Table of contents for 2022-09-01 in Mercury

NEW regulations have been proposed that will usher in changes in the city’s burial assistance offered to families of current and former councillors who have died. The ANC in eThekwini Municipality wants to pay families of deceased political office-bearers what is affordable to the council, rather than a fixed amount. Other changes could include declaring this policy as a policy matter that should be discussed by councillors in committee (in private) in order to provide dignity to the bereaved families. ANC councillor Nkosenhle Madlala spoke on the need for these changes during a council meeting last week. Questions have been raised on several occasions regarding the policy following concerns that it seemed to be implemented in an unfair and inconsistent manner. Recently, three councillors and former councillors died, which necessitated…

IN HIS latest grumpy newsletter, investment analyst Dr James Greener questions whether there is any point in sending people to the moon and back again. “Even the prospect that one of the crew in 2025 could be (gasp!) a woman, hasn’t really reignited public excitement much. “The breathtaking results from the James Webb Space Telescope are evidence that mankind can now examine almost everything interesting anywhere without someone nearby suppressing their innate human desire to push anything that looks like a button. “Nations looking for brownie points and national prestige would be far better advised to strive for universal literacy and minimal numbers of public servants. “How terrifying would it be to try to outcompete a country where most citizens could read and write in several languages, do calculus, and…

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has passed away. Humanity will remember him as a brave leader who ended the Soviet war in Afghanistan and negotiated an end to the Cold War. We need more leaders like him and John F Kennedy. Sadly, we live in an era where leaders use brute military force as an instrument of their foreign policy posture. Wars are raging out of control across the world, as power becomes a weapon of mass destruction. Gorbachev knew that military conflict was not an option in the nuclear era. He knew that nuclear conflict could lead to the demise of humanity. His statements on peace were distinctly clear: war destroys and disrupts, peace builds and strengthens as well as restores. It was his noble mission to promote peace…

South Africa is a land filled with contradictions and absurdities that may cause a rational person to question the purpose of reason and logic in developing a sustainable future in this environment. What am I talking about? As an ageing urbanite, who has limited links to the white farming or black township community, I have the benefit of detached opinion without the emotional baggage. As some danced outside the court, I considered if those who spent years and millions on this legal action understood the futile outcome. Nobody gained anything since singing “Kill the farmer” cannot feed, clothe, educate or benefit anyone. In truth, a billion Africans on our continent depend on white farmers to avoid hunger and death. Egypt, with a 10 000-year history, cannot feed itself without wheat…

About 17 years ago, the government awarded a tender to Plebian Properties for the accommodation of the SAPS Family Violence and Child Protection Unit in Pietermaritzburg. The tender has been renewed several times over the years, but it has now been set aside after it was found to be riddled with irregularities. This rendered the procurement process unfair and not equitable against other bidders, the Special Tribunal, chaired by Judge Lebogang Modiba, found. The tribunal also found that the procurement process was neither economic nor cost effective. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU), which applied to have the tender overturned, told the tribunal the state had lost R28 million over the years as a result of the tender. The SIU also asked that Plebian Properties repay the government the R28m which…

A Western Cape man was sentenced to life behind bars for the murder of a man he believed had killed his mother. The sentence was handed down in the Pietermaritzburg High Court yesterday. Melikhaya Fikizolo, 24, pleaded guilty to killing a man who he claimed murdered his mother in 2011. He also pleaded guilty to raping the man’s older sister shortly after the murder. But he pleaded not guilty to two counts of robbery and another count of rape. Acting Judge Elsje-Marie Bezuidenhout sentenced him to life in prison for the murder and rape and 15 years for robbery. She rejected his version that he sought revenge for his mother’s murder. In his guilty plea, Fikizolo told the court how he tracked down his mother’s lover using Facebook, by pretending…

CONVICTED murderer Oscar Pistorius believes he is eligible for parole because he has served half of his prison sentence. The disgraced athlete is now asking the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to compel the chairperson of the Atteridgeville Correctional Centre to hold a parole hearing for him. According to the calculations of Pistorius and his lawyer, Julian Knight, he has served half of the 15 years meted out to him by the Supreme Court of Appeal, and is thus entitled to be considered for parole. But the calculations of the prison authorities indicate that he would have only served half of his sentence in March next year. The confusion regarding his time spent in jail followed the various appeals and orders issued by the Supreme Court after trial Judge Thokozile Masipa…

