Table of contents for 2021-05-24 in Mercury

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za A DEAL by South Africa's banking conglomerate Absa to offload its Asset Management Unit to Sanlam hinted at this week could create a R900 billion mammoth to chafe the heels of the Public Investment Corporation. There were no confirmations of the deal by either parties this week but analysis pondered whether the offering would also include the lucrative Money Market Fund. Absa had by the end of last year about R270 billion under the management of its Asset Management wing. Absa is reported to be mulling the decision, citing risk to its business due to clients’ belief its investments “held the same degree of safety of safety as cash in a savings account”. Pundits said this week Absa was in talks with both Sanlam and partner…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health believes that all measures have been put in place to prevent the province from being overwhelmed by the third wave of Covid-19 infections. Head of department Dr Sandile Tshabalala told The Mercury in a phone interview that they were very concerned about the growing number of infections. “We are preparing like we are in the worst-case scenario, but we do not believe we are going to reach those numbers, or be overwhelmed,” he said. Health experts have warned that the country needs to intensify its vaccination campaign to avoid the third wave of infections, saying it could be more devastating than the previous waves. The national Health Department revealed at the weekend that the country had recorded its highest rate of infections,…

FAROUK ARAIE | Benoni IN AN article dated August 24, 2015, The New York Times published a piece titled “Gaza Gulag on the Mediterranean”. The Gaza strip is “an open air gulag”, the Robben Island of the Middle East. In this raging firefight, the aggressor is using bureaucratic euphemisms such as “adequate response”and “retaliation” to sanitise different forms of murder. Wars would be unsustainable if enough soldiers and civilians were so shocked and disgusted by killing, maiming, deprivation and destruction that they withdrew their support. Can it be proportional to use massive air power at low altitudes and risk hundreds of innocent civilian lives? Uncontrollable wars of aggression have made this era of history among the most perilous ever. Today’s brutal conflict in Gaza is an evolved…

KEVIN GOVENDER | Shallcross A FRENCH woman who lost her divorce case has filed a legal appeal with the European Court of Human Rights after French courts ruled that she had violated her “marital duty” by refusing to have sex with her husband. Feminist groups are in an uproar as they view this as sexual servitude within the marriage institution. In 2019 an appeal court in Versailles found that a woman, 66, was the only one to blame for the collapse of her marriage because of her protracted refusal to have sex with her husband. In her defence the woman declared that it was partly due to her poor health and her husband’s violent ways. The court, however, found that her refusal constituted a “serious violation of the…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE MSUNDUZI Municipality is fearful that the allocation of government flats in the Jika Joe informal settlement will create tension and could lead to clashes within the community. The flats are for rent and the application process is currently open. Those qualifying to occupy the flats would pay about R400 a month in rentals. The municipality warned that those who are not allocated flats could cause problems. “I am concerned that there might be challenges when it comes to the allocation of the houses,” said municipal manager Madoda Khathide. He said the problem was that the RDP houses meant to accommodate those who do not qualify for the flats were not yet ready. “We know that not all of the people would be allocated houses; there are…

Vernon Mchunu vernon.mchunu@inl.co.za A DARK cloud continued to linger over the Zulu royal family following the sudden death on Friday of senior Prince Thiza. As a senior member of the royal household, Prince Thiza, half-brother to the late King Goodwill Zwelithini, died while busy with arrangements for the coronation of King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, family spokesperson Prince Thulani Zulu said. Described as untimely, the death comes amid a pending court challenge of the late king’s will, by his first wife, Queen Sibongile, and her two daughters, Ntandoyenkosi and Ntombizosuthu. The will, read to a full house of the 200-member strong family shortly after the plantation of the Regent Queen two weeks ago, announced King Misuzulu as heir to the lucrative and powerful throne. Death struck while Prince Thiza was alone in…

