Table of contents for 2021-12-24 in Mercury

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za It’s our favourite time of year – the time of celebration, gatherings, love, and plenty of delicious food and incredible beverages. That said, let’s delve into the world of food and beverage pairing. Elena Venzo, who is the general manager at boutique liquor outlet and e-commerce supplier Dry Dock Liquor, shares some of her delightfully delicious ideas that you can try this holiday season: Bubbles You cannot have a festive season without a good MCC. MCC or Methode Cap Classique is the South African version of Champagne. My pick for this year would be Genevieve’ Brut’ Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique 2016. This is also an exquisite and sophisticated glass of bubbles — 100% chardonnay grapes from Bot River and aged on the lees for three…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za PIETERMARITZBURG residents have spoken about their fears as a severe storm battered the city on Wednesday. Residents thought a tornado had descended on the capital city and would wipe it out. For an hour, they hid in their homes as hail and strong winds pummelled the area, blowing away roofs, and taking down trees and electricity poles. “I thought this was a tornado and was concerned that people would die. I was in Raisethorpe when the storm started and I feared that my rental house, which has a tin roof, might be blown away,” said a Copesville resident, who declined to be named. The Mercury drove through the city on Wednesday evening. Large tree branches were lying on Prince Alfred Street and cars parked on Retief Street…

Karen Singh, Bongani Nkosi and Reuters The national Department of Health announced yesterday that Covid-19 booster shots will be available at the end of December for Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients who received the jab at least two months ago and for those who got their second Pfizer jab six months ago. South Africa has joined countries across the world that have introduced booster doses of Covid-19 vaccines in a bid to ward off infections from the Omicron variant. According to statistics from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, there were 21 157 new Covid-19 cases registered last night, with 5 241 coming from KwaZulu-Natal, followed by 4 597 in the Western Cape and 4 206 in Gauteng. While data remains limited, half a dozen laboratory studies have shown…

I HAVE travelled enough around the world to know that news on news channels and printed news sells and therefore requires or relies on a degree of sensationalism. So, someone please tell me, how are things in South Africa and especially in the greater Durban area? In 30-plus years of living in the US I have never heard the words “South Africa” said quite so often as I have heard in the past three or four weeks, not even when Nelson Mandela was released and elected president. I am very aware that you, the nation, did not start the new strain of the Covid-19 virus, but you’d think you did. I know your research teams and top scientists and medical professionals demonstrated enormous courage and were transparent with their findings…

FAROUK ARAIE | Johannesburg THE failure by the UN to reach consensus on robotic weapons systems is alarming. Autonomous weapons systems, like robots, would be more likely to carry out unlawful orders if programmed to do so, due to the lack of emotion and the fact that morality cannot be outsourced to machines. Robotic warfare is increasingly being discussed in world forums. Scientists believe that they will be able to successfully program moral theories alongside the laws of armed conflict and rules of engagement. Unfortunately, this seems, at best, hubristic and, at worst, dangerous. It is hubristic to think humans can program machines to act ethically when we cannot program ourselves to do so consistently. There is growing acknowledgement that the laws of war were written for humans…

As the curtains close on 2021 with the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to grip the world, many African individuals and businesses rose above it all to highlight African excellence, but Africa has also had a challenging year on both political, conflict and climate change fronts. Among the notable deaths on the continent this year, was that of Nigerian preacher and the founder of the Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) mega church, TB Joshua who died on June 5 after a live broadcast, leaving his wife, three children and millions of followers throughout the African continent. The week-long funeral for Joshua wasn’t without drama, after a fire gutted part of his church, while mourners also allegedly coughed up blood and other substances during the week-long funeral procession. In business and technology…

