Table of contents for 2021-12-09 in Mercury

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za HARRY Smit, from Retail Active Shareholder Holdings, said yesterday that Tongaat Hulett’s shareholders were likely to face a massive dilution of up to two-thirds of their share value through the sugar and property groups’ proposed rights issue of up to R4 billion. Smit, who recently managed to assemble enough shareholder support to prevent a potentially dilutive rights issue at Ascendis Health, said Tongaat, like Ascendis, had a large number of small shareholders, “guys with 500 to 600 shares”. He said the dilution, depending on the share ratios of the rights issue, would be of such magnitude, it would likely prevent minority shareholders from being able to follow their rights in the capital raise, not to mention the value dilution. Tongaat’s market capitalisation stood at R767.4…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE quest by smaller parties to play a bigger role in the affairs of eThekwini Municipality is gaining ground as they flex their muscles, demanding to be placed in influential portfolio committees. Some of the parties have their eye on the human settlements and infrastructure committee, possibly the biggest committee based on its functions and the budget it oversees. Portfolio committees play an oversight role on the various municipal departments and a supporting role to the executive committee. Placement in these committees is largely an administrative function by municipal staff, something these parties have said should rather be negotiated by the parties themselves. The smaller parties are in the pound seats after helping the ANC retain its majority in the council. The ANC lost its tight…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Deputy Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Obed Bapela has denied the ministry was holding secret meetings with a faction in the Zulu royal family that is opposed to Misuzulu kaZwelithini being king. Bapela was replying to a question in Parliament from EFF MP Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi during questions to ministers in the governance cluster. Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele and Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities Maite Nkoana-Mashabane were also answering oral questions in the Chamber yesterday. Mkhaliphi told Bapela that the government was backing a faction in the Zulu royal family that was opposed to King Misuzulu. But Bapela denied this saying that there were no secret meetings with any faction. He also said the matter was in court and government would…

MARY DE HAAS | Durban I HAVE an open-minded, critical approach to Covid-19 vaccines, but I am completely opposed, for health and ethical reasons, to mandatory vaccination. What is being overlooked is that health is “a state of complete physical, social and mental well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO definition). A vast number of anthropological research publications, including Body and Mind in Zulu Medicine by the late Dr Harriet Ngubane, confirms the veracity of that definition. Modern, allopathic, medicine acknowledges that even expectations of benefits of treatment may improve a condition, and hence the use of placebos in clinical trials. Similarly, fears of harm may worsen a condition, and send stress levels – themselves linked to serious illnesses – soaring. If, as…

MICRON, Tsitsipas and crypto- currency Dogecoin have made it on to a list of the year’s most mispronounced words. The US Captioning Company, which produces subtitles for live TV, surveyed its members to produce a rundown of the words that television presenters and newsreaders have been getting woefully wrong, according to Sky News. The list is in its sixth year and was commissioned by Babbel, a language-learning platform with headquarters in Berlin and New York. “Newscasters in the US have struggled with 2021’s new words and names while reporting on key sporting events, viral internet trends and emerging celebrities,” said Esteban Touma, a stand-up comedian and teacher for Babbel Live. Here’s how to get your mouth around some of the most challenging words – and what they mean. Cheugy (CHOO-gee):…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za THE impact of the July unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng was a key factor behind the 1.5% decrease in gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter (July-September) of the year. An economist and freight and farming associations agreed that the looting and unrest had had a severe economic impact across several sectors. Statistics SA released the GDP figures on Tuesday. Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association (RFA), said that the impact of the July violence and looting had caused a loss of assets and a loss of income. “The magnitude of loss and damage depends on the category of vehicle, the type and value of cargo, the specialised equipment required for the specific cargo (eg refrigeration, gas control, chemical stabilisation, palletisation, perishable…

