Table of contents for 2022-04-21 in Mercury

URGENT action was needed to avoid job losses in agricultural sector following the inclement weather that resulted in floods that destroyed thousands of homes, infrastructure and killed more than 400 people in parts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and the Eastern Cape, Agri SA said yesterday. This as the Statistics South Africa Quarterly Labour Force Survey data for the fourth quarter 2021 showed that the sector had already seen a decline in job numbers in Limpopo at -9 percent, KZN at -6 percent, and the Western Cape at -0.1 percent year-on-year. These were overshadowed by gains in employment in other provinces. Hence, the overall primary agriculture employment increased by 7.1 percent in this period. The sector was also coming from what the broader industry called a tem- porary…

PUTTING in place strategies, which will come with high costs, and overcoming the lack of political will to implement early warning systems are some of the solutions to deal with the devastating impact of climate change. This is the warning experts gave as KwaZulu-Natal mops up and rebuilds after floods led to the loss of hundreds of lives, left tens of thousands displaced and caused the destruction of homes and critical infrastructure. Structural intervention, including dikes or levees, are being suggested, alongside a system that can alert communities to the threat of floods and an evacuation plan. An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released last week said critical action needed to be taken over the next few years and pathways developed for all countries to shift towards sustainable…

The power of thank you should not be underestimated. Not ever. If you are heading to the bank to cash a gift from your grandmother before you have penned a thank- you note and mailed it to your grandmother, there is a problem. You’ve put the proverbial cart before the horse. Someone will write and tell me that we live in an age of texts and Facebook and that there are many “new” and more efficient ways to say thank you. I agree. But that doesn’t mean people do – say thank you, that is. “I was too busy to send a card” doesn’t make sense if you had the time to deposit the cheque or the time to spend the money. While receiving a cheque from your grandmother may…

IT’S so easy to collect junk over the years, thinking that one day you will begin to dispose of it gradually or even in the extreme, all at once. It’s very easy to say this but very difficult to actually do because of a very important negative trait in most of our people. The trauma of apartheid over hundreds of years, the lies by the colonists that made slaves out of most other colours here, has caused people generally not to trust others. Looting and stealing by our very own guardian government has also added to the mistrust between ordinary civilians and those in power. Poverty has made people who would otherwise show normal ethics, honesty and shy away from any criminal record throw all that morality talk to the…

THE decision by KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Education (DoE) to advise parents not to send their children to school this week if their safety was compromised due to inclement weather is responsible and correct. Safety in getting to and from schools must always be regarded as a priority. So too must be the classroom conditions. It is therefore deeply concerning to note that at the start of the rains there were 195 senior primary pupils stuffed into two classrooms at a so-called “asbestos school” near Durban. This after it became unsafe for pupils to remain in the other four classrooms due to roof damage. This school was originally damaged in storms during 2020. To date, the DoE has failed to respond to their calls for help. The recent rain has made…

THE South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) said it was consulting with its legal team following the Supreme Court of Appeal’s (SCA) ruling that regulations concerning complementary medicines were invalid. The court held that the General Regulations, promulgated on August 25, 2017, are declared unlawful to the extent that they apply to “complementary medicines” and “health supplements” that are not “medicines” or “Scheduled substances” as defined in section 1 of the Medicines and Related Substances Act No. 101 of 1965. The act was in response to the substantial market worldwide and in South Africa for complementary medicines and health supplements. The regulations, therefore, introduced a new category, namely complementary medicines – Category D. The regulations attach a number of obligations to complementary medicines and, where applicable, health supplements. These…

East Coast Radio is lending a helping hand to communities affected by the devastating floods that swept through KwaZulu-Natal last week. In a statement, the station said many families had been left destitute after their homes were swept away by heavy rains, while businesses had once again been left crippled. “The tragic stories of loss of life and livelihood have touched the hearts of many South Africans. “East Coast Radio is partnering with the Gift of the Givers in reaching out to corporates and the people of KZN to assist those that have been affected by the KZN floods.” Tomorrow, presenters Darren Maule, Keri Miller, Sky Tshabalala, Carol Ofori, Vic Naidoo, Stacey and J Sbu will broadcast outside East Coast Radio House. They will be collecting blankets, bottled water and…

