Table of contents for 2023-02-06 in Mercury

THE ANC-led eThekwini council has voted to approve a process that is likely to see the phasing out of the city’s controversial billing system, while opposition parties remain adamant that they want to know how much money had been spent on it over the years. It is believed over R1 billion had been spent since the Revenue Management System (RMS) was introduced. During a council meeting on Friday, the council approved the roadmap to implement the Municipal Standard Chart of Accounts (MSCOA) project which would likely trigger the dismantling of the RMS system as it was not compatible with the project. MSCOA is a project spearheaded by the National Treasury with the aim of improving financial reporting across local governments. It was initiated to address concerns around inconsistencies in…

HOW’S this for weirdness. Bio- scientists in America have announced plans to bring back to life the extinct dodo. They hope to take DNA from the dodo’s closest living relative, the Nicobar pigeon, and juggle it to resemble dodo cells, according to Sky News. The flightless bird, native to Mauritius, went extinct in the 1600s through a combination of hunting by sailors and destruction of habitat by invasive species brought across to the Indian Ocean island by their ships. The scientists are hoping to spark a stunning Jurassic Park-style comeback. The project follows another to bring back the woolly mammoth. The company, Colossal Biosciences, has raised an extra $150 million to support the dodo project. However, other scientists are sceptical. Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm: “There’s a real hazard in…

Sponsoring an overseas soccer team to the tune of R1 billion is an absolute travesty. Our nation is being torn apart at its seams by abject poverty and a complete breakdown in systems that keep the nation afloat, yet those in the corridors of power have the gall and audacity to spend taxpayers’ money while the nation totters on the brink of total collapse, with grim consequences for the poor masses. In 1994, our nation after decades of oppression, became a constitutional democracy. We began a process of breathing the fresh air of wisdom, none would have thought that this very fresh air would turn foul and with the passage of time, get so contaminated that it would poison the whole of the country’s democratic set-up and the persons to…

This is a good week to recall some fundamentals of healthy relationships: Taking care of yourself first is not selfish. You can take care of no one if you yourself are in poor shape. Telling people who you are and what you want is not selfish. It is selfish to place that load on to others if they have to guess who you are and what you want. The person who wants something (anything) the most from another person places that person in the power-seat of the relationship. So, be careful of your own neediness, it may surround you with people who are pitying you rather than relating to you as an equal. If a relationship is not equal (“we are both important”) and mutual (“we both make necessary decisions”)…

A high court bid has been made to compel the government to provide the full record of decisions that led to it awarding electricity generation licences to Karpowership SA. The government believes the emergency power could help alleviate South Africa’s energy crisis. Karpowership was selected as the preferred bidder for the procurement of 450MW in both Ngqura and Richards Bay and 320MW in Saldanha Bay in March 2021. The application by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) filed on January 23 in the Pretoria High Court, asked it to order the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to provide “a complete, unredacted record” of its decisions to award generation licences for the Karpowership projects. Outa said the secrecy hid the financial implications of the deal, estimated to be more…

AN ELDERLY couple was robbed and their daughter raped during a home invasion in Madeira near Tzaneen in Limpopo. Two men wearing balaclavas allegedly broke into a house in Madeira in the early hours of Friday morning, demanding money. It is alleged that the elderly couple were sleeping when they were awoken by the sound of a door being forced open. Two suspects wearing balaclavas then entered the room and pointed firearms at the couple while demanding cash. “The suspects then tied up the couple and ransacked the house. The couple’s daughter, aged 32, came rushing to the bedroom to check on her parents after she heard noises coming from there, but was grabbed by the suspects who forced her to give them the safe key belonging to her…

Two rhinos have been killed and dehorned on a safari farm in Paterson in the Eastern Cape. The rhinos were found dead on Thursday last week. “It is alleged that the two adult rhinos (male and female) were last spotted during an afternoon game drive on February 1 and were discovered dead the following afternoon. The horns from both carcasses were hacked off,” said Eastern Cape police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu. Meanwhile, in Mpumalanga, police said Santos Baloyi, 34, was sentenced to 18 years’ direct imprisonment at Skukuza Regional Court for rhino poaching and other related charges. Baloyi and two of his accomplices were caught in the Kruger National Park on September 10, 2022 by field rangers who were busy with routine patrols at the Afsaal section of the park,…

