Table of contents for 2023-04-25 in Mercury

PURPLE Group’s share price plunged more than 9% after it reported a 152% decline in headline earnings to an 85 cents headline loss per share for the six months to February 28. The group’s expenses increased sharply as new projects took longer and proved more costly than expected to implement. On top of the headline loss, the online share-trading and investing group, said it would shortly announce plans to raise R150 million in new capital to fund growth over the next years. Purple’s share price closed 8.87% lower at R1.13 on the JSE yesterday, after the price had declined over the year from R2.70. The share, a favourite among many retail investors, drew mixed reactions. Junior Smith (@JuniorBuffet) commented on Twitter: “Purple group I still believe in the…

THE National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) in KwaZulu-Natal continues to be plagued with issues, despite assurances from the provincial government that food supplies would be delivered to all schools. An investigation carried out by The Mercury has revealed that one school in the Mtubatuba area, northern KZN, with a school population of more than 300 pupils, received just 12 two-litre containers of sour milk as this week’s supply of meals. This is among the shocking claims made by the National Teachers’ Union (Natu) regarding the challenges facing the NSNP. The provincial Department of Education has come under fire amid allegations of mismanaging the R2 billion contract that is meant to supply food to more than 5 000 schools and 2 million pupils. The department changed the tender model by awarding…

April 18 was the Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Day and Jews and others marked and remembered the murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazis. Unbelievably, still today in 2023 there is an organisation that rewards the murder of Jews and literally pays tens of thousands of dollars every year to people who participated in terror and murdered Jews, simply for being Jews. It is not the Nazis this time, but the Palestinian Authority (PA). Much has been written about the PA’s terror-rewarding Pay-for-Slay policy (first exposed in 2011) and it is doubtful whether there is an honest government anywhere that could deny knowledge of its existence. Nonetheless, ignoring the fact that the PA uses substantial parts of its budget to reward terrorists murdering Jews, the EU and others have…

Man United had 120 minutes to score one goal against Brighton & Hove Albion in their FA Cup semi-final clash on Sunday, but they just couldn’t. It seemed way beyond them. A very unconvincing display by the Red Devils who used to make short work of teams below them. The outcome as to who goes into the final to meet Man City in the FA cup had to be decided by a penalty shoot-out. Although Man United fans felt relieved and celebrated when their team won the penalty shoot-out, they shouldn’t get too excited, they should be concerned about how their team’s fortunes have slumped since the dominant days of the Ferguson era. They were humiliated when they were demolished 7-0 by their arch rivals Liverpool in their premier league…

AN AMBASSADOR for Rats? A Rat Tsar? It’s all happening in the US, according to Associated Press. The Ambassador for Rats in San Diego is a lady called Runa. But Runa is a lady rat not a lady human. She is one of a handful of such so-called ambassadors showing off the virtues of rats at three American zoos. The ambassador rats are African giant pouched rats, supplied by Tanzania, to perform useful tasks such as combating wildlife trafficking and detecting diseases. How this happens is not explained by AP but they do tell us that ambassador rats such as Runa have already proved very useful at three US zoos. At least twice the size of the common brown rats found in cities, African giant pouched rats like Runa are…

Dozens of eThekwini residents, who belong to ratepayer and residents’ organisations, held a picket outside the Durban City Hall yesterday over the proposed municipal tariff increases and poor service delivery. Ish Prahladh, chairperson of the eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents’ Association, said the group handed over a memorandum to speaker Thabani Nyawose. Issues listed in the memorandum, seen by The Mercury, include a call for a meeting with mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and heads of departments; for the municipality to draw up a framework to ensure and improve service delivery, as well as dedicated water, electrical and sewage response teams to repair damage to infrastructure due to floods. Prahladh said the picket comes two weeks after the association requested a meeting with the mayor and heads of departments to address their issues.…

