Table of contents for 2023-01-26 in Mercury

Law-enforcement agencies averted a possible violent altercation between DA and ANC members in the Joburg CBD yesterday, following the official opposition’s failed bid to hand over a memorandum to Luthuli House to demand an end to load shedding. The drama unfolded early in the morning, as hundreds of ANC Youth League (ANCYL) members descended on the governing party’s headquarters – some armed with sjamboks, stones and other objects – saying they would protect the building. The ANCYL formed a human chain outside Luthuli House aimed at preventing DA leader John Steenhuisen and thousands of the party’s supporters from getting close to Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Street, which borders the building. The DA were holding their “power to the people march” as the party urged South Africans to voice their anger…

THE ANC has slammed the planned motion of no confidence to be tabled against eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, saying the action reeked of desperation. The motion was filed yesterday on an urgent basis and is expected to be debated at the January 31 council meeting. It was put forward by the Active Citizens Coalition (ACC) party. The motion, addressed to the office of the Speaker, Thabani Nyawose, read: “Please receive this urgent notice of motion to remove councillor Mxolisi Kaunda as a member of executive committee (exco) of eThekwini Municipality.” Kaunda said he was not in a position to speak on the issue yesterday, while his office said it could engage on the matter today. ANC councillor and exco member Nkosenhle Madlala said the party viewed the motion as an…

From the outset, I profusely apologise to all the city’s customers who are experiencing intermittent provision of basic services such as electricity and water. Chapter 7 of the Constitution spells out clearly that the city has the responsibility of providing basic services to communities in a sustainable manner. We regret that there have been circumstances that are beyond our control, in some parts of the city, which have been a hindrance in us living up to this constitutional mandate. It is common knowledge that the city buys electricity from the power utility, Eskom, to the tune of R13.2 billion a year. We then subsequently provide this electricity to customers in accordance with tariffs approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa. The power utility has recently experienced several breakdowns…

From June, Capetonians will be able to earn money from the sale of power fed into the local electricity grid. The National Treasury gave the City of Cape Town an exemption to pay businesses and residents directly for selling their excess power back to the city. In a groundbreaking announcement, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the city could now pay cash to businesses for electricity, and in time residents would also be allowed to sell excess electricity back to Cape Town’s grid. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has approved a rate of 79c per kilowatt-hour (c/kWh) for this financial year for the city to pay power sellers. The city also adds a 25c/kWh incentive tariff on top of this. Hill-Lewis said: “Under this plan, the city will also…

The rot within Eskom was laid bare when the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) presented its report to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Tuesday, detailing unlawful and irregular contracts awarded in key sectors and how the power utility’s employees allegedly colluded with suppliers on a mammoth scale. In some instances Eskom officials approached complete strangers to set up subcontractors and bank accounts through which to channel funds to officials, according to the SIU. “These links can only be identified from a review of bank accounts, email communications, cellphone records etc. What further complicates the identification of conflicts is that Eskom vendors often pay kickbacks to officials indirectly, by paying the creditors of the official directly (eg, by paying the official’s child’s school fees or by paying the official’s…

Siblings Sandhya, Suhana and Smita Maharaj are following in the steps of their older brother and parents and are enrolled at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Parents Naren and Jenita are UKZN alumni and graduated in medicine and optometry, while older brother Sahil graduated cum laude with a medical degree in 2021. Being graduates at UKZN, Drs Naren and Jenita hold the institution in high regard. “It is an absolute honour to have all four of our children attend UKZN,” they said. The baby in the family, Smita, who achieved a 92% average in the 2022 National Senior Certificate exams, said she was excited to join the Medical Class of 2023. “This is a family tradition and I am absolutely elated to be…

Progress is being made to ensure flood victims are moved from temporary structures into permanent accommodation. This is according to the KwaZulu-Natal Public Works and Human Settlements portfolio committee chairperson, Makhozana Zungu. Zungu was speaking during the committee’s oversight visit at the King Dinuzulu Hospital in Sydenham yesterday. The visit was a joint oversight by the KZN Legislature’s portfolio committee together with Gauteng Legislature’s infrastructure development and property management portfolio committee. Zinhle Zungu, a senior Public Works Department official, said flood victims were placed in temporary shelters last December, and they were now planning to move them to permanent housing. “For people who were displaced and affected by the floods, there is an arrangement in place to buy land and build houses for them; that initiative will happen,” Zungu said.…