SOUTH Africa is years away from being able to manufacture a Covid-19 vaccine from scratch and investment in biotechnology will be crucial for the country to play its role in the supply of vaccines to the rest of Africa and other developing countries. Vaccine nationalism has exposed the great inequality that exists in the world with developed nations having hoarded enough vaccines to provide for their citizens three or four times over, while many developing countries have not even vaccinated a small percentage of their populations. With globalisation, the ideal would have been for all countries to achieve herd immunity at the same time. Vaccine nationalism only leaves the door open for the virus to mutate and for stronger variants to challenge the efficacy of existing vaccines. This inequality makes…

GOMA: A smoking trail of lava from a volcanic eruption covered hundreds of houses in eastern Congo yesterday, leaving residents to pick gingerly through the wreckage even though the flow halted just short of the major city of Goma. Goma was thrown into panic at the weekend as Mount Nyiragongo erupted, turning the night sky an eerie red and sending a wall of orange lava downhill towards the lakeside city of about 2 million people. Thousands fled on foot with their belongings, some towards the nearby border with Rwanda. As the sun rose yesterday a smouldering black gash could be seen on the outskirts of Goma, where the lava had cooled to rubble. At some points it was three storeys high, engulfing even large buildings and sending smoke into…

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won Formula One’s showcase Monaco Grand Prix yesterday to lead the world championship for the first time in his career. The 23-year-old Dutch driver started the day 14 points behind Mercedes’ seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton and ended it four clear of the Briton with 18 races remaining on the schedule. Hamilton finished seventh, gaining an extra consolation point for the fastest lap after making a late stop for fresh tyres. “It’s so special around here to win and, also for me, the first time on the podium here. An amazing race,” said Verstappen, who had everything under control from start to finish. “You always want to win this grand prix. I remember when I was very little, already watching this grand prix, so standing here…

INVESTEC is looking to build on the momentum it achieved in the second half of its 2021 financial year, after it was hurt by the Covid-19-related disruption in the first half in the year to the end of March. The financial services group reported a 14.7 percent decline in adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations to 28.9 pence (R5.69) a share, with second-half earnings outperforming the first half by 58.1 percent. The group said it expected adjusted earnings per share in the 2022 financial year to improve from 28.9p to between 36p and 41p. Chief executive Fani Titi said the 2021 financial year was a tale of two halves. “The first-half performance was characterised by difficult and volatile market and economic conditions attributable primarily to Covid-19.…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za FIFTEEN Newcastle Municipality workers have been suspended for failing to wear masks inside the municipality’s premises. It is alleged that the workers were issued “precautionary suspension” letters on Thursday, suspending them until further notice. The municipality’s communications manager, Mlungisi Khumalo, confirmed the incident, saying the workers failed to wear masks and had therefore flouted Covid-19 regulations. He said the “precautionary suspensions” afforded the employees 48 hours to give substantial reasons as to why the municipality should not pursue disciplinary processes. “The municipality strongly believes that the exercise gave the employees ample opportunity to self-introspect and take into consideration that a deadlier coronavirus third wave can only be minimised by a responsible citizenry, and a much more responsible front line workforce,” he said. According to Khumalo, a municipal…

Indiana Jones’s fedora and Harry Potter’s glasses are among more than 1 200 film and television memorabilia items going under the hammer in June at the Prop Store in California. Matt Truex, marketing manager at the Prop Store, said the auction was the biggest they had ever held and he expected keen interest from collectors. “One of the hottest items in our auction is this original Harrison Ford fedora hat from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the second film,” Truex told Reuters. Among the hundreds of items, collectors will find memorabilia from films like Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Batman, Elf, Top Gun and The Muppets. Harry Potter’s wand and eyeglasses promise to be one of the most sought-after items. “The exciting part for this as well is that…