FOUR minors charged with the death of aspiring musician Thoriso Themane, 23, were found guilty of murder in the Polokwane High Court yesterday. Two of their accomplices who are also minors had in the beginning of the trial tendered a guilty plea statement for assault. They were convicted of common assault while the adults, Chuene Maleka and Alfred Mothapo, were convicted of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. The State alleged that Maleka and Mathapo together with the six teenagers fatally assaulted Themane in 2019 in the Polokwane suburb of Fauna Park after the minors accused him of taking a cap belonging to one of them. Themane’s murder was recorded on a cellphone, with the footage going viral on social media. According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mashudu…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE Public Service Commission (PSC) has recommended tougher measures to force national and provincial government departments to pay the billions of rand they owe to their suppliers within the required 30 days. The PSC yesterday released its quarterly bulletin, The Pulse of the Public Service, which shows that a number of national departments and provincial administrations failed to even account for the non-payment of their suppliers. It has suggested that the government implement measures to ensure that small businesses are paid what they are owed by departments for services rendered and goods provided. “What this means is that National Treasury, as the chief financial officer of the state, should consider conducting an audit of the state of financial management and internal control systems of the repeat defaulting…

| Mercury Correspondent According to Google South Africa’s 2021 Year in Search, locals spent quite a lot of time searching ways to register for the Covid-19 vaccine, about the television show Squid Game and on the late actor Shona Ferguson. The report was released yesterday and compiled the moments, people, topics, events and places that captured the world’s attention this year. Google said as the pandemic entered the second year, “Sassa status check” emerged as the top trending search in 2021 – a reflection of the impact Covid-19 has had on the livelihoods of South Africans. The lists also reveal the country’s love of sports and entertainment as Euro 2020 and Squid Game, the Korean TV series that enthralled the world, both topped their respective categories.…

DECEMBER 5 this year marked eight years since the death of the father of our democracy, world-renowned leader uTata Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Mandela stood steadfastly for the right of all people to self-determine. This self-determination in a democratic context was one that appreciated that things, concepts and politics are not homogeneous, and that the application of all progressive concepts should be applied relative to the national conditions we face. One of the terms most synonymous with the post-apartheid state is the word “democracy”. Our country is lauded and revered as a bastion of hope and as upholding the highest level of democratic principles. It is because I, as a patriotic South African, value democracy so much that I couldn’t reconcile myself with a deep feeling of unease when the US…

The Omicron variant has been reported in 57 nations and the number of patients needing hospitalisation is likely to rise as it spreads, the World Health Organization said yesterday. The WHO, in its weekly epidemiological report, said more data was needed to assess the severity of disease caused by the Omicron variant and whether its mutations might reduce protection from vaccine-derived immunity. “Even if the severity is equal or even lower than for Delta variant, it is expected that hospitalisations will increase if more people become infected and that there will be a time lag between an increase in the incidence of cases and an increase in the incidence of deaths,” it said. The number of reported Covid-19 cases in South Africa doubled in the week to December 5 to…

Stuart Hess stuart.hess@inl.co.za HAVING Malusi Siboto, Duanne Olivier, Lutho Sipamla and Sisanda Magala to practise against has greatly aided Ryan Rickelton’s development as a batter this season. There was a lot of work Rickelton had to do himself of course, but it was useful to gauge how well his off-season work functioned, by putting himself up against the most fearsome quartet of bowlers on the domestic circuit. “We usually get good spicy wickets at the Wanderers nets, and obviously you ask the guys to take the newest balls they can get, and we have a proper contest,” Rickelton said yesterday. “I know if I’m holding my own against them, not getting out, and playing good shots against them, it’s a good sign for me.” Rickelton’s the 10th highest run-scorer…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za MAMELODI SUNDOWNS (1)(3) Kutumela 6’, Shalulile 65, 72’ ROYAL AM (0)(2) Letsoalo 81’, (p) 90+1’ CHAMPIONS Mamelodi Sundowns are an epitome of flamboyance – on and off the pitch. That much was established through their 3-2 victory over a side that has been threatening that status, Royal AM, at home yesterday afternoon. The Brazilians were cruising at 3-0 by the 72nd minute, following a brace from Peter Shalulile and an early goal from Thabiso Kutumela. The big score almost proved to be the Achilles heel as they relaxed, allowing Royal AM to gather late steam. And when striker Victor Letsoalo came off the bench to score a brace for the visitors, it seemed the Durbanites could snatch a point. Royal AM had to endure the…

LIVERPOOL became the first English club to win all six Champions League group stage games after beating AC Milan 2-1 on Tuesday, an achievement that left manager Jurgen Klopp "filled with pride". Goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi cancelled out Fikayo Tomori's first-half opener and ensured Liverpool qualified for the knockout stages with a maximum 18 points. "Honestly I don't feel pride a lot in football because most of the time I expect good things to happen. But tonight fills me with a lot of pride," Klopp said. "It's not a prize (winning all six) and you win something. I'd have taken each points tally to go to the next round but 18 is the best so we take that as well." Klopp made eight changes to the starting…