AS SOUTH Africa recorded a trade surplus of R24.76 billion in July, up from a surplus of R24.23bn in June, Lara Hodes, an economist at Investec, warns going forward, a deteriorating global outlook will weigh heavily on South Africa’s export potential. July’s outcome was ahead of Bloomberg consensus expectations of a R19bn surplus. Data from the SA Revenue Service (Sars) showed yesterday that exports dropped 4.1 percent month-on-month to R177.23bn, while imports were down 5 percent at R152.47bn. However, the year-to-date (January 1 to July 31) preliminary trade balance surplus of R156.71bn was a deterioration from the R285.13bn trade balance surplus for the comparable period in 2021, Sars said. Hodes noted that a review of the trade highlights released by Sars indicated that all major import…

COPE president Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota has rejected his suspension and vowed to stay on as leader of the party until their 2023 elective conference. The 74-year-old trended on social media yesterday following a scuffle that took place during a press briefing at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg. Lekota said he called the press briefing to clarify his purported suspension, announced by deputy president Willie Madisha on Monday. After the announcement was made, Lekota and national chairperson Teboho Loate announced the suspensions of Madisha, national spokesperson Dennis Bloem and secretary for elections Mzwandile Nhleko. Lekota has been accused of sowing divisions in the party and of not being physically fit enough to run the party. During yesterday’s press briefing, three people wearing Cope regalia stormed into the building and said Lekota had…

Over the next few days, please save the columns until you have all 18 points about Differentiation of Self. If you want greater emotional and family health (don’t we all?) they will be the most important columns you will ever read. This is no exaggeration. They will contain the toughest challenges we must all face. Here are the first five of 18. Differentiation of Self (a Murray Bowen and Family Systems concept) is described in many ways in the following points: Growing in the ability to be fully responsible for my own life while being committed to growing closer to those whom I love. Intentionally developing, at the same time, autonomy and intimacy. In developing autonomy, I set myself towards achieving my personal dreams and ambitions. In developing intimacy, I…

Aggressive voices are bouncing around, not unusually and not surprisingly, trying to muffle the lonely voice of brave and bold Minister Naledi Pandor, who dares to remind a spineless world about the discriminating shenanigans of invader Israel. In all possible languages, just in case. When most of the world chooses to look the other way, for a variety of reasons, regarding the helpless position of the Palestinians whose land has been stolen from under their noses, we who believe in a world that deserves absolute human rights, feel proud we have somebody who says: “Can you take a moment to look away from the Russian war and check this one out?” What do you think? We right-thinking, anti-right-winging personnel choose to believe that so long as Israel does not admit…

A fossilised tusk from a giant prehistoric elephant that once roamed around the Mediterranean has emerged from an excavation site in southern Israel, offering what archaeologists said was a rare insight into the life of early inhabitants of the area. The 2.5 metre-long tusk from the ancient straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) is estimated to be around half a million years old and was found in an area where stone and flint tools and other animal remains have been recovered. “This is the largest complete fossil tusk ever found at a prehistoric site in Israel or the Near East,” Israel Antiquities Authority prehistorian Avi Levy, the director of the excavation, said. The now-extinct species, much larger than African elephants,was part of the rich fauna of the area, including wild cattle and…

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) said the DA received almost R16 million in donations in the first quarter of the 2022/23 financial year. The IEC said the DA, the ANC, ActionSA and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) were the only parties to disclose donations. The ANC received R10m, ActionSA R750 000, and the PA, R310 000. The DA received its largest donation of R15m from Fynbos Ekwiteit (Pty) Ltd. It was also the only party to receive a foreign donation of R977 687.13. Meanwhile, the ANC got its donation from an entity known as Botho-Botho Commercial Enterprise. “This entity should not be confused with Batho-Batho Trust, which made a significant donation to the ANC in the previous year,” said the IEC. The IEC said the ANC’s R10m donation…