A potential landmark case that will test whether state entities that allegedly fraudulently award tenders should be held liable for the loss of profit by the prejudiced bidders is headed to the Constitutional Court. Esorfranki Pipelines, a construction group with headquarters in Gauteng, is taking the Mopani District Municipality to the Concourt to have it held liable for the group losing out on a R421 million tender allegedly awarded fraudulently in 2010. Esorfranki said in its papers its case against Mopani, a Limpopo rural municipality, was distinct from previous litigations by other private groups or state entities that sought cancellation of fraudulently awarded contracts. “This case is about whether a municipality should be held liable for the delictual damages of an unsuccessful tenderer for loss of profit where the award…

OPPOSITION parties in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature want strict measures put in place to ensure that the money set aside to deal with the floods disaster is not looted. Some parties said they did not trust the ANC to manage the funds on its own in an honest manner and wanted an oversight structure in place. They were speaking during a sitting of the provincial legislature yesterday, when the premier, Sihle Zikalala, addressed the members on the state of disaster, its impact and the way forward. Last week, heavy rains caused extensive damage to infrastructure and houses. More than 400 people across the province were killed and many homes were destroyed, leaving thousands destitute. The province could receive billions of rand to rebuild after the national government declared a national state…

THAT South Africans seem to be more concerned about wrongdoing in how the funds meant to help the flood-stricken provinces recover from the disaster are spent than the actual devastation is a shameful indictment of this administration’s lack of will to tackle corruption. It proves the opposite of what President Cyril Ramaphosa promised when he first assumed the highest office in the country, as corruption has found a home in his administration even when people are suffering the most. We need not remind you of how comrades and their associates feasted on PPE contracts, because that point has already been made in our previous editorials. However, what is clear and quite encouraging this time around, is that South Africans have found their voice and are saying “no more”. It is…

Mariupol could fall into Russian hands within “hours”, a Ukrainian official said following a two-month siege, as the enemies agreed yesterday to a humanitarian corridor for civilians to flee the devastated port city. As fighting raged in the country’s east and south, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, arrived in Kyiv in the latest sign of strengthening ties between Ukraine and the EU. His visit comes as the West continues to pour weapons into Ukraine amid a renewed Russian push into the eastern Donbas region where a new offensive launched this week has led to an uptick in fighting. Hours ahead of Michel’s arrival, the Pentagon said that Ukraine had recently received fighter planes and spare parts to bolster its air force, following repeated calls from Kyiv for…

Denmark is in talks with Rwanda about setting up a new procedure for transferring asylum seekers to Rwanda, mirroring a similar move by Britain announced last week. A deal with Rwanda would make Denmark the first EU member to effectively bypass the bloc’s fragmented migration and asylum system. “Our dialogue with the Rwandan government includes a mechanism for the transfer of asylum seekers,” said Immigration Minister Mattias Tesfaye yesterday. The deal would aim to “ensure a more dignified approach than the criminal network of human traffickers that characterises migration across the Mediterranean today”, he said. Denmark, which has introduced harsh immigration policies in the last decade, passed a law last year that allows refugees arriving on Danish soil to be moved to asylum centres in a partner country. The move…

LONDON: A British judge yesterday sent the case of Julian Assange to interior minister Priti Patel who will decide whether the Wikileaks founder should be extradited to the US over the release of confidential US documents. The procedural step was announced at a hearing in central London following a March decision to deny Australian-born Assange permission to appeal against his extradition. The extradition order must now be signed by Patel, after which Assange can try to challenge the decision by judicial review. This involves a judge examining the legitimacy of a public body’s decision. Assange, 50, is wanted in the US on 18 criminal charges, including breaking a spying law, after WikiLeaks published thousands of secret US files in 2010. He denies any wrongdoing. Assange has been in a London…

Rambukkana: Fresh anti-government protests spread across Sri Lanka yesterday, a day after police shot dead a demonstrator and triggered international condemnation just as the crisis-hit country appealed for an IMF bailout. Regular blackouts, shortages of food and fuel and record inflation have sparked public discontent in the island, amid its worst economic downturn since 1948. The latest protests have seen people blockading key highways. State-run hospitals also saw medical staff stop all work except emergency surgeries to again protest a shortage of medicines. Police said they would launch an investigation into the clashes with protesters. | AFP…

Tappe Henning, the Head of Match officials for the United Rugby Championship (URC), says that while they can’t just “hire and fire” referees based on performance, they apply a “remedial” approach to deal with officiating inconsistencies. The standard of officiating has been a constant talking point for the longest time. And in the URC - where neutral officials were appointed for the batch of SA fixtures - it naturally continued. When the SA franchises joined the competition last year, their struggle to adapt to the northern officiating was clear as day. Now, with the Scottish, Welsh, Irish and Italian teams playing in SA under new officiating crews, it didn’t take long before frustrations about the level of officiating again emerged. Speaking during a media briefing yesterday, the 14-Test…