THE KwaZulu-Natal South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has said a notice circulating on social media regarding scholar transport, was fake. The letter which purports to be from the uMgababa Taxi Association, south of Durban, is written in Zulu. It suggested that only the association’s members could transport pupils in the area. Santaco provincial office manager Sifiso Shangase said the letter had caused unnecessary panic among parents and school children. “We talked about this last week as soon as we saw the post doing rounds on Facebook and we talked with the uMgababa Taxi Association; they told us that the post was untrue. They told us that they wrote to two operators telling them that they should stop operating in high schools because they did not meet requirements to operate…

I have several women in my life: my spouse, mother, siblings, friends, sisters in Christ. The more I engage with them at a personal and emotional level, the more I realise there are many things we, as men, fail to understand. Among those are three impacts that result from our actions. In dealing with these three impacts, I need to tread softly, take off my shoes, as this is a serious and sensitive matter. Few men, if any, can be exempted on these issues. The first impact is the impact of cheating. A woman can be cheated on many times, yet the impact is the same. We can cheaply say she is used to it, but the embarrassment of the last incident equates to the embarrassment of the first. The…

The Nedbank Cup resumes tomorrow with the Round of 32 set to be held over a week. There will be no less than 15 fixtures taking place in that time, four of which will see top-flight teams battle it out against each other. The first all-Premiership clash takes place tomorrow as runaway league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns prepare to tackle surprise package Richards Bay. The Brazilians will be overwhelming favourites to win and will also be out for redemption after they were dumped out of the MTN8 by Orlando Pirates earlier in the season. Richards Bay’s stubborn defence has been a major factor behind their successes this season and they will be looking to prove to Rhulani Mokwena’s side that they are no pushovers. Maritzburg United host Kaizer Chiefs at Harry…

There has been a huge outcry from all sectors of society over the Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship deal by Tourism South Africa (TSA). It has has reached hysterical proportions, and quite rightly so. This is no time to be spending millions on sports sponsorship because the country's economy is in dire straits. The impact of the country's floundering SOEs is such that South Africa has become a state of disaster. This is not the time to ramp up tourism drives when daily curses like loadshedding, high unemployment and out-of-control crime have become a nightmare in the lives of citizens. Much of the anger and criticism directed at TSA would be far more beneficial for South African sport if it was channelled at the national government. On so many levels, the government…

Paris Saint-Germain's football advisor Luis Campos says he will be “delighted” if Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi agrees to extend his contract with the French champions. The 35-year-old, seven-time Ballon D'Or winner achieved his lifetime ambition of winning the World Cup in December but has maintained a decent run of form on his return to France. He scored a key goal in the 3-1 win over Montpellier and then notched his 10th Ligue 1 goal of the season on Saturday as PSG, missing Kylian Mbappe and Neymar through injury, came from behind to beat Toulouse 2-1. Messi joined PSG in 2021 on a two year contract, with the option of renewing it for another, after an emotional farewell to Barcelona where he had spent his whole professional career. “We are in…

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife says it will explore all possible solutions to resolve the issues in Pongola Nature Reserve arising from about 69 elephants roaming the area. This follows concerns about elephant poaching in the area. DA provincial leader Francois Rodgers and DA KZN spokesperson on economic development, tourism and environmental affairs Heinz De Boer visited the area last week. This comes after a shooting incident at Jozini Dam, where poachers shooting at elephants opened fire on tourists on the dam last month. De Boer said the DA condemned elephant poaching in the area, including at the dam. He added that, following the attack on the tourists, the DA had enlisted the help of many high-ranking provincial and national conservation and police officials. “It is believed a heavily armed group of…

INDIA celebrated its Republic Day a couple of weeks ago. There was a time when local Muslim leaders were welcomed at this event held at the Indian Embassy. In those days, I used to die for somebody to send an insignificant person like me an invite for this function. Of course that never happened. Now that India has embarked on a process to remove all Muslims from India by hook or by crook, I am wondering if any Muslim of note was invited to this year’s do. Actually, I pity the Indian diplomat’s dilemma: Why would they invite Muslims to this important function when Muslims are no longer welcome in India itself? And if not invited, would it not clearly confirm that the diaspora of Muslims who originated in…

A current quip notes that “if all the sudden deaths being reported were from the ranks of the unvaxxed, it would be news 24/7”. Yet the standard claim that these sudden deaths are “unexplained” is not supported by data and recent history. Thanks to collusion between Big Pharma and its proxy politicians in every country where having the jab was made virtually compulsory, there has been a spike in mortality statistics. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au) recorded a 16% increase in 2022. Not surprisingly, the bureau makes no reference to the jab as the likely cause. BBC news of January 10 reported 650 000 deaths in the UK in 2022 – an increase of 9% over the mortality rate of 2019. The German Bundestag Statistics for 2022, released on…