AMAZULU were consigned to a fifth consecutive draw and 10th of the season as Orlando Pirates held them to a 1-1 stalemate at the Kings Park yesterday. Deon Hotto gave Pirates the lead just before the half-hour mark. The Namibian’s goal came after his team moved the ball swiftly, taking advantage of the midfield weakness in the Usuthu team created by the absence of captain Makhehlene Makhaula. Hotto then hit the ball hard and low, beyond the reach of AmaZulu goalkeeper Veli Mothwa. AmaZulu equalised on the stroke of halftime as a cross found its way to Luvuyo Memela who produced good control to send the ball into the bath of Tshepang Moremi with his chest. Moremi ended up thumping the ball into the back of the net…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) has remained circumspect, at least for now, on the issue of mandatory Covid-19 vaccination in the workplace after business confidence waned in November. Sacci’s Business Confidence Index released yesterday fell to 92.8 points in November from 94.9 points in October, upsetting the recovery seen after the July unrest. The business lobby organisation said the new Omicron variant and restrictions among major trading partners had led to a slump in both exports and imports in November. To protect economic recovery, Sacci said it remained important how the Covid-19 pandemic was managed and communicated, but it concurred that improved vaccine application had led to a sense of return to economic and business normality. Sacci chief executive Alan Mukoki, however,…

THE South African Revenue Service (Sars) has welcomed the 10-year sentence handed down to Gupta-owned Oakbay Trading director DP Naik for fraud and contravening the Customs and Excise Act. The sentence was handed down after Naik falsified export documents and diverted cigarettes back into the South African market without paying the excise and duties for import and export. According to evidence presented in the Johannesburg Regional Court, the total prejudice to Sars was R18 million. Naik claimed the company had exported cigarettes to Zambia. These exports were investigated and proven to be false exports, Sars said. “This crime was committed to evade duties and excise payable on the cigarettes,” Sars said. Naik was convicted on five counts of fraud and for contravening section 80 (1) of the Customs and…

M JAMES | Gillitts WITH the theft of the licensing machine from the Hillcrest post office a few years ago (was the machine not insured?), it’s a disgrace that the authorities have not replaced it. The public has to stand in long queues at the Kloof post office, which is now the only facility in this vast area to renew their car licences. Surely, after all this time and all the complaints from the public, the authorities must replace the machine at Hillcrest, and at least show that they are trying to make it easier for everyone? Maybe if the government officials had to stand in long queues, or take a day’s leave to renew their licences, something would be done.…

ALAN CAMPBELL | Westville I’m fully vaccinated and no, I don’t know what’s in it, neither this vaccine, the ones I had as a child, nor in the Big Mac, or hot dogs, or other treatment … whether it’s for cancer, Aids, the one for polyarthritis, or vaccines for infants or children. I also don’t know what’s in ibuprofen, paracetamol, or other meds, it just cures my headaches and my pains. I don’t know what’s in the ink for tattoos, vaping, Botox and fillers, or every ingredient in my soap or shampoo or even deodorants. I don’t know the long-term effect of cellphone use or whether that restaurant I just ate at really used clean foods and washed their hands. In short, there are a lot of things…