In the aftermath of the brutal killing of 10 family members early on Friday in Pietermaritzburg, one South African jokingly remarked on social media that “if Lesotho wants parts of KZN, let’s give them Pietermaritzburg”. While this was said in jest, unfortunately it underlines the shock and horror that has greeted the latest mass shooting that took place in the capital city of KwaZulu-Natal. Apart from well-documented service delivery failures that have become synonymous with Pietermaritzburg, the city is quickly gaining a reputation for extreme violence, assassinations and mass shootings. Unless something drastic is done to improve policing in the city, criminality and violent crime will make the area the mass murder capital of the country. Apart from the latest killings spree in Unit 14 of Imbali township, in July…

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol flew to Washington yesterday for a six-day state visit as the allies moved to bulk up military co-operation over North Korea’s expanding nuclear threats. Pyongyang has conducted another record-breaking string of sanctions-defying launches this year, including test-firing the country’s first solid-fuel ballistic missile this month – a key technical breakthrough for Kim Jong Un’s military. In response, Yoon has pulled South Korea closer to long-standing ally Washington, and the trip has a packed schedule including a summit with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, where the pair will celebrate 70 years of ties. “The two leaders will spend a lot of time together over the course of many events to celebrate the achievements of the South Korea-US alliance over 70 years, and exchange in-depth…

New York: Jury selection was set for yesterday in a trial to determine whether British pop star Ed Sheeran plagiarised American music legend Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On in his 2014 hit Thinking Out Loud. The plaintiffs are the heirs of Ed Townsend, a musician and producer who co-wrote Gaye’s 1973 soul classic. They allege there are “striking similarities and overt common elements” between Gaye’s sultry classic and Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud. It’s not the first time Sheeran has been taken to court, as copyright lawsuits in the industry flourish. Sheeran’s team contests the allegations, saying “there are dozens if not hundreds of songs that predate and postdate” Gaye’s song, “utilising the same or similar chord progression”. Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud shot up America’s Billboard Hot 100 charts and…

Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said his government had opened dialogue with a rebel group active in the Oromia region, the country’s largest and most populous region, surrounding the capital Addis Ababa. “The peace negotiation that will be held with (the Oromo Liberation Army) will start the day after tomorrow in Tanzania,” Abiy said on Sunday. “The Ethiopian government and people will need this negotiation very much. “I call upon everybody to play (their) part.” Abiy spoke at a gathering of parties to the Tigray peace process which saw a deal on November 2 end a two-year conflict with rebelling regional authorities. | AFP…

Kathmandu: Nepal has issued a record 454 permits to climb Mount Everest this spring, officials said yesterday, four years after at least four deaths on the world’s highest peak were blamed on overcrowding. “This is the highest number of permits the department has issued to summit Mount Everest,” said Bigyan Koirala from the tourism department, adding that numbers could rise further. As most of these mountaineers will attempt to summit Everest with the help of a Nepali guide, more than 900 climbers will be heading for the summit in the next few weeks. This could cause heavy traffic and bottlenecks en route to the summit. | AFP…

Plan to do it over the next four years in a bid to recover at least 7 000MW into the grid and end the load shedding ESKOM has proposed to embark on a R16 billion programme of installing smart-meters in every household in South Africa over the next four years in a bid to recover at least 7 000MW into the grid and end load shedding. If this demand management strategy is given the green light, it would represent a change of approach in Eskom’s cocktail to end rotational power cuts as load shedding is a tactic of limiting electricity supply based on generation capacity. Eskom first touted an approach to demand-side management in 2012 as it warned that 3 000MW of committed capacity from supply…

THE South African government is working on a plan to evacuate 77 South Africans, diplomats and citizens, from Sudan’s capital Khartoum as fierce fighting continues to rage, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) said yesterday. A vicious power struggle between the country’s army and a strong paramilitary force has led to violence across Sudan for more than a week following a breakdown in negotiations on political and security sector reforms. Several countries including South Africa have closed their embassies in Khartoum. Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela, in a post on social media, said that the government had explored all options and settled on a plan, with the co-ordination of 77 SA nationals under way. “The airport is damaged and closed and Khartoum is effectively a no-fly zone. Intense fighting…