Berlin yesterday agreed to deliver powerful German-made Leopard tanks to help Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion, a decision hailed by Kyiv and its allies but slammed by Moscow as “extremely dangerous”. “The first step on tanks has been taken,” said Kyiv, urging its allies to now build a “tank coalition”. “We need a lot of Leopards,” the head of Ukraine’s presidential administration Andriy Yermak said on social media. Germany will provide a company of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its Bundeswehr stocks, government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said. It is also granting approval for other European countries to send tanks from their own stocks to Ukraine, with the aim of quickly assembling “two tank battalions with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine,” he said. “This decision follows our well-known line of supporting…

TOKYO: Heavy snow blanketed wide swathes of Japan yesterday, snarling traffic, forcing hundreds of flight cancellations, disrupting train travel and leaving at least one person dead. An unusually cold weather front and extreme low pressure systems set snow falling and strong winds blowing across Japan from Tuesday after causing havoc in other Asian countries earlier this week. Japan reported that snow hit the city of Maniwa with a record 93cm in just 24 hours. One person died as a result of the storm and two other deaths related to it were being investigated as of yesterday, officials said. The bitter weather was expected to continue today. | Reuters…

WASHINGTON: Half of the mass attacks in the US from 2016-2020 were sparked by personal, domestic or workplace disputes, according to a new US Secret Service report that aims to prevent violence by identifying warning signs. The attackers were mostly men, often with histories of mental health issues, financial insecurity or engaging in domestic violence. Guns were typically the weapon of choice. The report comes days after a pair of mass shootings in California took the lives of 18 people, and as authorities searched for motives in the attacks. The 70-page report examined 173 incidents where three or more people were harmed. | Reuters…

Africa must fight against a slide towards strongman authoritarianism that has resulted in a series of military coups and a clampdown on civil society in many countries, Sudanese-British billionaire Mo Ibrahim said. Ibrahim’s foundation launched its Index of African Governance (IIAG) yesterday, which warned that advances in human development and economic opportunities were undermined by worsening security and widespread democratic backsliding. The study, which measured progress over the past decade on topics ranging from health and education to security and the rule of law, found that overall governance has flatlined since 2019. Much of Africa, it said, was less safe, secure and democratic now than in 2012. While many of the external shocks crippling the continent economically and socially in recent years were outside of Africans’ control, in an interview…

Economic experts expect another interest rate hike to be announced today. The predicted hike comes as unaudited data from the Central Energy Fund suggests there will be fuel price increases announced next week. Professor Bonke Dumisa, an independent economic analyst, said it was highly likely that the Reserve Bank would increase the interest rate by at least 50 basis points. “Unfortunately, inflation is at 7.2% and that is way above the target of 3-6%, so an interest rate hike will be necessary. “We have had three consecutive increases of 75 basis points and unfortunately, another 50 basis points interest rate increase won’t bring any relief to the consumer.” Dumisa added that there could be more interest rate hikes this year. Dr Sheunesu Zhou, an economist from the University of Zululand,…

INVESTMENT analyst Dr James Greener expresses disdain in his latest grumpy newsletter for those who believe electric cars are the future. “Loyal readers know that my antipathy towards electrically-powered vehicles began with doubtful scepticism, progressed through scientific dismissal and is now unalloyed schadenfreude. The YouTube motoring channels are today filled with master classes in a new psychiatric condition called range anxiety. Simply because their new cars display ridiculously accurate estimates of how far their sleek chariot will travel before the batteries are depleted, they foolishly believe it. “Add to this the fact that recharging is currently a bit of a gamble with uncertainty of location, accessibility and time to charge and you have the ingredients for a full-scale fret. “It’s rather odd when you recall that motorists are fairly used…