THE RAND yesterday weakened to its lowest in more than a month as rising consumer inflation dented risk appetite and strengthened expectations of continued monetary policy tightening by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). The annual headline inflation rate rose to 5.9 percent in March from 5.7 percent in February, and just below the upper limit of the SARB’s monetary policy target range of 6 percent. Statistics SA yesterday said this consumer price index print marked the 11th consecutive month in which annual inflation has been higher than the midpoint of the SARB’s target range of 3 to 6 percent. The rand eased by 0.7 percent to R15.07 to the US dollar at 4pm, its weakest since March 8, after March inflation cemented concerns of an aggressive…

In response to Mr Visvin Reddy (The Mercury, April 20), I fully agree with his statements and remind all the councillors that it is their moral, civic and legal obligation to heed Reddy’s call to be vigilant and become the watchdog for the ratepayers and citizens of eThekwini Municipality. The ANC does not enjoy the majority in the council and can no longer be allowed to do as it pleases. Now more than ever, parties need to unite to uphold the public’s trust placed on them and act in the best interests of its citizens. ANC, know that we are watching you.…

KETANJI Brown Jackson will soon assume her seat as the 116th justice of the US Court after being confirmed by the US Senate. Importantly, she will be the first woman of colour from a minority group, to be appointed as a justice to the highest court of the land. Thurgood Marshal was the first man of colour to be appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1967. But her appointment has relevance for women, especially minorities, around the world. In the patriarchal society that we live in, despite the veil of freedom and equal rights that women are considered to have, her appointment rings with significance. Her appointment matches her CV in terms of merit, capability, legal wisdom, integrity and being an already distinguished jurist. Like Judge Jackson, there are…

I wish to send a dual message to two of the forum’s regulars (The Mercury, April 19): John Knottenbelt, thank you for your very thoughtful and, indeed, relevant comment about the predicament presently plaguing our greater municipal environment. And Duncan du Bois, no thanks whatsoever for your ongoing tirade against any and everything which you choose to target, whether relevant or (as in the matter of current tragic flooding) otherwise. As many have gone on record as saying, Mr Du Bois, please find a big enough cork.…

A HOME affairs official has been arrested at OR Tambo International Airport for allegedly facilitating the illegal entry of Bangladeshi nationals into the country. Airports Company SA (Acsa) said it worked with law-enforcement agencies to help bring the official to book. Mzwandile Petros, Acas’s group executive for enterprise security, was accompanied by Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi when law-enforcement agencies made the arrest. “Airports are critical government assets and a key point of entry – transporting passengers, goods and services within and outside of our borders. Their business, by its nature, is highly complex, with security fundamental and at the heart of what we do. Consequently, persons found entering South Africa illegally will be charged with illegal entry and thus a criminal offence,” Acsa said. “This includes the syndicated groups…

AN EXPLOSION at the Mariannridge electricity substation on Tuesday night added to the woes of Durban residents as it left vast parts of the eastern and southern regions of the eThekwini Municipality in darkness. The municipality has been dealing with electricity outages and water shortages in numerous areas in Durban because of the damage to infrastructure caused by last week’s floods. Caelee Laing, a PR councillor in Hillcrest, said that most of the area was affected by the power outage caused by the explosion. “The fire at the Mariannridge substation caused the power to go out for at least six or seven hours. Some of the areas that were affected included Waterfall, Assagay and Botha’s Hill. There are so many challenges after the KwaZulu-Natal floods, and this power outage…

This is an opportunity in a climate crisis for us to work towards a better future On Tuesday morning, April 12, at about 1.15am a neighbour called my mother-in-law warning her of the rising water in their semi-detached house. Getting out of bed, she stepped into already knee-high water. Panic-stricken, the family gathered a few essentials and got their car out of the yard. Others in the neighbourhood were not so lucky as they climbed over walls to get into higher properties to escape the gushing waters, or stood helpless atop tables and other furniture as their homes flooded, unable to get out and fearing the worst. Some families in their neighbourhood of Springfield, Durban, lost loved ones in mudslides. Fifteen minutes after my family left their house, banks collapsed…