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za A COURT has ordered the Ministry of Defence to assist in tracing the relatives of a former high-ranking official in the SA Navy, so that they can consider launching an application in terms of the Mental Health Act for the officer to go for mental observation. A Western Cape High Court acting judge said that it would be in the interest of justice to possibly examine the mental well-being of the officer (who is not identified for compassionate reasons). The order followed yet another application by the officer earlier this month, in which he had a long list of demands, including that President Cyril Ramaphosa, cited as the second respondent, must amend the national anthem. The officer said the phrase “let us live and strive for…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za SECURITY and crime experts have warned that serious steps need to be taken to capacitate the police’s crime intelligence and public order policing units to avoid a re-occurrence of the scenes of anarchy, violence and looting that were witnessed in July this year in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng. During the SA Human Rights Commission hearing earlier this month on the July unrest, KZN provincial police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi admitted that there had been shortcomings on the part of the police. Other witnesses before the commission had testified that police were largely absent during the week of unrest. The unrest was initially sparked after the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma and there has been recent talk from his supporters that the violence could reoccur if he…

“I DON’T like cricket, oh no … I love it!” That used to be the slogan for the famous summer sport in South Africa, from the song Dreadlock Holiday by English rock band 10cc. But over the last few months, there hasn’t been much love for cricket in South Africa. There has been a much-needed probe into racism and discrimination in local cricket through the Social Justice and Nation-building (SJN) hearings conducted by Cricket SA (CSA), which heard a number of testimonies from black players and coaches who felt that they hadn’t always received fair treatment over the years. The appointments of Mark Boucher as the Proteas coach and Graeme Smith as the director of cricket at CSA have also been questioned in the SJN process. On the field, the…

A French fugitive convicted of a double murder was arrested after 20 years on the run when a storm damaged his yacht off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, police said yesterday. Thierry Ascione, 62, and another French national sailed to the Talaud islands situated between the Philippines and Indonesia on October 3 to repair the boat. Police raided the boat and found Ascione on board without a passport. Ascione was found guilty of the murder in 1991 of two French nationals who owned a restaurant in Guatemala. He was arrested in 1995 in Paris and remained in custody until 2000. He fled six months before his trial began.…

THE Super Rugby draw for next year has been revised to delay trans-Tasman travel for as long as possible and minimise potential disruption from Covid-19 restrictions, competition organisers said yesterday. The season had been set to begin on 18 February, with Australian-based teams facing their New Zealand counterparts from the outset to maximise trans-Tasman rivalries. But the New Zealand government will not allow quarantine-free access for foreign nationals until the end of April at the earliest, forcing a rethink by competition organisers. Instead, the first nine rounds will feature local derbies with the New Zealand-based teams playing one another while the Australians do likewise. Round 10 will be played in Melbourne and round 11 at Australian grounds, with hopes that New Zealand travel restrictions will have been lifted for round…

A reminder that all branches will be open for trading on all Sundays in December 8am-1pm. We will also be open tomorrow and Friday the 31st, 8am to 1pm. The shore based fishing is going extremely well. The summer fish are here and the drags are screaming! The north coast has been the place to be. Any of the deeper points will be a good bet. The lighter tackle has produced a lot of grey sharks. Those looking for bigger fish have done well with mackerel and redeye baits on FMJ traces. Look for an area where you can get in to the deeper water. This can be off a rocky point or if you can clear the sandbank on the beach. The edible fishing has been a bit slow,…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za PARTIES in the eThekwini Municipality are piling the pressure on the council to move swiftly with its investigation on the head of the health unit following allegations that she may not be qualified for the job. A whistle-blower filed a complaint with the office of the public protector, alleging that Rosemary van Heerden did not possess the qualifications required for the position. The IFP and the DA said they were concerned by the silence on the issue, adding that they were still to be briefed about the allegations. The DA said it would be writing to the acting city manager to demand an explanation on the matter. Attempts to get comment from Van Heerden had been unsuccessful in the past as she referred all communication regarding the…

CHRISTMAS Eve, a time of goodwill and of giving. It’s a time that is captured by a range of our short story writers. This year let’s take a look at what American writer F Scott Fitzgerald had to say, set in New York in a now distant era. In the parlour of a house situated on a dimly lit residence street somewhere east of Broadway, sat the lady who started the whole business. She was holding a conversation half frivolous, half sentimental, with a faultlessly dressed young man who sat with her on the sofa. All of this was quite right and proper, however, for they were engaged to be married in June. “Harry Talbot,” said Dorothy Harmon, as she rose and stood laughing at the merry young gentleman beside…