The DA in KwaZulu-Natal is extremely concerned by reports that a KZN dairy farm was recently forced to dump almost 12 000 litres of milk due to load shedding. This after an erratic power supply affected production. South Africa is already experiencing food shortages, with farmers struggling due to the load shedding crisis. Citizens can’t afford to pay more for dairy and other food products. The DA is doing all it can to fight back against this ANC-created crisis with, among others, a “power to the people” march to Luthuli House in Johannesburg. We are also prepared to fight back on behalf of our farmers over what they are being forced to suffer as a result of ANC incompetence. In this regard, the DA will pose questions to KZN Agriculture…

Former public protector Thuli Madonsela will be subpoenaed to appear before the parliamentary inquiry into the fitness of incumbent Busisiwe Mkhwebane to hold public office. This will also apply to former deputy public protector Kevin Malunga, who served during the terms of Madonsela and Mkhwebane. However, the Section 194 Committee put its foot down on a request to subpoena President Cyril Ramaphosa and Acting Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka. This emerged yesterday when the committee considered requests for subpoenas from Mkhwebane’s legal team for five individuals, but agreed to only two. The committee heard that Mkhwebane’s legal team wanted Madonsela, Gcaleka, DA MP Natasha Mazzone, Office of the Public Protector investigator Bianca Mvuyana and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to be subpoenaed. Madonsela had not responded to Mkhwebane’s legal team’s request…

A KwaZulu-Natal school principal came under attack yesterday morning when gunmen stormed into his office and fired shots. The principal of Indonsa Technical High School in Osizweni township in Newcastle has been taken to hospital. The KZN Department of Education confirmed the incident. “The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education can confirm that the principal of Indonsa High School in Newcastle was attacked by gunmen. All three bullets missed him,” said spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi. The motive for the attack is being investigated. Last year, The Mercury reported on several violent incidents in KZN schools. In September, a Pietermaritzburg high school principal was shot dead, allegedly by the husband of a teacher who worked at the school. In November, a Grade 12 pupil was stabbed to death by a Grade 10 pupil at…

THE failure by the eThekwini Municipality to discipline errant staff members could result in the municipality receiving a negative audit opinion from the office of the Auditor-General of South Africa, the city has been warned. The latest report from the municipality’s audit committee states that the municipality needs to implement the good governance directives issued by the AG’s office or risk getting a negative audit outcome. Among the concerns of poor governance are the continued incidents of irregular expenditure by the city and lack of consequence management against errant staff. The audit committee had briefed the councillors during the executive committee meeting on Tuesday on the municipality’s performance for the first quarter of the year, from July to September 2022. Audit committee chairperson Siboniso Shabalala said while the city…

It is with deep sadness and disbelief that we received the news of the passing of two foremost servants of the people in the Ugu District. Our condolences and comforting arms reach out to the families of councillor Phumlile Mthiyane and Dr Michael Sibusiso Ntombela, who were respectively the mayor and municipal manager of Ugu District. This numbing double blow has left a bitter taste in our mouths. These compatriots leave us at a time when they were earnestly contributing to reshaping the lives and fortunes of the 3.6 million residents of Ugu and the three surrounding districts of OR Tambo, Alfred Nzo and Harry Gwala. So, it is no exaggeration when we say that this loss will have dire consequences for the fortunes of KZN, Eastern Cape and…

At least eight people died after a boat crammed with scores of African migrants capsized off the Libyan coast, the local Red Crescent organisation said yesterday, adding that nearly 100 others had been rescued. Bodies washed ashore near the Libyan town of Castelverde 40km east of Tripoli after the boat sank on Tuesday, part of a growing number of deadly shipwrecks that have killed scores of migrants in the Mediterranean over the past year. The number of migrants and refugees seeking to cross to Europe in search of a safer or better life has grown since the Covid-19 pandemic, although it remains below the levels of 2014-15, humanitarian agencies say. According to the Red Crescent, which has been handling the search and rescue operations, witnesses to the disaster said nearly…