MALCOLM MITCHELL | Hillcrest THE front-page headline article on The Mercury (May 21) states that Durban Harbour has been ranked among the bottom three of 351 container handling ports in the world in a World Bank report. To me this is an entirely expected finding. As long ago as 1999 the report of a study into the South African transport system, termed “Moving South Africa” – initiated by the then-minister Mac Maharaj – commented very unfavourably on the state and efficient operation of the Durban port and identified that, of the four primary interrelated freight transport system issues in South Africa, “general cargo import and export was the area requiring most attention”. The study also proposed measures to improve the situation. What was the reaction of Portnet/Transnet?…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West THE words in this message aren’t mine. The message is. I adapted them because I find that silence and ignorance pollinate the prejudiced Islamophobes wherever they hide. Permit me to share. Someone wrote on social media that Muslims are terrorists; alternatively they are intolerant and extremely anti other religions. It is critical I set a place for the record for posterity. Who are the terrorists? Are George W Bush or Tony Blair terrorists? Millions have died because of a false narrative of weapons of mass destruction. None was found. A German Muslim scholar was once asked about terrorism and Islam. In another sentence, the interviewer’s narrative was that Islam and terrorism were synonymous. That scholar’s reply is most illuminating and I…

TARRYN-LEIGH SOLOMONS ALL eyes will be on the Pietermaritzburg High Court this week as former president Jacob Zuma’s new lawyers present their case on the corruption, racketeering and money-laundering charges against him. Zuma, who appeared in court on Monday last week, pulled what some have described as another delaying tactic when he brought an application demanding that prosecutor advocate Billy Downer withdraw from the matter. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has since confirmed receipt of Zuma’s plea document. NPA spokesperson Sipho Ngwema said: “We are studying the document and we will submit our response in court as expected. “At face value, it looks like a regurgitation of the old false issues that have been previously rejected by the courts. “However, the matter is now sub judice. We will deal…

The bodies of three fishermen, who went missing after they were attacked by a hippo on the Pongolapoort dam in Jozini last week, have been recovered. Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said the bodies of the fishermen were recovered on Saturday. She said the incident occurred last Wednesday, at about 4pm, in the small town situated in northern KwaZulu Natal. Gwala said the three fishermen were placing their gill nets into the water using a home-made raft when they were attacked. Police officers from Empangeni Search and Rescue, with Operational Response Service Richards Bay, received a report of fishermen who were attacked by a hippo in the Pongolapoort dam the next day, on May 20, she said. Gwala said the members conducted vessel patrols but were unable to locate…

THE search is on for the young woman who will follow in the footsteps of the current Miss South Africa, Shudufhadzo Musida. Entries will open for Miss SA 2021 today from 5pm and will close on June 24 at midnight. Stephanie Weil of the Miss SA Organisation said: “We are delighted that the Miss SA brand continues to provide a leading voice for the winners but also all the young entrants and finalists who join us as a part of this empowerment platform. We can’t wait to meet the class of 2021 and introduce them to all of South Africa.” This year’s Miss SA pageant will be held in October when Musida will hand over her crown to her successor. Miss SA 2021 will have the chance to represent her…

ABOUT two months ago something extraordinary in state-to-state relations happened: US President Joseph Biden called, or, to be more precise, agreed, that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was a “killer”. On March 17, 2021, Mr Biden gave an interview to ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. At a certain point in this conversation, the journalist asked this: “So, you know Vladimir Putin, you think he is a killer?” In response, Mr Biden simply nodded and said: “Mm-hmm, I do.” We believe that before we move on with our discussion, we should first mention that regardless of motivation behind the US leader’s reply, regardless of the context – what he said was unacceptable. In recent times it became quite common for Western mainstream media to talk about a “tougher stance” that President Biden…

GAZANS and aid agencies are racing to head off medical crises as hospitals already overrun with injuries from the 11-day bombardment by Israel struggle to treat a surge in coronavirus cases from packed shelters. Tens of thousands of people crowded into underground chambers, community centres and other places across Gaza seeking to avoid the Israeli airstrikes, causing the virus to spread. At the same time, the attacks left more than 1 900 people injured across Gaza before the ceasefire took effect on Friday. At least 248 people in Gaza and 12 in Israel were killed in the conflict. “It has become a double burden during these 12 days,” said Abdel-Latif al-Hajj, a physician and director of international co-operation for Gaza’s Health Ministry. “We are facing many more Covid-19 cases and…