A convivial letter written by Charles Dickens while he was touring Britain giving readings of his story A Christmas Carol is set to go up for auction at Christie’s in London. In the four-page handwritten note dated December 6, 1858, to his friend, the architect and member of parliament Joseph Paxton, he describes a dinner held in Dickens’s honour that Paxton was persuaded to stay away from over political concerns. “This is really a splendid letter, because it brings together Charles Dickens and one of the other great Victorian men of the age, Sir Joseph Paxton,” said Thomas Venning, head of the books department at Christie’s. “He’s writing in rather colourful terms to express his frustration about why things have gone wrong and paints rather a colourful picture of the…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke has lifted the lid on the R166.85 billion irregular expenditure in departments and entities, which threatens the fiscus. Maluleke said that if this was not controlled it could be a threat to the public purse. Maluleke yesterday told Parliament’s joint committees on public accounts and standing committee on the auditor-general that this was an increase from R109.8bn last year to a staggering R166.85bn this year. She said they needed to ensure they rein in this irregular expenditure. “Such expenditure, especially as it relates to procurement, is an indication that auditees do not follow supply chain laws and regulations when making decisions,” said Maluleke. She said out of 425 departments and entities that were audited, only 115 got clean audits. Maluleke also said she was…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za UNIONS representing SA Revenue Service (Sars) employees are demanding salary increases that could go up to more than 11% next year. The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) and the Public Servants' Association (PSA) have tabled their salary increase demands for their members at Sars for 2022/23, despite the taxman failing to honour the existing agreement this year. The failure to implement the final leg of the three-year wage agreement, which would have seen their pay improved by 6.2%, and which was due to be effected in April this year, is now before the North Gauteng High Court after the PSA challenged Sars’s decision. According to both unions’ demands for 2022/23, their starting point for the 2022 wage negotiations will be the latest published consumer…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@iinl.co.za A panel of experts established by former police minister Nathi Nhleko has found that police commanders with no public order policing experience were appointed to take charge during the Marikana massacre. The Civilian Secretariat for Police presented these findings to the portfolio committee on police yesterday morning. Bilkis Omar from the Policy and Research Unit in the civilian secretariat said the panel comprised SAPS representatives, South African experts and representatives of police unions (Sapu and Popcru) as well as experts nominated by Zimbabwe, Brazil and Russia and an independent international expert assisted by the secretariat. The purpose of the panel was to address the problems in the SAPS that resulted in the killing by police of 34 people at Marikana, to ensure that violations of this kind…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu has revealed more than 214 000 social grants were paid out to people who had died. Another 59 000 people were paid the R350 social relief of distress (SRD) grant after they died in the last few months. Zulu said the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) checks its data against the population register of the Department of Home Affairs to ensure people paid social or SRD grants are the correct beneficiaries. However, some of the deaths were reported late. Zulu, who was replying to a written question in Parliament from Bridget Masango of the DA, said in some cases social grants payments were made after a person had died. “The information provided below is for the payment vouchers extracted after the…

A 76-year-old man was found dead in a pool of blood at his oThongathi home on Tuesday evening. Prem Balram, from Reaction Unit SA, said the victim, who has been identified, was discovered lying an a pool of blood with his throat slit at his Crest Road, Watsonia, home. “Our offices received a call for assistance at about 7pm after the victim’s body was discovered lying on the floor of his bedroom by his nephew. “Paramedics found the victim covered with a blanket and with a mattress placed over him. “He showed no signs of life and was declared deceased,” Balram said, adding that the home appeared to have been ransacked. Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele said the motive for the attack was unknown and that a case of…

Kabul: From Taliban-controlled Kabul, Radio Begum is broadcasting the voices of women that have been muted across Afghanistan. Station staff fill the airwaves with programming for women, by women: educational shows, book readings and call-in counselling. For now, they operate with the permission of the hardline Islamists who regained power in August and have limited the ability for women to work and girls to attend school. “We’re not giving up,” pledged 48-year-old Hamida Aman, the station’s founder, who grew up in Switzerland after her family fled Afghanistan a few years after the Soviet Union invaded. “We have to show that we don’t need to be scared,” said Aman, who returned after the ousting of the Taliban’s first regime in 2001 by US-led foreign forces. “We must occupy the public sphere.”…

PUTRAJAYA: Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak failed yesterday in his bid to overturn the guilty verdict in a case related to SRC International, a former unit of state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad. Razak, 68, has been sentenced to an effective 12 years’ imprisonment and a fined 210 million-ringgit (around R780m) for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering. “The court rules that the prosecution has successfully proven all seven charges of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering,” Judge Abdul Karim said. The decision by the three judges was unanimous.…

HERMAN GIBBS herman.gibbs@gmail.com WESTERN Cape overshadowed the Eastern Province teams on day three of the National Netball Championships at the DF Academy in Bellville yesterday. The unbeaten Cape Winelands A defeated the strong Nelson Mandela Bay outfit 60-48 in the A-Section pipe-opener. The Winelands side were off to a cracking start and dictated the course of play from the opening quarter in which they secured a seven-goal (15-8) lead. From that point onwards, Cape Winelands A stepped up the intensity, and with each passing quarter, except for the final one, widened the margin for a 46-33 lead ahead of the final quarter. Nelson Mandela Bay closed strongly, but the Cape Winelands A had built up an unassailable lead to secure their position as the A-Section log-leaders. Later in the day,…