SHARING articles on Facebook or Twitter, even when we haven’t read them, can lead us to believe we are experts on a particular topic and this can be a risky situation, new research reveals. Sharing news articles with friends and followers on social media can prompt people to think they know more about the articles’ topics than they actually do, according to a new study from researchers at The University of Texas at Austin in the US. “When people feel they’re more knowledgeable, they’re more likely to make riskier decisions,” said Assistant Professor Adrian Ward. The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, said social media sharers believe they are knowledgeable about the content they share, even if they have not read it or have only glanced at a…

seven suspects were arrested on Tuesday in the Cinderella Park area of Mountain Rise, Pietermaritzburg, with firearms linked to a double murder. A joint operation conducted on Tuesday included the Hawks, Crime Intelligence, the uMgungundlovu Trio Task Team, National Stabilisation Team, Flying Squad and Magma Security. Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said the team had received information regarding a group of suspects wanted for murders committed in KwaPata in Plessislaer hours earlier on Tuesday. Gwala said it is alleged that at 2.30pm two men, aged 18 and 26, were shot dead. “The victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were declared dead at the scene. The suspects also robbed the victims of their shoes.” Gwala said seven suspects were arrested and were in possession of several firearms. She added that…

MSUNDUZI mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla survived an attempt to oust him through a motion of no confidence, describing it as an act of desperation by the opposition parties that do not want to acknowledge the progress that has been made in improving the city. Earlier this month, the DA filed a motion of no confidence against Thebolla, accusing him of failing to turn around the city. However, the motion failed during a council meeting yesterday, with 45 councillors voting against it, 10 abstaining and 14 voting for it. “This motion was brought on as an act of desperation by those who do not want to acknowledge the progress that we have made in the city. “We have undertaken a lot of projects, fixing street lights, pothole patching, and while we have…

‘Mother of Ivorian democracy’ campaigns for solidarity, labour rights and freedom A new left-wing political party was born in the Ivory Coast, the Mouvement des Générations Capables (MGC, Movement of Capable Generations), whose extraordinary General Assembly was held on August 19 and 20, 2022. Sponsored by Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, the party wants to oppose the ultra-liberalism prevalent in West Africa and put solidarity, labour rights and freedom at the centre of its programme. Who is Simone Ehivet Gbagbo? Simone Ehivet was born on June 20, 1949, in Moossou, in the department of Grand Bassam in the Sud-Comoé region, into a family of 18 brothers and sisters. Her father, Jean Ehivet, a policeman, had to travel extensively for work and this allowed the young Simone, who accompanied him, to be in…

ORLANDO Pirates will be looking for nothing less than victory on Sunday as they travel to KwaZulu-Natal to play against Maritzburg United at Harry Gwala Stadium. A win for the Sea Robbers will likely help them retain first position on the Premiership standings. Jose Riveiro’s team are currently on top of the log, but have played a game more than Mamelodi Sundowns and AmaZulu who occupy second and third place respectively. Even though Pirates have struggled for consistency over the past several years, history suggests they will at least get a point if not win Sunday’s game. Maritzburg are a team that has endured frustration at their hands for many years. Pirates are unbeaten against Maritzburg in 12 games, having won eight. The last time Maritzburg beat them…

Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke has slammed the government’s slow response to the needs of flood disaster victims in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, saying affected communities look to the government for immediate relief. She said such relief would include humanitarian relief, provision of housing and the rebuilding of infrastructure. At a media briefing yesterday, Maluleke said any disaster response required urgent and well-co-ordinated action by national, provincial and local government and by the contractors they appointed. However, she warned that an emergency did not negate the need for accountability for the funds used, the quality of the delivery, or the value derived from the money spent. She acknowledged the government’s ongoing effort of “successfully providing social relief and commencing the rehousing and rebuilding phases with some good practices emerging”, but stressed…

The Zulu royal family expects this month’s Reed Dance Festival to be well attended, as all Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted. The royal family explained yesterday that two Reed Dance festivals would be held, with thousands of Zulu maidens expected to attend. The first festival will take place this weekend at Emachobeni Palace in Ingwavuma. “What is significant is that the two festivals at Emachobeni and Enyokeni Palaces will be hosted without the Covid-19 restrictions that limited the number of people that could attend and that is why we expect a massive turn-out,” family spokesperson Prince Thulani Zulu said yesterday. He added that they would hold the festivals in the same way they had done over the past years, with the Emachobeni gathering being held first and Enyokeni being held…

I commend Thyagaraj Markandan for his letter in The Mercury (August 30) about the “plight” of eThekwini Municipality staff following asset seizure. I concur with everything he writes about the matter. However, using terms and phrases like “no chairs and desks …”, “tuck into some tasty morsel …” constitutes respect which, in my view, has not been earned. Where our municipality is concerned, wallowing in troughs of gluttony is far more descriptive of the situation. EThekwini Municipality is nothing short of a shameless, hopeless, pathetic entity which is the millstone we all must wear round our necks. Waiting for an improvement is futile, because the ANC hasn’t nearly finished breaking and destroying every ounce of excellent infrastructure which was handed to it on a silver platter on April 27, 1994.…