Liverpool and Chelsea grabbed the final two Champions League places but Leicester City fell short of a top-four finish for the second successive season on a nerve-jangling final day of the Premier League season yesterday. Liverpool avoided any drama as they beat Crystal Palace 2-0 to finish in third spot. Chelsea lost 2-1 at Aston Villa - a result that could have been curtains for them in the top-four battle. Yet they were saved as arch-rivals Tottenham twice came from a goal down to win 4-2 at Leicester City. Harry Kane was on target for Tottenham to win the Premier League Golden Boot award for the third time with 23 goals while Gareth Bale struck twice late on. Liverpool finished on 69 points with Chelsea on 67 and Leicester on…

Aishah Cassiem aishah.cassiem@inl.co.za AS BLACK-OWNED businesses continue their struggle to secure financial assistance from banks, while others endure the abrupt termination of their bank accounts without valid reasons, the banking ombudsman stressed that they are there as a last resort and as a form of recourse to investigate any possibility of unfair treatment. The banking sector has since the start of the pandemic been accused of discrimination, seeing the collapse of several black businesses, but the Banking Ombudsman Services of SA (OBS SA) has argued that if banks are found guilty of any misconduct, including discrimination, then the “OBS has the power to put things right”. OBS communications manager Kwanda Vabaza said that there are always possibilities for companies to seek recourse and that OBS has jurisdiction to handle…

THE US equity market has all the makings of a “grey rhino” – a term coined by Michele Wucker and defined as “not random surprises, but occur after a series of warnings and visible evidence”. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, consumer confidence provides an indication of future developments of households’ consumption and saving, based upon answers regarding their expected financial situation, their sentiment about the general economic situation, unemployment and capability of savings. Yes, their confidence about the future economic situation. It is therefore no coincidence that there is an almost perfect correlation between US consumer confidence and the US stock market rating as measured by Robert Shiller’s cyclically adjusted price-to-earnings ratio (PE10) for the S&P Composite Index based on average inflation-adjusted earnings from the previous…

Vuyolwethu Fundam Vuyolwethu.Fundam@africannewsagency.com PETS can be stressed for a variety of reasons, including being in an unfamiliar environment, separation anxiety, or a lack of socialising. According to experts, long-term stress can lead to full-blown anxiety and behavioural issues. “Pets are social beings by nature. When that is taken away from them, it may result in behavioural issues, such as your pet becoming destructive, among other things,” says Allan Perrins, of the Animal Welfare Society of SA. As a pet parent, it’s important to recognise the warning signs early on, so you can take swift action. Signs your dog is stressed Anxious or tense dogs may whine or bark to get your attention. Dogs, like people, pace when they’re nervous. Even though it’s natural for them to shake after a bath,…

Excitement for business opportunities as hemp permits are on the cards for October Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za CANNABIS farming could provide a good opportunity for entrepreneurs, especially those from previously disadvantaged groups, to enter the economic space. This is according to farming organisations, commenting after Economic Development and Tourism MEC Ravi Pillay’s announcement that the department was fast-tracking the granting of licences and permits to interested parties. Delivering the department’s R3.3 billion budget at the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature on Friday, Pillay said there had been a lot of excitement from interested parties keen to explore the cannabis market. “We have to date received 238 applications for Hemp Cultivation Permits. The Minister of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has just announced that permits are expected to be issued from October 2021…