Caf on Tuesday dismissed speculation that next month’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon could be moved due to the spread of the new Covid-19 variant Omicron. Southern Africa was hit by international travel bans at the end of November, following the discovery of the new variant by South African scientists. The controversial travel bans came into effect on November 25, with flights no longer allowed to the United Kingdom from South Africa, Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe. It turned out, in fact, as CNN reports, the Omicron variant was present in Europe long before it was detected by SA scientists. Nigeria, which neighbours Cameroon, this week has also just been added to the UK’s travel “red list”. Despite speculation that Afcon could be adversely affected, or even moved,…

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za IMPALA Platinum (Implats) has upped the ante by increasing its stake in Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) to 32.26 percent as it battles it out with Northam Platinum for the control of RBPlat. Implats said yesterday it had acquired a further 942 000 shares constituting 0.33 percent in RBPlat shares and planned to raise its shareholding even further through off-market purchases. “Implats may be acquiring further RBPlat shares after the date of this announcement while the offer remains open and, if required under the Companies Act or the Takeover Regulations, will make further disclosures and announcements in that regard,” said Implats. Implats, the JSE-listed platinum group metals producer, is in an intense bidding war with Northam Platinum. Northam announced on Tuesday that it had pushed…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za WHILE there have been questions over the sudden resignation of Dr Nkonzoyakhe Donda as uMhlathuze mayor yesterday, the IFP has indicated that he had been a seat warmer for Xolani Ngwezi, who will be sworn-in very soon. Donda spent less than a month in office as mayor and it had been rumoured that he had been forced to resign following allegations of abuse of a municipal vehicle for personal errands. However, IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa denied this, saying that the party’s National Executive Committee had last month approved Ngwezi for the top position, but his deployment was delayed by technicalities. “As his name was not on the Proportional Representation (PR) list and because the Electoral Commission of South Africa rules do not allow for changes to the…

ROBIN NAIDOO | Phoenix IN MOST democratic countries, political parties are held fully accountable to their voters. Citizens want responsible councillors to get the work done and provide excellent services and be answerable to them. The popularity of the ruling ANC nose-dived in recent elections, as shown by them losing many councils. Barely holding on to eThekwini Municipality, they were rescued by 7 minority Indian parties and their opportunistic, yet highly questionable, leaders. For the MF it was business as usual. The late Amichand Rajbansi was a tripartite bed partner in the SA Indian Council, the Tricameral sham, with the NP and again when he sold Indian MF votes to the ANC in the 1990s. Let’s not forget that Patrick Pillay, Visvin Reddy and Bradley Singh and…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof Americans are in love with their guns. Buying guns for your boys for Christmas is bad and irresponsible parenting as it inculcates a love for guns from an early age. When they grow up, they want to own real guns. But in America, they don’t buy toy guns for Christmas but real guns with live ammunition that are lethal. And every so often, a cranky American goes on a shooting rampage, killing dozens at a time. The Michigan school shooting is one of several mass killings that occur so regularly that American society has begun to accept them as part of their daily life. In the school shooting, Ethan Crumbley’s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, have been arrested and charged for the involuntary manslaughter…