The ANC has said it will appeal against the South Gauteng High Court ruling that ordered the party to hand over records of its cadre deployment committee to the DA. “The ANC may in due course consider conveying its full position on the matter should such a need arise after having obtained conclusive advice from its legal team,” the party said in a statement. This comes after the Johannesburg High Court declared “unlawful and invalid” the ANC’s refusal to release its cadre-deployment committee’s minutes, WhatsApp conversations, emails, CVs and other records. Judge Lötter Wepener declared the ANC’s refusal of the DA’s Promotion of Access to Information Act request in February 2021 unlawful and invalid and set it aside. He gave the ANC five court days to provide the information…

IT is all systems go for the State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Thursday. This emerged when Parliament’s programme committee met to be briefed last week about preparations for the annual event, where President Cyril Ramaphosa will outline this year’s government programmes. Secretary to Parliament, Xolile George, told MPs they had been hard at work in terms of preparations for Thursday’s event. Dumisani Sithole, programme manager for Sona, said the work for the event was completed and that they had made a presentation to the chief whips forum. “We can indicate that it is all systems go,” Sithole said. “We can assure the members that we will be able to deliver the Sona.” Secretary to the National Assembly, Masibulele Xaso, said the seats allocated for the guests of political…

The annual report on political party funding from the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), which was tabled in Parliament last week, shows that R162 million was disbursed to parties. The funding is based on the number of seats each political party occupies. It is shown that for the 2021/22 financial year, the ANC received more than R70m from the IEC. The ruling party was followed by the DA which got over R29m. The EFF received almost R20m from the commission. The Freedom Front Plus received just over R9m and the IFP got R6.9m. The ACDP got R4.6m while the ATM received R3.7m and the UDM received R3.6m. The NFP received R2.9m and the GOOD Party got R2.6m. Al Jama-Ah, which recently made headlines when it got its councillor Thapelo…

AN urgent meeting of the tourism portfolio committee to discuss the controversial Tottenham Hotspur R1 billion sponsorship deal has been confirmed to take place tomorrow. The DA’s tourism spokesperson, Manny de Freitas, said at the meeting the committee would have the opportunity to interrogate SA Tourism (SAT) about the pending deal. Among the issues to be discussed include the reported admission by SAT interim chief financial officer Johan van der Walt that he has ties to an agency named in original documents relating to the controversial sponsorship deal. Khumalo had defended the deal, saying it had underlying benefits and would bring a significant return on investment. This was despite acting SAT chief executive Themba Khumalo categorically telling reporters on Thursday that no agencies were involved in facilitating the deal. De…

Dire reading for Ramaphosa and his 2023 Cabinet lekgotla cohorts IT IS one of the most ancient debilities of humanity. It is the pariah of all the belief systems that define the world. And yet its persistence and perseverance are so pervasive that it would make its arch patron, Hades, ever so proud. I am, of course, referring to the pandemic of corruption, the scourge of economies, governments, political parties, business and finance, the public sector and procurement, whose impact and the inability of governments and global gatekeeper institutions at least to contain it has left a trail of societal, social and economic devastation, which in reality acts as a mere multiplier effect. The year 2022 was no exception. Every year in January, Transparency International (TI), arguably the integrity conscience…

FORMER KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala is being touted to head the transport ministry in an expected Cabinet reshuffle in the next few weeks. This as speculation grows about who President Cyril Ramaphosa will appoint to his Cabinet, especially since deputy president David Mabuza announced his resignation on Saturday. However, the Presidency said yesterday that Ramaphosa had not accepted the resignation and had asked Mabuza to remain in the position. Zikalala, who lost the position of ANC provincial chairperson at the party’s elective conference last year, resigned as premier and was replaced by Nomusa Dube-Ncube, but was then appointed provincial Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC. He has since resigned from this post and yesterday the ANC issued a statement saying Zikalala, ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile, ANC second deputy secretary-general…

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is set to do an audit of all its elected representatives, from members of the provincial legislature to municipal councillors, in order to remove all non-performers – this amid growing disapproval of the ruling party among the electorate. Addressing ANC members at the party’s 111th birthday celebrations in Hammarsdale yesterday for the first time since being elected last year, ANC KZN chairperson Siboniso Duma said the provincial leadership had come across complaints about the performance of some ANC members in public institutions. The gathering was attended by the ruling party’s rank-and-file and top brass, including ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and NEC members Bheki Cele and Zweli Mkhize. Duma warned that members of the public were growing increasingly agitated by the conduct of some party members who…