BEIRUT: The judge leading the investigation into Beirut’s deadly 2020 port blast refused yesterday to step down from the probe, rejecting charges brought against him by Lebanon’s top prosecutor, General Ghassan, in the politically charged case. Investigative judge Tarek Bitar this week dared to charge several powerful figures over the blast and revived a probe that was suspended for over a year. The August 4, 2020 blast destroyed much of Beirut port, killing more than 215 people and injuring over 6 500. The judicial arm-wrestling is the latest of Lebanon’s woes, as the value of its currency hit a new low against the US dollar yesterday. | AFP…

Johannesburg: South Africa and the US are to set up a task force to “follow the money” behind the illegal wildlife trade, US Treasury chief Janet Yellen said yesterday. Yellen made the announcement as she toured a game reserve north of Pretoria. “To protect wildlife populations from further poaching and disrupt the associated illicit trade, we must ‘follow the money’ in the same way we do with other serious crimes,” she said. The task force would help improve information sharing between financial intelligence units to better support law enforcement agencies in the two countries. Yellen was on the third stop of a continental tour aimed at forging an economic strategy with Africa. | AFP…

FORMER Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane is making a name for himself in Saudi Arabia after guiding Al-Ahli Saudi to the top of the second-tier Saudi First Division League. Mosimane and his charges have placed themselves among six teams vying for automatic promotion as they claimed an impressive 3-0 victory against Al Jabalain at home on Tuesday evening. Since joining Al-Ahli Saudi in September 2022, Mosimane has been on a remarkable unbeaten run. His team have won seven and drawn five of the 12 matches he has been in charge, contributing 25 to the 34 points total they currently have. It has been a remarkable turnaround for Al-Ahli Saudi since Mosimane’s arrival. The team were struggling in the bottom half of the standings when he took over, but he…

A BLOC of smaller parties which are in a coalition agreement with the ANC have resolved to put forward the name of councillor Zandile Myeni from the National Freedom Party (NFP) for the position of deputy mayor of eThekwini. The bloc met yesterday to consolidate their positions in preparation for the special council meeting today to fill the position of deputy mayor, council whip and an executive committee member. While Myeni had been considered the front-runner, it emerged yesterday that there were other contenders, including councillor Lwazi Nkomeni of the African Transformation Movement (ATM) and councillor Muzi Hlengwa of African People First (APF). However, after the meeting councillors from the bloc said they had resolved to support Myeni. The position of deputy mayor became vacant last year following the ousting…

The road to emotional wellness is paved with seemingly small actions that are within the grasp and ability of most who want a shift in their lives: Advocate for yourself. Do so in ways that may be new for you and for others who know you well. This does not mean you must become pushy or obnoxious and behave in a manner out of character for you. It simply means that you speak up for yourself in ways that you formerly knew were necessary, but you chose not to upset those around you. Initiate a new (or old) hobby or interest that you have really wanted to pursue or has been dormant within you. People grow when they are doing what they love to do, and so will you. Revitalise…

A health inspector once addressed the pupils at my school many years ago on the importance of drinking water regularly. He emphasised that a vital component in natural water was “dissolved oxygen” (not the atomic oxygen in a molecule of water) which was vital for the survival of all marine, river and stream life. He pointed out that what was often overlooked was that this dissolved O2 was also a very necessary component for humans to stay awake and alert throughout the working day. Suffocation on a continued basis will cause obvious brain damage and even death, but depriving the brain of dissolved oxygen has the ill effect of yawning and drowsiness. This could affect pupils’ concentration in class. One can easily survive without food for lengthy periods. But not…

The South African Music Rights Organisation (Samro) has collected more than R500 million in licensing revenue from music users such as radio stations, promoters and digital platforms and has now set its collection target at R1 billion in its next cycle. After posting growth in its revenue for the financial year 2021/2022, Samro chairperson Nicholas Maweni said the positive news meant that more money would flow into the hands of artists, including composers, authors, and publishers, come the upcoming royalty payment cycle this June. Samro charges a licence fee for music users who play music in the course of doing business. Maweni attributed the increase in the revenue collection to fewer Covid-19 restrictions, prudent measures to lower operating costs, increased compliance enforcement from venue owners and promoters, and increased collection…