It is heartbreaking to watch as our country is torn apart by mindless violence. The massacre and murder of 10 innocent people in Imbali Unit 14, Pietermaritzburg, graphically illustrates that our rainbow nation has become a killing zone. Respect and fear for the law is non-existent. While we remain a democracy envied the world over, we seem intent on striking out at the democratic values that have enabled us to survive against the odds. The brutal violence has been overwhelming. But the spirit of ubuntu has never been more alive than now. No democracy can allow such violence. No civilised society can tolerate such wanton disregard for human lives and no state can accept such mindless discord. We have betrayed the legacy of our founding fathers and our Struggle heroes,…

The current court case of Dr Nandipha Magudumana, convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester and others is making news headlines in quite a similar way as Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow of America, who fell into a life of crime. Despite the criminal conviction of Bester, why would a woman with a thriving medical practice and bright future, allegedly, assist a criminal to escape from prison? Is it just a situation of an intelligent woman making a wrong choice or a reckless mistake or as they say love has no boundaries? Although the answer to the question of why a woman would date or “marry” a criminal even while knowing full well about the potential risks is for psychologists, psychiatrists and other medical experts to answer, I believe it all…

By “your story” I mean your unabridged, unedited story, the meanderings of your life, the whole truth, not only the shiny parts. If we are at all similar and we probably are, you may have noticed our propensity to play the well-worn tracks, the golden-oldies, we speak of those areas of our lives and they come out well-rehearsed, cute lines, anecdotes that flow with ease, often with intent to impress. With these areas of our lives, we are seasoned raconteurs. What will it take for you and I to unblock the blocked, dislodge darker areas, give the hidden areas of our lives a little light? When we give these parts a little airtime, allow ourselves and others to know us at deeper, unrehearsed levels, it usually – if we are…

In refusing bail for an alleged master- mind in a multimillion fraud case involving VAT, a judge said “looting is the greatest question mark hovering over the current leadership of the State, and requires resolute attention”. These words followed the appeal by accused Faried van der Schyff to the Western Cape High Court, after the lower court had refused him bail. But Judge Daniel Thulare, on appeal, said the magistrate was correct in refusing bail. He found that Van der Schyff, who is facing trial on a variety of charges along with eight other accused, was not frank with the court during his bail application. He, among others, omitted to mention that he had a previous conviction which is fraud-related, and that there are other similar charges pending against him…

The head of Durban Solid Waste in eThekwini Municipality, Noluthando Magewu, has outlined changes being implemented by the unit to manage waste collection in the City. The moves include increasing the frequency of collection, piloting community-based collection initiatives and the effective monitoring of refuse removal. Magewu recently said she had inherited a unit that was besieged by mistrust among the staff. Former head of the unit, Raymond Rampersad, who took early retirement recently, has been harshly criticised by mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, who accused him of failing to execute his task of ensuring effective waste collection in the City. Rampersad denied the claims. Since Magewu took over the reins, the municipality has claimed that refuse collection has improved and the City is looking cleaner, however, this has been disputed by councillors…

IN THE eyes of many, Joseph Stalin was just a killer and dictator. It is true that many people in the Soviet Union died at his ruthless hand. It began when he was on the path to power, using the subtle method used by evil authorities – he “eliminated” his opponents. The worst was turning comrades against each other, especially the “old guard”. One of the worst examples was his having a hand in the death of Leon Trotsky. Trotsky was close to Lenin, though they differed ideologically. But because he was a true comrade, a revolutionary, and a combatant, Lenin trusted him. He entrusted him with a crucial component, the army, when they were still in a revolution, a struggle to free Russia from the yoke of oppression. A…

Europe, China and Japan raced to extract their citizens from Sudan yesterday and thousands more people used a partial lull in fighting between the army and a paramilitary force over the past two days to escape the country’s deepening crisis. The sudden eruption of violence between the military and the well-armed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group on April 15 has killed at least 427 people, knocked out hospitals and other services and turned residential areas into war zones. Tens of thousands of people, including Sudanese and citizens from neighbouring countries, have fled in the past few days, including to Egypt, Chad and South Sudan, despite chronic instability there. “There is still a challenge in accessing food, there’s still a challenge accessing electricity and water and that is prompting people…