PEOPLE who have read my work probably don’t know that I am a chronic stutterer. Chronic does not mean I always stutter. It means it is always a possibility and it is managed, not cured. The occasional person who has known me a long time will ask how I got over it. My plan of attack became an approach for many issues I have faced. Insert your own issue or fear, and I hope you will find this helpful. I read as much as I could about stuttering. Then, I moved from the research and wrote honestly, even brutally about my experiences. As much as possible, I became an expert about my issue. This exercise took a few months and did wonders for the scared little boy within me. These…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za JUST days after the SACP raised concerns about water entities in KwaZulu-Natal, two top executives in Mhlathuze Water have been placed on special leave. The move was announced by the board and confirmed by chairperson Thabi Shange yesterday. According to the board, the two executives were placed on leave following allegations received by the water entity. “The board of Mhlathuze Water hereby informs you of its decision to place its chief executive, Mthokozisi Duze, and the chief financial officer, Babongile Mnyandu, on special leave pending an investigation into allegations received by the organisation. The special leave will take effect as of Wednesday, December 8, 2021 until January 31, 2022,” said the statement from the board. The board did not indicate the nature of the allegations against…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za TEACHER UNIONS are hoping that everything goes well at matric marking centres, and that markers won’t be exposed to Covid-19 during the period. Marking of scripts began yesterday and will end on December 22. Basil Manuel, of the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa), said yesterday that they had made a call to markers to ensure that they get vaccinated. He added that the union would be checking from province to province to ensure that marking centres are following the Covid-19 protocols. He said ideally they would want markers to be tested for Covid-19 when they arrived at centres. “We are worried that the good example set by the Eastern Cape last year, when they tested every marker that arrived at the marking centre, is…

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will march to Eskom’s headquarters in Megawatt Park, Johannesburg, on Saturday to demand the resignation of the board of the power utility and its chief executive, André de Ruyter. The union will also protest against the planned unbundling of the national power unity into several entities, aimed at easing the generation and supply of electricity for the power utility. The union said the move was a blatant move to privatise Eskom. NUM held its executive committee meeting at the beginning of the month where they took various positions on matters that were affecting the country and workers. In a statement, the union said the unbundling was an attack on labour movements and a capitalist approach in dealing with issues affecting the power utility, and…

MINISTER of Arts, Sports, Culture and Recreation, Nathi Mthethwa, and his officials need to explain why netball in the country is so severely underfunded that two Eastern Cape teams were forced to travel by bus to Cape Town, which overturned, killing three young players and a coach. His department was able to cough up at least R1m for actress Natasha Thahane’s studies in the US for a semester, after she asked her “mama” and former speaker Baleka Mbete for help. His department still remains mum about where this money came from and how others in need can get access to such funding. The point, however, is that sending condolences to the families of coach Nocamagu Mvunyiswa and players Phelo Charles, Indiphile Mfengu and Thabisile Maxikikata does very little to console…

A helicopter carrying India’s chief of defence staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and other officials crashed yesterday in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, officials said. The helicopter crashed at Nilgiris district’s Coonoor area, about 538km southwest of Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu. Officials have not confirmed casualties citing sensitivity and protocol. However, reports said four bodies had been retrieved, and three people had been seriously injured. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has confirmed that Rawat was on board at the time of the crash. “An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS General Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu,” the IAF said. “An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.” Local television news agency Asian News International said…

Beirut: Lebanese authorities should release a US journalist detained “arbitrarily” on unclear charges, rights groups said yesterday. They condemned what they said were increasingly frequent attacks on press freedom. Nada Homsi, a freelance journalist working with National Public Radio, was arrested by General Security on November 16 after a raid on her apartment that took place without a judicial order, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said in a statement. General Security denied her a lawyer and issued a deportation order despite the public prosecutor demanding her release on November 25, they said.…

Before the 2020 lockdown lawn bowls associations around the country were addressing the overall decline in membership in bowling clubs with moderate success. The regression of the sport was a pattern that had developed over the previous 20 years and was as a result of the lack of marketing to encourage existing and new members to participate in the sport. The nature of lawn bowls, being a non-contact sport, allows for controlled participation when Bowls South Africa sanctions play, and the Port Natal Bowling Association and certain clubs have developed programmes and tournaments to promote involvement from newer members whenever restrictions are lifted. One such tournament is the Port Natal Bowls Novices Singles event which is held and hosted annually in January and February at Durban Bowling Club…

Stellenbosch FC 0 SuperSport United 1 (Grobler 91) BRADLEY Grobler broke Stellenbosch FC’s hearts right at the death when the veteran striker scored a late winner for the visitors at Danie Craven Stadium last night. In a match where both teams were unable to take a firm grip on proceedings, and were unable to create clear-cut chances throughout, Grobler popped up in the 91st minute with the solitary goal. The 33-year-old was incisive with his finish as he steered a low shot past Sage Stephens in the Stellies goal. Although the goal came in stoppage time, SuperSport had the more productive passages of play with former Stellenbosch winger Iqraam Rayners arguably the best player on display in the match. The now SuperSport star enjoyed a splendid return to…