THE Stormers this time won a see-saw contest on Saturday – for a long time the sides were on 22 each and a draw might have been the fairest outcome. ‘Twas a game played in miserable conditions, made all the more miserable by the way the TV camera kept panning on my rightful seat in the grandstand at Kings Park. Sigh! Will things ever get back to normal? The Sharks again played in white, not our traditional black and white. Am I missing something? Are our guys now being sponsored by a steam laundry or a soap powder manufacturer? But they do have “Durban” stamped across their backsides. No chance of their winding up in Magoebaskloof or somewhere. Haircuts and hormones DR PETER Quantock, of Empangeni (aka Taffy Zulu), says…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof IT’S winter and it’s aloe time and I can’t resist writing about them again. Most plants have shed their leaves, leaving many gardens dull and bare. But gardeners are largely to blame if their gardens look so drab in winter. Most gardens in the country are filled with expensive, exotic plants which require tender, loving care – water, fertiliser, insecticides and pesticides. Gardeners say that our local plants are unattractive. Yet if they care to look around there are many indigenous plants in our country which put on a splendid display in winter. There’s the striking aloe, iconic red hot poker, plectranthus, wild dagga, dissotis princeps, Watsonia and many more. These plants need little care and still put on a display in the dry…

I saw something really beautiful yesterday, another example of how life can be simultaneously beautiful and brutal. My immediate neighbour’s 40-something-year-old son from our home church was buried after a short struggle with a rare strain of an equally rare form of cancer. Quite spontaneously his 15-year-old son went up to the pulpit during the service and gave a tribute to his dad. He said his dad taught him to drive at 13, taught him to ride a motorcycle, taught him that most risks are worth taking, that very little in life is dangerous. Much to the crowd’s warm amusement and then applause, the boy paid tribute to his dad for the one gift he said he couldn’t return, his attention deficit disorder! About 100 motorcyclists showed up at the…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za PARTIES across the political spectrum have welcomed the news of the appointment of the new Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife board. The new board was announced by KwaZulu-Natal Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Edtea) MEC Ravi Pillay on Friday. “A new board for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife will be in place by July this year. The chief executive vacancy will be filled. In the short-term, budgetary constraints will remain a serious challenge,” said Pillay, when delivering the department’s R3.3 billion budget at the KZN legislature. Many parties have, in the past, blamed the problems encountered in the government’s parks – which fall under Ezemvelo – to the entity’s instability at board and administrative level. Last month, The Mercury reported that Ezemvelo’s financial challenges were threatening the entity’s ability to…

michael donen IN THE 1960s a friend and his family lived in a house in Claremont. Apartheid forces forcibly removed them. A family of white Rhodesians moved into their home. Their pain and humiliation live on to this day. So too for millions of South Africans who suffered the same experience. President Ramaphosa has described how his personal memory of being forced from his home at gunpoint permeates his perception of the plight of Palestinian families facing eviction in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem. South Africa’s laws on eviction and restitution of land rights were born of this same perception. Our people and law are therefore especially well placed to judge the Israeli Supreme Court (ISC) when it eventually passes judgment on the claim for eviction of four Palestinian families by…

Zaahier Adams Pitso Mosimane and Gavin Hunt sit at the head of the royal table of South African football coaches. Both are among the most successful tacticians the country has produced, and endured many a titanic battle during their time in charge at Mamelodi Sundowns and Wits respectively. They have since graduated to greener pastures with Mosimane moving abroad to take charge of Egyptians champions Al Ahly, while Hunt is now at the helm of Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs. Both assignments have unique pressures with the media scrutiny even more intense, and the fans expectations almost unrealistic with Mosimane and Hunt enduring plenty of criticism. But yet they both find themselves among the continent’s elite with Al Ahly and Chiefs - the first time in their history - having…

Eshlin vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za Commenting on the Live stream of the Orlando Pirates v Raja Casablanca game on Facebook, some Pirates fans indicated that they would stop wasting their data and rather focus on watching the English Premier League games. That was an apt summation of the game from a Pirates perspective as their performance was plain embarrassing to say the least as they lost 4-0 (5-1 on aggregate), having conceded all the goals in the first half. Raja took the lead in the eighth minute through Ben Malango, who also caused their defence trouble in the first leg, as he headed beyond the reach of Wayne Sandilands. Pirates did have their chances to draw level between the 13th and 15th minutes as Innocent Maela’s shot was just slightly wide before…