RODNEY MAZINTER | Camps Bay Mohamed Saeed is probably correct (“Christians in Palestine have had no peace for years” – The Mercury, December 22), but those living in Israel have. A recent report reveals that Israel’s Christian community is growing, a large proportion of them fleeing persecution they suffered in the Palestinian territories and that 84% are satisfied with life in Israel, where freedom of religion is guaranteed by law. Saeed’s polemic reeks of anti-Semitism. Throughout history, anti-Semitism to gain traction invariably had to hide its motives. In the Middle Ages, Jews were accused of killing Christian children and spreading the plague. In Nazi Germany, medical terms were cited by saying Jews were the cancer in the midst of the Aryan population. Today, it does so by blaming…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West WHY is KwaZulu-Natal the newest epicentre of the coronavirus? We are importing it from Gauteng, the original epicentre, that’s why. Gauteng is populated by economic migrants from KZN. In December last year, when there was a shutdown of interprovincial travel, it was under control, but this time around our borders remain ajar and with this, God help us if our KZN residents don’t take it seriously. We can all relax at our holiday destinations, but let us all reflect on the devastation the 670 or so days have had on our families and our personal safety. And yes, our economy. The curfews must be strictly enforced and people must know the dangers that lurk. The virus has not taken time off…

| African News Agency (ANA) The World Health Organization (WHO) this week released its list of key global health moments from 2021. Inequities in access to health tools have come into even sharper focus this year. The report noted that “life-saving Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatments were rolled out, but overwhelmingly in the richest countries, leaving many populations unprotected, especially in lower-income countries”. Across other health areas, from diabetes to dementia, there have been both setbacks and hard-won successes. WHO says over 8 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide but, by the end of November, only one in four African health workers have been fully vaccinated. A mere 0.4% of tests have been carried out in low-income countries. “We have set global vaccination targets and emphasised the…

OMICRON, the latest Covid-19 variant of concern, was discovered in samples collected on November 8 in South Africa. It rapidly replaced Delta as the dominant variant in the country and now accounts for nearly 100% of cases in South Africa. Since then, this latest “variant of concern” has spread throughout the world and is surging in several countries, including the UK, Denmark, Republic of Ireland and, most recently, the US. Two factors appear to contribute to its success: high transmissibility and its ability to evade the protection from vaccination. Omicron’s potential to overpower national health systems worries many public health experts and has led to some countries introducing strict control measures. The UK is heading into the festive season in a dangerous situation. New Omicron cases are doubling approximately every…

The town hall in the 12th arrondissement of Paris is lit up for the festive season but the traditional Christmas tree in the public square is absent. In its place stands a tree-shaped sculpture made of recycled wood. The municipality’s choice is in line with a trend across France to favour sustainability over tradition, and it has highlighted political divides ahead of the presidential election in April next year. “A felled tree is the product of a monoculture, and monoculture is dangerous for the soil and a tree that is chopped down is no longer present in nature to play its role in the capture of C02,” said Guy Tabacchi, deputy mayor of the 12th arrondissement, which aims to eliminate felled Christmas trees from public places by 2026. The argument…

Libyans have voiced a mix of frustration and anxiety after elections set for today were postponed, which some had hoped would help turn the page on a decade of violence. After weeks of speculation, authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the poll, part of a UN-led peace process, would be delayed. “I had picked up my voting card and I was waiting for the election,” said trader Nabil al-Sharef, in Tripoli. “For me, this delay is a setback and a disappointment,” the 51-year-old said. The poll was meant to take place just over a year after a landmark east-west ceasefire. But the run-up to the country’s first-ever presidential election has been overshadowed by disputes over its legal basis and the candidacies of several controversial figures. The electoral board has suggested…