The pupils’ handbook in every school is prepared to serve as a guide to school activities, policies and sanctions given for violating school policies. Parents and pupils must take the time to go through the handbook, as school policies and procedures are outlined and explained. The handbook is in place to make the school safe and for pupils and parents to have a successful school experience. Pupils should strive to live in harmony with all the rules of the school and universal human values. A holistic academic environment among all stakeholders within the school is needed for quality teaching and effective learning to take place. The proverb “It takes a village to raise a child” is certainly still spot-on. Regrettably, many principals and teachers face challenges implementing school policies. Absenteeism,…

The exemplary performance of pupils in last year’s matriculation examinations, especially strides made in KwaZulu-Natal, is once again testimony to the perseverance and resilience of pupils and the parents who support them. The ANC, who live in the glory of past achievements, should refrain from basking in this success. These young people burned the midnight oil while greedy politicians lined their bottomless pockets. Instead, these politicians themselves should enrol for basic education classes, with speech therapy as a major, as their public decorum and speech engagements leaves much to be desired. Throw in maths classes for free. Any numerical equation over eight digits becomes a synaptic confusion for some. And please don’t expect the state to pay for your extra tuition. Some are imbued with the fondness of the declension…

A Gauteng woman thought she had bought a dream home, but found a damp, smelly house with sagging cupboards and cracking paint. The new owner, Molatelo Maloka, turned to court to get a reduction in the selling price of the house, and to force the sellers to cough up for fixing the damp issues. The sellers claimed they were not aware of these problems when they sold the house – the property was sold “voetstoots” to the plaintiff. Thus, they argued, they were protected by the voetstoots clause against latent defects unknown to the seller. But the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, found the latent defects were known to the defendants, so they could not be protected by the voetstoots clause in the offer to purchase. Maloka told the court that…

Four Gauteng police officers have been arrested on charges including assaulting and torturing a foreign national who could not produce his documents. On Friday, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, which arrested the four at their workplace, said the accused would appear before the court. Human rights lawyer advocate Gabriel Shumba said that in enforcing South Africa’s Immigration Act, police officers had the right “on reasonable grounds” to request to see identification from community members. “Section 41 ... gives the police and immigration officials the power to request identification on “reasonable grounds” that a suspect is an illegal foreigner or a non-national. “What is reasonable or not reasonable depends on the circumstances of each case. There are exceptions in that if the officials do not properly identify themselves, there is no…

Durban Metro Police’s Sibonelo Mchunu has officially been appointed as acting head of the unit. Mchunu’s appointment follows the retirement of former head Steve Middleton last month. According to Mchunu’s letter of appointment signed by eThekwini Municipality deputy city manager for Community and Emergency Services, Musa Gumede, the new roll commenced on February 1 and the appointment will be reviewed periodically. It is not clear when a permanent appointment will be made as the position was advertised in December. In the advert for the position, the municipality said it was looking for an individual who is able to identify moral triggers, apply reasoning that promotes honesty and integrity, organise resources effectively to ensure quality of service delivery and be able to analyse information critically. Mchunu, who was previously deputy head…

The recent mass killings that claimed the lives of at least 18 people in one day last week are a grim reminder of the state of affairs in our communities, and that the fight against crime is long lost. The criminals are in charge while the government, in particular Police Minister Bheki Cele, is clueless as to what needs to be done. That no one has been arrested for Wednesday’s shootings in KwaMashu in KwaZulu-Natal, OR Tambo District, Eastern Cape and Mfuleni in Cape Town is indicative of the police’s lack of ability and capability to act with urgency in bringing ruthless criminals to book. Any murder, let alone mass killings where three people or more have been killed, should receive top priority, with those behind it arrested within hours…

Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson scored the winner but it was debutant keeper Keylor Navas they had to thank for a gritty 1-0 Premier League home victory over Leeds United on Sunday. The 36-year-old Costa Rican, signed on loan from Paris Saint-Germain until the end of the season, pulled off a string of superb reflex saves to deny a Leeds side who dominated possession, but could not find a way past him. Forest took the lead against the run of play when Leeds defender Pascal Struijk fouled Johnson and compounded the error by botching his headed clearance from the free kick, teeing up a chance for Johnson. The Welsh forward needed no further invitation, firing a rasping volley into the net to break the deadlock with his team’s first effort on…