Most Britons want to keep the monarchy but King Charles III lacks support from young people, a new poll suggested yesterday, less than two weeks before his coronation. Fifty-eight percent of respondents backed retaining the monarchy, compared to 26% in favour of an elected head of state and 16% who “don’t know”, according to the YouGov survey. But the poll, commissioned by the BBC before Charles’s May 6 coronation, indicated that only about a third of young people support the monarchy while 38% would prefer an elected head of state. They showed broad indifference towards the institution, with more than three-quarters of 18-24 year-olds saying they were “not interested” in the royal family. Support for the royals was greatest among older people, with 67% backing among those aged 50-64, and…

Singapore: British tycoon Richard Branson has urged Singapore to halt the imminent execution of a man sentenced to death over 1kg of cannabis, saying it “may be about to kill an innocent man”. Singaporean Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, is scheduled to be hanged tomorrow. “Tangaraju was actually not anywhere near these drugs at the time of his arrest. This was largely a circumstantial case,” Branson wrote on his blog yesterday. “Killing those at the lowest rungs of the illicit drug supply chain … is hardly effective in curbing an international trade worth hundreds of billions every year,” he said. | AFP…

Rome: More than 20 people are feared to have drowned off Italy, the UN’s refugee agency said yesterday, as good weather prompted fresh attempts at the perilous Mediterranean crossing. “Two shipwrecks off Lampedusa with 22 missing,” Chiara Cardoletti, the UNHCR’s representative for Italy, said on Twitter. The 36 survivors of the first shipwreck told the Italian coastguard that 19 people on board their boat had died after it partially capsized. Three other people were reported to have died in a second incident. Those saved hailed from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, the Ivory Coast and Sudan. More than 36 000 migrants have arrived by sea in Italy this year. | AFP…

Safa are ready to pull the plug on their partnership with the SABC if things do not improve. After agreeing on four-year contract in 2019, Safa were expected to see the SABC plough a significant amount of money into the association, while ensuring that their matches - across junior and senior national teams - are televised on SABC 1, 2 and 3. But the South African national broadcaster has failed to live up to expectations on both ends, cutting the R110million yearly investment to a measly R25m, while some crucial Safa matches have only been broadcast on streaming services - such as OTT. Those irregularities have backed Safa into a corner in terms of the day-to-day operations - despite reporting that they have incurred a loss of only R2.9m in…

ONE OF the men accused of killing 10 members of the same famiy in Imbali, Pietermaritzburg on Friday, appeared in court yesterday. The National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson for KwaZulu-Natal, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said the 26-year-old suspect had been charged with 10 counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition. “The matter has been remanded to May 5 for bail investigations,” said Ramkisson-Kara. The other suspect remains in hospital under police guard while another is at large. A fourth suspect died in a shoot-out with police. James Martin, chairperson of the Townhill Community Police Forum in Pietermaritzburg, said it was shocking that people could take 10 lives so easily. “This could be a family issue and an organised hit, but for an issue to…

The proposal by the ANC to approach the Municipal Demarcation Board for the incorporation of the DA-governed uMngeni into the councils of Impendle and Mpofana flies in the face of the wishes of the voters of the DA-governed council of uMngeni. Under the capable leadership of mayor Chris Pappas and team, the council of uMngeni has been turned around in a short space of time. Loans have been repaid, employment has been created, plant and equipment have been purchased to assist with service delivery. Huge strides have been made to promote tourism in the area and that leads to more employment. This municipality stepped in when the ANC-led provincial government could not deliver food to schools in uMngeni. Food has been delivered to schools in the area, thanks to the…

Your front-page articles in your publications of April 12 and 21, 2023, refer. In light of your latest article and in view of the political importance to this country of extending an invitation to someone – who not only has a warrant out for his arrest by the ICC for the abduction of children from Ukraine, but is also responsible for the passing of the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law and Accountability Acts of 2012 and 2016 – make it very unlikely for him to ever being admitted into, let alone invited to visit, the US. For anyone and in particular the state president and every Cabinet minister, parliamentarians as well as members of the public wishing to read the factual reality of the current criminal regime in power in…