India’s Supreme Court stepped in to stop authorities from demolishing illegal shops and walls around a mosque in a predominantly Muslim area of New Delhi near the site of clashes between Hindus and Muslims over the weekend. At least 20 people were arrested in connection with the clashes, which erupted during a procession at a Hindu festival. Local police and members of the paramilitary forces who report to the federal home ministry were in Jahangirpuri yesterday, a residential area that is home to scores of low-income Muslim families, when bulldozers razed shops and walls to the ground. Recent communal clashes in several parts of India have been followed by demolition drives, which critics say are an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to…

US Firefighters faced strong winds and bone-dry conditions yesterday as they battled a growing wildfire in central Arizona that had already driven thousands of residents from their homes and destroyed two dozen structures. The blaze, dubbed the Tunnel Fire, covered an area of about 2 428 hectares as it sped north-east, 23km north of Flagstaff, Arizona, fire officials said. The fire forced more than 2 000 residents from 760 homes in Coconino County, said the county’s board of supervisors. The fire has destroyed 24 structures and threatened to destroy hundreds more. About 200 firefighters faced wind gusts of 48km/h yesterday and today, the National Weather Service said. Like other south-western states hit by climate change, Arizona is suffering an early start to its fire season. Dry grass and brush, along…

Gaborone: Botswana’s former president Ian Khama faces 13 criminal charges, including illegally possessing five firearms, court documents showed yesterday. Khama, who led one of Africa’s most stable democracies for 10 years until 2018, has been summoned to appear before a court in Gaborone. The son of the country’s founding leader, Seretse Khama, has been living in South Africa since last year. Khama, 69, fell out with his handpicked successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi, whom he has accused of authoritarianism. Court papers said Khama is accused alongside four others. They face 38 charges. Illegal possession of guns carries a maximum penalty of 10 years. | AFP…

KWAZULU-NATAL Premier Sihle Zikalala has defended himself against allegations that he abused his powers to summon a water tanker to deliver water to his home in the La Mercy area. He faced criticism during a provincial legislature sitting yesterday following revelations that a water tanker had delivered water to his house while thousands of residents are without water following the damage to infrastructure caused by the recent heavy rains. DA leader Francois Rodgers called on the premier to step aside, while EFF leader Vusi Khoza said this was indicative of the ANC’s malfeasance in governing. The allegations first emerged earlier this week and were dismissed by Zikalala as being baseless and contemptuous. However, on Monday the La Mercy Civic and Ratepayers’ Association said many of its members witnessed the water…

A team of scientists has urged Nasa to probe the ice giant Uranus and look for life on Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, as a priority in the coming decade. In a report, the team at National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NAS), recommended Nasa to focus on three high-level scientific themes: origins, worlds and processes, and life and habitability, in the next 10 years, Zdnet reported. Despite the fact that ice giant systems are the most common form of planets in the universe, there is a “dearth of knowledge” about them, said Robin Canup, co-chair of the NAS steering committee for the decadal survey, in a statement. Ice giants are the only class of planet in our solar system that hasn’t had a dedicated orbital tour. The Uranus…

A STRAWBERRY moon rises above the horizon. As it climbs, it turns silver and lights a swathe across the ocean. The waves glisten with luminescence. Kick the wet sands on the beach and green sparks will fly into the air. Yes, the North Coast takes a lot of beating. I find myself at Sheffield Beach, just north of Salt Rock, the stamping ground of my distant youth. Driving in, I am astonished to find how built up the place has become, the entire stretch of coast. Little Maritzburg? Little New York would be more like it. “Catfish”, proclaims the sign on an apartment block. Ah yes, it looks down on Catfish Rock, an outcrop you can wade out to at low tide, spongy with redbait, alive with mussels, crayfish and…

I AM sure that many in KwaZulu-Natal and in the country must be wondering, like me, about the devastating floods that have ravaged our province. They couldn’t have come at a worse time for the hospitality industry, just before the peak Easter season. So many deaths, so much destruction and so many left heartbroken to see their homes damaged and destroyed. If you feel sorry for the homeowners in the suburbs with their prized possessions which they had spent their entire life’s savings renovating and updating, then what about those living in informal settlements who watched in disbelief as their tin shacks and all their meagre belongings were washed away by the angry waters? Many with good memories would agree with me that floods in the Durban area have…