A Phoenix e-hailing driver was gunned down in Duffs Road, Avoca, on Tuesday afternoon. Brandon Pillay, 44, of Palmview, had been transporting a passenger from Cornubia Mall just after 2.30pm when he was accosted by armed robbers. It is alleged Pillay, who had been driving a blue Renault, was approached by two armed men after he had stopped his vehicle. The passenger was robbed of her cellphone and bag. It is alleged that Pillay tried to drive away when one of the suspects shot him. His car came to a stop about 200m away. Kyle van Reenen, of Emer-G-Med Paramedics, said paramedics responded to reports of a shooting in the Avoca area. “A man was found lying in the back seat of a crashed Renault light motor vehicle. Closer inspection…

PARLIAMENT has asked members of the public to make written submissions on the latest draft bill that provides for independent candidates to contest elections in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. This comes after the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) came up with material amendments that required public consultation when the Electoral Amendment Bill was brought to it for concurrence. The National Assembly could not pass the bill by the December 10 deadline after the NCOP made amendments that sought to address concerns raised by parties and stakeholders during the public participation process. This prompted the home affairs portfolio committee to ask the National Assembly to request the Constitutional Court for an extension to finalise the Electoral Amendment Bill early this year. Last Friday, the apex court granted Parliament’s request…

‘I always believed we would succeed. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have continued.’ This is an extract from the book: Kalpana Hiralal, Sisters in the Struggle – Women of Indian origin in South Africa’s liberation Struggle 1900-1994, Vol 2 (Pretoria: Unisa Press, 2022) Frene Noshir Ginwala was born on April 25, 1932, in Johannesburg, to a Parsi (community belonging to the Zoroastrian faith) family. A small Parsi community settled in Natal in the late 19th century. Frene’s grandparents hailed from British India and later settled in Natal. Frene came from an affluent family, and her parents, Banoo and Nasserwanjee Sorabjee, placed great importance on educating their children. Frene and her sibling both attended university. Her sister Khorshad attained a medical degree at the National University of Ireland in Dublin, while Frene graduated…

US tech giant Microsoft said yesterday it was working to fix a networking problem that had left users across the world struggling to access tools like Outlook and Teams. Thousands of incidents were logged by the tracking website Downdetector, with complaints spiking in the hour from 7am GMT and particularly affecting users in Asia and Europe. “We’ve isolated the problem to a networking configuration issue, and we are analysing the best mitigation strategy to address it without causing additional impact,” the firm said. Microsoft did not reveal how many users were affected. But its update said the issues were causing problems in several apps on the Microsoft 365 online office suite, which has more than 300 million users. Thousands were taking to social media to register dismay at the…

LONDON: The head of Britain’s biggest police force yesterday apologised after another of his officers was convicted of sex crimes, and admitted that on average two to three officers faced criminal charges in court every week. The Metropolitan Police is battling to restore its reputation after a serving officer was jailed for life for the kidnap, rape and murder of a young woman in south London in 2021. Earlier this month another officer admitted committing 24 rapes and a string of other sex offences, prompting fresh questions about lax vetting. The Met has said 1 071 of its officers had been or are under investigation for domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. | AFP…

HUNDREDS gathered to applaud Jacinda Ardern as she left New Zealand’s parliament after resigning as prime minister yesterday. Chris Hipkins was sworn in as her replacement. Ardern said last week she no longer had “enough in the tank” after steering the country through natural disasters, its worst-ever terror attack and the Covid-19 pandemic. Hipkins was sworn in by Governor-General Cindy Kiro during a ceremony in the capital Wellington, saying he was “energised and excited by the challenges ahead”. “This is the biggest privilege and responsibility of my life,” he said. The 44-year-old is now tasked with reversing the government’s sagging popularity, which has been hampered by a deteriorating economy and a resurgent conservative opposition. Ardern made her last public appearance as prime minister earlier yesterday, walking out of the distinctive…