THE breakdown of coalition discussions in the City of Joburg could have repercussions for the national DA-initiated moonshot pact and efforts to unseat a possible ANC-EFF government. The moonshot pact is a grouping of civil society bodies and opposition parties that are opposed to a possible ANC and EFF coalition government. John Steenhuisen, following his re-election as DA federal leader last month, said the party would initiate a process to form a pre-election “moonshot pact” with like-minded political parties, civil society organisations and civic movements to defeat the ANC and to keep the EFF out. The IFP has said that while it welcomed the invitation to engage a national convention of like-minded opposition parties to investigate how they might collectively strengthen South Africa’s future, it has not entered into an…

Choose honest, capable independent candidates of calibre THERE is a certain irony that this year we celebrate “Freedom Day” – the name given by South Africans to mark the first democratic and non-racial elections on April 27, 1994 – uniquely challenged to consciously exercise our equal enjoyment of the freedom to make political choices that will shape the next 30 years and beyond. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing of the much-awaited Electoral Amendment Act into law on April 17 directly challenges us to be deliberate in our political choices to form a political party; to participate in political party activities, including recruiting members and to campaign for a political party or cause; to massively participate in free, fair and regular elections by voting in secret, by also standing for public office…

Kenyan authorities have exhumed dozens of bodies, mostly children, from a forest in south-east Kenya in what appears to be a religious starvation cult, with Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki describing it as a “massacre”. At least 58 people have been confirmed dead, including 50 whose bodies were exhumed, while 28 people survived, said Charles Kamau, a criminal investigation officer from the Malindi area. He said most of the bodies retrieved from graves were children. Kamau said that at least four had died of starvation, though post-mortems still had to be done. The dead are believed to be worshippers of Paul Mackenzie’s Good News International Church. A total of 800 acres of the Shakahola forest have been sealed off and declared a crime scene, Kindiki said. The site is close…

Leaders from European countries surrounding the North Sea are set to pledge to expand renewable generation in the region to strengthen energy security, at a summit in Ostend, Belgium, yesterday. Seven EU countries, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, alongside non-EU countries Norway and the UK, will commit to build wind farms rapidly, develop “energy islands” – or connected renewable generation sites at sea – and work on carbon capture and renewable hydrogen projects in the region. The aim is to curb reliance on Russian gas, and reduce use of CO2-emitting fossil fuels. Norway last year became Europe’s biggest gas supplier, after Russia cut deliveries to Europe following its invasion of Ukraine. A draft of the leaders’ summit declaration said the nine countries aimed for a combined 120 gigawatts of…

Beirut: Israel’s army yesterday shelled a position belonging to a pro-Iran group in southern Syria near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a war monitor said, the second such bombardment in days. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “Israeli ground forces” bombarded a location on the outskirts of Quneitra where fighters from the Syrian Resistance to Liberate the Golan are located, without reporting any casualties. The Hezbollah-linked, Iran-backed group was formed to launch attacks in the Israeli-occupied zone. Two local media outlets close to the government reported an “Israeli aggression” that targeted the outskirts of Quneitra. | AFP…

BERLIN: Industrial action grounded dozens of flights at two major German airports yesterday as security workers and ground services employees in the capital, Berlin, and in Hamburg held a one-day strike over pay. Berlin-Brandenburg airport cancelled all departures and said some landings would also be affected after the Verdi union called security workers out on strike until midnight. Roughly 240 flights had been scheduled to take off. As in other countries, Europe’s largest economy has seen repeated disruption from strike action as workers press for more pay and better working conditions to tackle a surge in the cost of living. | Reuters…

Kaizer Chiefs are getting their just desserts as they continue to play housie-housie with the iconic club by allowing the chairman's family to occupy strategic positions in the day-to-day running of the organisation. On Sunday, Chiefs suffered a 1-0 defeat to a very ordinary Sekhukhune United side. Without the usual penalty or opposition red card, Chiefs slumped to defeat after a four-match unbeaten streak in the Premiership. During this fruitful Premiership streak, Chiefs either won after a penalty proved decisive or they were advantaged by playing against 10-man opposition teams. This occurrence prompted coach Steve Barker to remark, "Chiefs must be practising against 10-man opposition", after his side suffered a red card and a penalty in a 2-1 defeat. Sunday's defeat prompted an outcry from the AmaKhosi faithful, and a…