I used to think that the practice of polygamy was something reserved only for Africans who are black. And although I was aware of Islamic polygamy, I was recently shocked to learn that some white people in America are practising it. And the interesting part was that in most cases, white women agree with the husband to add another woman to the marriage which is definitely not always the case with black women. My shock was purely from a religious perspective, that insists on monogamy in Western society, and is not based on ignorance of modern cultural patterns. Because an analysis of modern Western cultural developments already indicated a paradigm shift in marriage and gender relations, including the theological reflection on it. And the acceptance of feminist priesthood and homosexuality…

After reading your editorial on the Comrades Marathon, particularly the section where you chastise the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA), with respect sir, you display a distinct lack of understanding of the mammoth effort and costs required to put on the event. And nowhere more apparent is this than your comment that the CMA hid behind the Covid-19 scenario for two years to justify reduced prize money. Surely you are aware that the CMA is a full-time organisation funded by money received from each year’s event and it does not take much business acumen to recognise that. The Comrades Marathon is an event for thousands of runners from all walks of life, to share a memorable experience with tremendous camaraderie, and is not just there to pay wages for a handful…

The National Treasury has listed nearly 1.5 million unlicensed or unroadworthy vehicles on South African roads and medical claims as some of the fiscal leakages affecting provincial budgets. During the ministerial briefings in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), chief director for provincial budget analysis Ogalaletseng Gaarekwe said there were 1 487 364 unroadworthy or unlicensed vehicles in South Africa in December 2021. “These vehicles have serious consequences on road safety and contribute to loss of revenue (motor vehicle license fees). Law-enforcement measures (need) to be strengthened to curb the lawlessness on our roads,” Gaarekwe said. She said the challenge with these vehicles did not start during the Covid-19 pandemic, but much earlier. “In 2015, we had about 833 000 of these kinds of vehicles. The number has increased…

Police in Gauteng have arrested a suspect allegedly linked to the notorious blue light gang operating on the N12. “The arrest follows complaints about hijackings on national and provincial roads. The gang usually drive cars fitted with blue lights and dress in what appears to be police uniform,” said spokesperson for the Road Traffic Management Corporation, Simon Zwane. He said intelligence had been gathered after a Toyota Hilux GD6 was hijacked on the N12 near Delmas. Zwane said the victim was taken hostage and his bank cards were used to make withdrawals of large sums. The motorist’s card was also used to buy expensive alcoholic beverages. “Video footage of the suspects buying alcohol at a well-known tavern circulated showing clear photos of the suspects, which then prompted authorities to search…

KwaZulu-Natal transport, community safety and liaison MEC Sipho Hlomuka has appealed for the speedy arrest of the suspects who killed an uMlazi police officer and injured another on Monday. In a statement yesterday, the department said the suspects randomly opened fire at police while they were on duty at Mega City at around 8pm, killing one officer and wounding another. Police recovered five spent 9mm cartridges on the scene. The department said police are investigating one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. “Preliminary reports reveal that one police officer, Constable Andile Bongani Magwaza, died on the scene while Constable S Mkhize was rushed to the nearest hospital. Constable N Mathengela did not sustain any injuries but is still in a state of shock,” said the department. Hlomuka…

A sheriff of the court will have to go to Nkandla to draft a list of moveable assets to be attached after the Pietermaritzburg High Court this week granted summary judgment against former president Jacob Zuma. The matter was brought to the court by VBS Mutual Bank curator Anoosh Rooplal to compel Zuma to repay the loan spent on upgrades to his home in Nkandla. The original loan amount was R6.5 million, but with interest the amount outstanding is R7.8m. The order relates to former public protector Thuli Madonsela’s 2014 report, which found that when security improvements were made at Zuma’s home, a number of structures were built at state expense that were not related to security. These included a cattle enclosure, chicken run and visitor centre, a theatre and…

On August 10, 2022, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) published a white paper titled “The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era”. For readers’ better understanding of the Taiwan question, the following keywords are essential reference. Taiwan is part of China There is but one China, and Taiwan is part of China. This is an indisputable fact supported by history and the law. The earliest references to this effect are to be found, among others, in Seaboard Geographic Gazetteer compiled in the year 230 by Shen Ying of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period. During the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945), the Communist Party of…