Mercury içinde 2022-06-08 için içindekiler tablosu

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has voluntarily subjected himself to appear before the ANC integrity commission, saying he has nothing to hide following former State Security Agency (SSA) director-general Arthur Fraser’s assertions that he tried to conceal a crime at his Limpopo farm. The crime involves the farm being robbed of an alleged $4 million (about R61m). Ramaphosa further denied any involvement in “criminal conduct”, saying the money stolen were the proceeds from the “business transaction of selling animals” because he was a game farmer. In a statement, the ANC National Working Committee (NWC), said after its meeting on Monday that it welcomed and commended the decision by the president to voluntarily present himself to the ANC Integrity Commission, led by veteran politician, George Mashamba, in line with ANC policy. The statement…

When a team of scientists listened to an audio clip recorded underwater off islands in central Indonesia, they heard what sounded like a campfire. Instead, it was a coral reef, teeming with life, according to a study scientists from British and Indonesian universities published last month, in which they used hundreds of such audio clips to train a computer program to monitor the health of a coral reef by listening to it. A healthy reef has a complex “crackling, campfire-like” sound because of all the creatures living on and in it, while a degraded reef sounds more desolate, life sciences specialist and the team’s lead researcher Ben Williams said. The artificial intelligence (AI) system parses data points such as the frequency and loudness of the sound from the audio clips,…

As a former service station operator please permit me to comment on Narendh Ganesh’s letter on fuel price increases (The Mercury, June 7). While his observation on overnight profits is correct, it bears remembering that the cost of the next delivery will be substantially more and for most operators it will impact heavily on their cash flow and the “profit” is needed to keep solvent. It must also be noted that oil companies expect immediate payment for a delivery and debit the operator’s account the same evening and in the case of dubious customers they demand payment upfront, which in today’s terms can be in the order of R700 000 plus as loads of over 30 000 litres are the required minimum purchase. Which is why guarantees of over R1…

A DISTASTEFUL movie The Lady of Heaven has been released which aims to depict events or history after the Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him – PBUH) passing in relation to his daughter. The derogatory film, directed by Elli King and written by hate-monger Sheikh Yasser Al-Habib, falsely describes and misrepresents established historical facts by promoting false or weak narratives, lies, false stories and inaccuracies about Fatima al-Zahra, the beloved, favourite daughter of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) and the wife of Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet. The offensive film produced by UK’s enlightened kingdom supports the claim by Muslims that the West continuously disrespects the sentiments of Muslims and their religious beliefs, Islamic history and scriptures. I appeal to my brothers and sisters in faith to voice their…

The former couple convicted more than eight months ago of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm and child neglect for abusing their daughter are still awaiting sentencing. The sentencing of the mother, 24 and father, 26, was postponed on several occasions as the man’s advocate was ill. The couple cannot be identified to protect the child’s identity. The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, this week again postponed the matter, to July 19, because the advocate has since been diagnosed with cancer. Judge Hennie de Vos urged the father to obtain a new defence counsel. The child was taken from the care of her parents in June 2020 after she landed up in hospital for the second time with multiple bone and rib fractures. She is now living with…

A 27-year-old unemployed man has been arrested for allegedly buying a R460 000 car with fraudulent papers in Limpopo, the Hawks said. The man was arrested in Gauteng on Saturday. “It is alleged that on September 3, 2021, the suspect visited a vehicle dealership in Makhado and showed interest in a Toyota Avanza valued at R460 019. The suspect did not have the necessary documents when applying for a vehicle finance loan. But the salesperson promised to arrange the required documents at a cost of R5 000,” said Hawks spokesperson Captain Matimba Maluleke. After his application was approved by the bank, the vehicle was delivered to him. “Shortly after, the bank conducted an audit and noticed that the applicant’s payslip was fraudulent. The case was opened and referred to the…

THE two Houses of Parliament will soon be considering a proposed 3% salary increase for all members of the judiciary, the judges and the magistrates, which will be backdated to April 2021. This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa sent the presiding officers draft notices and schedules determining the rate at which salaries, allowances and benefits are payable for members of the judiciary. Ramaphosa sent the notices and schedules for the approval of Parliament after the Independent Commission on the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers made its recommendations. In one of his letters dated May 26, the president said he received annual salary recommendations for the Constitutional Court judges, judges of other courts and other public office-bearers from the commission. “Having considered the commission’s recommendations and serious economic challenges facing the country,…

Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi either does not read, or she has a comprehension problem or is simply inept. Despite Judge Bernard Ngoepe’s judgment of April 4 that ordered News24 to issue a corrective statement, she still persists that Eskom skimped on planned maintenance to keep the lights on during my tenure. Despite Judge Ngoepe’s ruling, Kubayi said in an interview with Xoli Mngambi on Newzroom Afrika on June 2, in her capacity as economic head of the ANC Economic Transformation Committee, that Eskom’s problems are attributable to me. Interestingly, on the very same morning, Refilwe Moloto hosted Mr Shamil Ishmail on her CapeTalk breakfast show to talk about Prima- Research’s report titled “Shedding light on Eskom”. Ishmail is the director of PrimaResearch in Cape Town. Ishmail nailed…

US SENATORS Mitt Romney and Jon Ossoff sent a request to the State Department this week for a “full and transparent investigation” into the death of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian American journalist who was killed while reporting on an Israeli military raid in the West Bank last month. The two senators also urged the Biden administration to ensure “justice is served.” “The killing of a US citizen and of a journalist engaged in the work of reporting in a conflict zone is unacceptable,” the senators wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “Press freedom is a core American value, and we cannot accept impunity when journalists are killed in the line of duty,” they wrote. The State Department did not respond overnight to a request from…

LOS ANGELES: the heirs of an author whose article inspired the 1986 film Top Gun have sued Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement. Three decades after the blockbuster original, which was based on Ehud Yonay’s 1983 magazine article, “Top Guns”, Paramount released a sequel last month that has topped North America’s box office. In their complaint filed to a California court, Shosh Yonay and Yuval Yonay, the writer’s widow and son who live in Israel, allege that the story’s copyright was returned to them in 2020, “but Paramount deliberately ignored this, thumbing its nose at the statute”. Paramount said the claims were without merit. | AFP…

NEARLY six months after placing two top executives on precautionary suspension, Mhlathuze Water has decided to take disciplinary steps against its chief executive and chief financial officer. The move was announced yesterday by the water entity after months of speculation about the fate of CEO Mthokozisi Duze and CFO Babongile Mnyandu. The two were placed on what the entity referred to as “special leave” in December. However, in yesterday’s statement the entity said the two had been on precautionary suspension. “The board of Mhlathuze Water has resolved to take disciplinary action against its chief executive, Mr Mthokozisi Duze and chief financial officer, Ms Babongile Mnyandu, on charges of financial misconduct and maladministration,” the entity confirmed. The statement said the decision followed an intensive investigation commissioned by the board in December…

“CAN you help me get into America? I have many years experience teaching 3- and 4-year-olds but no formal training. I am single and can travel. Can I come on a tourist visa and then get a green card to become an American?” Legal immigration (Who would want to come any other way?) is very difficult for people without “formal training”. Even for those who are highly qualified and highly skilled it is no cakewalk. No, I cannot assist you. There is no pathway or track for me to assist you. To teach children in the US requires at least a four-year degree from a “legitimate” university or an accredited college, although I am sure there are exceptions to this expectation. Once in the US on a tourist visa, it…

THE President of the Republic of South Africa, the Honourable Cyril Ramaphosa, Sir: As speculation abounds about an alleged robbery at your farm in Limpopo involving a substantial yet undisclosed amount of money, which was apparently not reported to the police, it is understandable that the bloodhounds are now in a feeding frenzy calling for your scalp. That goes with the territory of being the head honcho of a republic besieged by corruption. However, I think it would be prudent for the citizenry to hold its horses before the finer details emerge through careful investigations in this regard. This correspondence therefore is neither accusatorial nor an indictment on a matter that, at best, will be pure conjecture and probably malicious – without the hindsight of proper evidence. But it does…

Gilbert & Sullivan – great stuff! I am the monarch of the sea, Ruler of the Queen’s navee, Whose praises Britain loudly chants Female chorus: And so do his sisters and his cousins and his aunts, His sisters and his cousins and his aunts. ’TWAS a highly entertaining evening at the St Clement’s arts soirée this week as retired judge (and music fundi) Chris Nicholson gave a presentation on Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera with snatches of sound. While at anchor here I ride My bosom swells with pride, And I snap my fingers at the foeman’s taunts, Female chorus: And so do his sisters and his cousins and his aunts, His sisters and his cousins and his aunts. I’ve often wondered how comical the First Lord of…

ETHEKWINI Municipality’s deputy mayor Philani Mavundla says the city understands the plight of those who have been living in shelters, community halls and places of worship since the April floods. Mavundla’s comment comes after a group of people, who claimed to be displaced flood victims staying at temporary shelters in eThekwini, invaded the City Hall on Monday afternoon and held a sit-in, demanding answers pertaining to when proper housing will be delivered. Municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said Mavundla had explained to the group what support the municipality had been providing to those in shelters. He had also explained the challenges of resettling displaced flood victims in proper housing, and the process to be followed. “City officials are currently profiling the protesters to establish if they are indeed flood victims and…