The first text message ever sent, reading “Merry Christmas”, was sold this week for e107 000 (about R1.9 million) as a ‘Non-Fungible Token’ at a Paris auction house. The text, sent on December 3, 1992, was put up for auction by the British telecoms company Vodafone. Vodafone engineer Neil Papworth sent the SMS from his computer to a manager in the UK, who received it on his 2kg “Orbitel” telephone – similar to a desk phone but cordless and with a handle. “They were in the middle of end-of-year events so he sent him the message ‘Merry Christmas’,” said Maximilien Aguttes, head of development for the Aguttes Auction House. Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, are a type of digital asset that has surged in popularity this year, with NFT artworks selling…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof It’s the end of the year – a time to unwind, put your feet up and relax. And with a cold beer in your hand, it’s time to reflect on the year that will be forever etched in our minds. The pandemic and the lockdown, Zuma’s incarceration and the July riots, the loved ones we lost in the pandemic and the riots, the loss of jobs and livelihoods and the hefty fuel price that went up to R20 a litre for the first time. We were like caged animals, unable to have some fun and socialise with friends and family. It was such a bad year that many of us would like to close the door on it and welcome the new year, hoping…

THEMBA KHOZA | Spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation South Africa, being a water-scarce country, always welcomes rain as it increases our water resources and recharges our groundwater sources. But what is distressing is that every time we receive the much-needed rainfall, we lose precious lives and property. This can be avoided and prevented simply by being responsible citizens. Many of these deadly incidents are the results of irresponsible behaviour and ignorance. We always receive advice on media platforms, but most people tend to ignore such. We must always be vigilant and respect water, especially on rainy days. Water is so powerful and can deceive you if you are not careful. We need to always put our safety first to prevent disasters. As the rains are…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za POLICE Minister Bheki Cele has warned residents in KwaZulu-Natal to respect the curfew during the holidays or risk spending the festive season behind bars. Cele was speaking at the safer festive season inspection tour in uMlazi yesterday. He said people who do not respect the curfew time would face the consequences as the number of people affected by Covid-19 was rising in the province. As the country is on lockdown alert level 1, the curfew is from midnight to 4am. He asked the police to do their jobs this festive season and protect vulnerable members of the public. “Police must take serious care of women, children, the elderly and people living with disabilities during this time. Officers who fail to do this do not belong in the…

A 52-year-old Limpopo man has appeared in court in connection with the rape of a 3-year-old child, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said yesterday. NPA Limpopo regional spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the accused allegedly gave the child R2 after raping her. “The accused, Sipho Mokwena (52) of Kgautswane in Limpopo, appeared in Praktiseer Magistrate’s Court yesterday for raping a 3-year-old girl. It is alleged that on 18 December 2021, the child was playing when Mokwena lured her to his house and raped her,” said Malabi-Dzhangi. The case has been postponed to December 30 for further investigations. | Mercury Correspondent…

Pandemic is litmus test of even more complex crises to come Since March 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions to life as we know it, with wide-ranging spillover effects permeating various sectors. While Africa fared better than predicted in terms of health impacts, Covid-19 has severely affected the continent’s agri-food systems and jeopardised 20 years of economic recovery, reversing years of progress in improving the livelihoods of millions of people. Amid the triple threat of Covid-19, climate change, and fragile food systems, the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS) at AKADEMIYA2063 in partnership with the AU Commission (AUC) convened the 2021 ReSAKSS Annual Conference last month. The discussions focused on the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on African food systems and policy options to ensure recovery…

A boat disaster off the coast of Madagascar this week has claimed 85 lives, maritime officials said yesterday, after retrieving 21 more bodies a day earlier. A total of 138 people had been aboard the 12-metre-long wooden vessel, which sank off the island’s north-eastern coast on Monday. Fifty people have been rescued, most of whom had been on the bridge of the vessel when it foundered, while three others remain missing, they said. “The toll stands at 85 dead, with 21 bodies recovered” police general Zafisambatra Ravoavy said.…

Chinese scientists have found a new microbe that can directly digest crude oil and produce methane, paving the way for exploitation of depleted oil fields, the China Science Daily reported yesterday. The research, published in the journal Nature, focused on a new member of methanogenic archaebacteria family, Ca. methanoliparum. In traditional recovery process, the crude oil underground is driven by the pressure of water or chemicals. More than half of the deposits are difficult to recover. Based on this research, the crude oil could be degraded into methane before the mixed recovery of oil and gas with higher efficiency.…