues over funds for Learning and Teaching Support Materials (LTSM), damage to schools and staff shortages. National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) KZN chief executive Thirona Moodley, said the union has been inundated with complaints from frustrated school principals who did not receive LTSM funds on time for the 2024 school year. Moodley said schools placed orders for learning materials in 2023 and due to the department failing to pay their allocations, they were not able to pay service providers. As a result, she said these schools had not received teaching and learning material for 2024. “This will make teaching and learning impossible on the first day. Schools today (yesterday) received a fraction of…

By the time you read this, Bafana Bafana will have played their 2024 Africa Cup of Nations Group E match against Mali. Neighbours Namibia as well as Tunisia are the two other teams in the group, where the top two are guaranteed a place in the knock-out phase. The Afcon, like other major sporting events, is an opportunity for the nation to unite and rally behind our troops. It has been mentioned time and again that when our teams play in continental competitions, the experience is no bed of roses. The conditions are harder than the actual opponents on the field. The players and officials are met by hostility from the time they land on foreign soil, at times even denied an opportunity to fully prepare for the games. However,…

Chinese Premier Li Qiang condemned “barriers” to green and tech trade yesterday as he addressed the annual meeting of global political and economic elites in Davos. Beijing has tussled with the US and the EU over trade in recent years, particularly on hi-tech and clean energy. The Chinese premier said “new discriminatory trade and investment measures” have been appearing every year and that “any obstacles or disruptions can slow down or block the flow of lifeblood of the world economy”. Barriers to tech and green trade must be broken, said Li, the most senior Chinese official to attend the World Economic Forum since 2017. “China has proven consistently to the world that it is a country worthy of trust,” he said, adding that “there are many examples where one side’s…

Copenhagen: At least 1.4 million lives have been saved in Europe thanks to Covid vaccines, the World Health Organization said yesterday, recalling that the virus was “here to stay”. The WHO European region – which covers 53 countries – has registered more than 277.7 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 2.2 million deaths, according to the most recent data, from December 2023. WHO Europe regional director Hans Kluge said it was essential for people to protect themselves, especially during the winter. He called for more funding to resolve shortages of healthcare workers and basic medication. | AFP…