The killing of councillors and other public representatives in KwaZulu-Natal has prompted a joint meeting of the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and Community Safety Committees. Cogta committee chairperson, Zinhle Cele, confirmed that the committee had agreed that a joint meeting with the province’s community safety portfolio committee would be called. “We are very concerned about the spate of killings which are not just limited to councillors, but now stretch to traditional leaders such as izinduna and amakhosi,” Cele said last night. She indicated that the date for the joint meeting would be discussed during the week. The move comes after concerns across the political divide in the KZN Legislature at a Cogta portfolio meeting yesterday. During the meeting of the committee, Cogta MEC Sipho Hlomuka…

COMAIR has voluntarily suspended and grounded all its operations due to an immense liquidity crisis. It is a heartbreaking tale to recount the meteoric ascent, descent and crash of the most well-run airline that had a 40% share of the local aviation market. It is an intimate part of our aviation history. An iconic airline is in deep trouble due to a combination of factors, which include mismanagement, ill-timed decisions, Covid-19 and a complete lack of important aircraft maintenance procedures. If the airline is financially defunct, the chances of resurrection are extremely remote. Due to the impact brought about by Covid-19, Comair entered into a voluntary business rescue plan on May 5, 2020. Since its inception in 1946 it took pride in the high level of skill among its airline…

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to shore up his leadership yesterday by setting out a raft of new policies to ministers after he narrowly survived a confidence vote that revealed the scale of the threat to his position. Johnson won the ballot of Conservative Party MPs on Monday by 211 votes to 148 – enough to avoid having to immediately resign but a larger than anticipated rebellion within his party that leaves him wounded and battling to win back the confidence of his colleagues and the general public. His first challenge is to convince his most senior allies, some of whom would have been likely to run to replace him if he had been forced out, that he will be able to move on from questions about his leadership.…

Lara Goodall’s contribution with the bat in the second T20 international provided an apt illustration of the change in attitude the Proteas women brought to their overall performance to square the series with Ireland. In the first match at the Pembroke Cricket Club in Dublin, Goodall, tentatively pushed at the first delivery she faced from off-spinner Rachael Delaney and was out caught behind. In the second match, she slapped a six and four off the third and fourth deliveries she faced, setting the tone for the South Africans as they chased down the Irish’s meagre target of 107 for the loss of just two wickets with 30 balls to spare on Monday evening. “It wasn’t our best performance in that first match. Sune (Luus, the captain) sat us down, had…

US-based Bafana Bafana striker Bongokuhle Hlongwane has been living the American dream while making his mark in Major Soccer League for his club Minnesota United. The strong-running Hlongwane will be spearheading Bafana’s attack against Morocco in tomorrow’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Group K qualifier in Rabat (9pm kickoff). He is one of the players around which coach Hugo Broos is building a national team for the future. Although Hlongwane has been playing well and has established himself as a key player for Minnesota, he has not been able to score after 14 matches since he joined in January from Maritzburg United. He is always one of the club’s favourite picks for Minnesota’s marketing campaigns in the media. It’s somewhat strange for Minnesota fans because they had anticipated that…

BEING the “party capital” of the country could soon be a thing of the past for Durban after eThekwini Municipality slashed its budget to fund events hosted in the city. In the 2022/23 budget passed by the council yesterday, the budget set aside to fund events in the city has been reduced to just R16 million. This is almost half of what it was in the 2019/20 financial year. A report stated that the events budget has been reduced from R30.9m in the 2019/20 financial year. Some opposition parties have previously raised concerns that the city was not in the position to support events. DA councillor Nicole Graham said: “There are still numerous parties and events being hosted under the Parks, Recreation and Culture and Durban Tourism budgets. We believe…

I am glad that her majesty Queen Elizabeth celebrated the Platinum Jubilee that occurred on June 4. Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne for seven decades since 1952 and leaves a good legacy for many generations to come. She made the UK a great nation by making it a democratic nation, and has been loyal and worked hard, playing her role effectively, because the UK is one of the richest countries in the world. Everyone wishes to be a British citizen around the world because the nation is a well-developed country with high standards of services. It’s different from Zimbabwe, which was a British colony but failed to maintain the state. Zimbabwe gained independence on April 18, 1980, and is still a shambles. Instead of copying what the UK…

In the midst of a global crisis the British partied like never before. For a few days, in a great show of national pride, they indulged in a magical atmosphere of revelry, putting all their worries of tomorrow to the back of their minds. The queen came first; the rest – the Ukraine war, world recession, food shortages in many nations around the world, the rising cost of fuel and the threat of a nuclear war were all forgotten. Perhaps they followed the example of the prime minister who partied at 10 Downing Street while the country was under lockdown. Thousands gathered at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the queen’s platinum jubilee with all the pomp and pageantry of royalty. In towns and villages, in Commonwealth countries and even around the…