Talented artist Cinthia Sifa Mulanga is aiming high after being commissioned by Italian fashion house Gucci to create an artwork that celebrates the iconic Diana tote bag for their latest campaign. In 1991, the bag was popularised by Diana, Princess of Wales, and later adopted her name. The Congolese-born Mulanga, who was raised in South Africa, has showcased at local and international exhibitions. In a biography on latitudes.online, Mulanga said her work “explores beauty constructs as well as its psychological and physical impact on African women through the search of my own identity and those around me”. Speaking about the campaign with Gucci, the 25-year-old said she was excited. “It has definitely been surprising. I was really taken aback. I’m only now digesting what has happened and starting to understand…

The ANC provincial conference in the Eastern Cape has been postponed due to disputes in the province. The Eastern Cape would have been the second province to hold its conference after the ANC in Mpumalanga held its provincial conference a few weeks ago. Mandla Ndlovu was elected provincial chairperson in Mpumalanga. There was also controversy at the conference as murder-accused and former agriculture MEC Mandla Msibi was elected treasurer. Msibi was charged with murder in connection with a shooting incident at a shisanyama in Mbombela last year. The former agriculture MEC was forced to step aside from his duties in the ANC and government pending the outcome of his case. He has denied any involvement in the shooting. In the Eastern Cape, current chairperson Oscar Mabuyane, who is also Premier,…

THE Msunduzi Municipality hopes to have a new municipal manager on duty by August 1. The process is still in the early stages as the municipality is accepting applications for the post. It will then move to the selection process, then interviews, before the appointment. Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla said they had initially intended to make the appointment in July, which is the start of the new financial year, but this could not be achieved as the council had to extend the period of advertising the post because it had been too short. The position of municipal manager became vacant last month after the resignation of Madoda Khathide. He had been with the municipality for about three years. “We hope to have made the appointment by August, but that will also…

DA Federal council chairperson Helen Zille’s controversial comments that being poor in Langa, Cape Town was better than being poor in other townships have been slammed as telling of the DA-led local government’s attitude towards poor black people in the city. More than 700 people were displaced after a fire destroyed more than 300 shacks in Joe Slovo informal settlement in Langa at the weekend. Following the devastating fire, Zille stated in an interview on Radio 702 on Tuesday morning, that: “To be poor in Langa in Cape Town is (a) hundred, probably a thousand times better than to be poor in many townships in the rest of the country.” Langa ward 51 councillor Lwazi Phakade said Zille’s comments showed why Cape Town townships were not getting the services…

As the world faces the prospect of a retreat from globalisation towards hyper-nationalism due to present conflicts and wars, it is prudent to reflect on the benefits of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) launched in 2013 by the People’s Republic of China President, Xi Jinping. This reflection is important in the context of efforts that are under way to rebuild countries still suffering from the negative effects of Covid-19 on trade and co-operation in multilateral institutions. In the past nine years, the BRI benefits can be quantified to underline the reason that President Xi presently speaks of promoting high-quality BRI co-operation. For one thing, it is estimated that 172 countries and institutions have discussed and ratified 200 agreements of co-operation with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) focused on…

About 73 million people in Nigeria – more than a third of the 198 million population – have been barred from making outgoing calls this month because they have not been registered in the national digital identity database. Nigeria is among dozens of African countries including Ghana, Egypt and Kenya, with SIM registration laws that authorities say are necessary for security purposes, but digital rights experts say increase surveillance and hurt privacy. Nigeria has been rolling out 11-digit electronic national identity cards for almost a decade, which record an individual’s personal and biometric data, including fingerprints and photo. The National Identity Number (NIN) is required to open a bank account, apply for a driving licence, vote, get health insurance and file tax returns. In 2020, Nigeria’s telecommunications regulator said…

Moscow: Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny yesterday called on French voters to support incumbent President Emmanuel Macron in the second round of the presidential vote this weekend, accusing his far-right opponent Marine Le Pen’s party of having links to President Vladimir Putin. Navalny, 45, said that he was “shocked” that Le Pen’s party received a €9 million (R147m) loan from “Putin’s notorious money-laundering outfit”, the First Czech-Russian Bank, adding “negotiations with these people … included a shadowy political part as well”. “This is corruption. This is selling political influence to Putin,” he said. | AFP…

BEIJING: China’s aviation authority said yesterday that the black boxes of a China Eastern Airlines 600115.SS Boeing BA 737-800 jet that crashed last month, killing 132 people, were badly damaged and it was still recovering and analysing the data to help determine the cause. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) did not make public any information from the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder that were sent to Washington for analysis. Chinese aviation expert Li Xiaojin said that it would take a year to conclude the probe. The CAAC said it had completed the preliminary report, but it did not need to be released publicly. | Reuters…