Child maintenance defaulters who quit work as a way of dodging their obligations have something coming their way. The South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC), the body responsible for legal reforms in the country, has recommended that the Maintenance Act be amended to allow for attachment of a portion of pension benefits of such defaulters. The same should apply to those who retire or are dismissed from work. “It is the commission’s view that the act should regulate the issue of future maintenance and give the maintenance court the power to make an order for future maintenance,” said the SALRC’s discussion paper, titled The Review of the Maintenance Act. “To make this possible the definition of ‘maintenance order’ in the act needs … to include a provision that should a…

The demand by Irish budget airline Ryanair that South African passport holders must take a test in Afrikaans before boarding flights to the UK borders on discrimination, the Pan South African Language Board (PanSalb) has said. “Just when we thought things couldn’t be more bizarre in our international community, along comes Ryanair (with) a policy which clearly smacks of discrimination because in effect what it is doing is not only trampling on our South African constitutional democracy but also it is adverse and not congruent with our linguistic diversity,” PanSalb chief executive officer Lance Craig Schultz has said. He said the policy also showed ignorance of the UN Declaration on Human Rights. “What it has done is that it has excluded mother tongue languages where the vast majority of South…

KwaZulu-Natal arrested more than 9 000 suspects in May. “With the rise in contact crimes in the province, police continued with efforts to ensure that the perpetrators of crime are brought to book,” said provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala. Of the 9 312 people arrested, 195 were arrested for murder and 124 for attempted murder. She said 231 suspects were arrested for rape, 1 844 for assault, 33 for hijacking, 231 for burglary, 288 for malicious damage to property, 322 for robbery and 24 for stock theft. In addition, 289 people were nabbed for drunk driving. Gwala said police also seized a large quantity of stolen vehicles, vehicle parts and motorcycles. “Second-hand goods dealers were charged for failing to comply with the Second Hands Goods Act and…

Mining company’s activities must be probed Glencore has a lot to explain if the reports coming out of the US are anything to go by. The US Department of Justice made a dramatic announcement last month that Glencore pleaded guilty to and entered into a plea bargain to pay fines of more than $1.1 billion (R17bn) for bribery and market manipulation in several countries including the US itself, Brazil and seven African countries. South Africa was not mentioned as one of those countries, but there is a catch. The US Justice Department indicated that “fines from other jurisdictions are in the pipeline and Glencore has agreed to co-operate in continuing investigations”. Do we need to read anything else from the US statement, or must South Africans be content that…

Russia yesterday reported that forces had taken full control of residential neighbourhoods in Ukraine’s flashpoint city of Severodonetsk, after Kyiv said its troops were fighting on in the eastern hub despite being outnumbered. “The residential areas of Severodonetsk have been fully liberated,” Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told a defence ministry meeting. The Russian army was still seeking to establish control over the city’s “industrial zone and the nearest settlements”, he added, amid conflicting reports of who is in control of what. Moscow has been pushing for control of the strategic industrial hub as part of its bid to conquer a vast swathe of eastern Ukraine but Kyiv’s forces have so far managed to hold out. “Our heroes are holding their positions in Severodonetsk. Fierce street fights continue in the…

Mexico City: A new caravan with more than 10 000 migrants has left Mexico with the aim of reaching the US border. The largest contingent so far this year, made up of Central American, South American and Caribbean migrants, departed late on Monday from the city of Tapachula in the Mexican state of Chiapas on the border with Guatemala. Many of its members have been waiting for months to regularise their immigration status in Mexico and legally transit to the US border. The caravan coincides with the start of the ninth Summit of the Americas, where heads of state and government will meet in Los Angeles on June 6-10 to address the increase in irregular migratory flows. | IANS…

Team South Africa won’t be on a “holiday” when they take on the rest of the continent at the African athletics championships in Mauritius from today. A 90-strong team, the biggest at the event, jetted off to the Indian Ocean island to participate at the Cote d’Or National Sports Complex until Sunday. Athletics SA’s track and field commission chairperson Jean Verster said that Mzansi’s finest were hoping to top the overall medal table. At the last championships in 2018 in Asaba, Nigeria, SA harvested a 31-medal haul, but were officially second on the list to Kenya, as they earned 11 golds to SA’s nine. But Team SA’s hopes of matching those feats won’t be high in Mauritius, as they are without the likes of Wayde van Niekerk and Ruswahl Samaai,…