Table of contents for 2022-12-20 in Mercury

LOBBYISTS for former health minister Zweli Mkhize said the support given by delegates from KwaZulu-Natal was not reciprocated by those campaigning in other provinces. Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected president of the ANC yesterday with 2 476 votes compared with Mkhize’s 1 897. KZN, which had endorsed Mkhize prior to the conference, had close to 900 delegates or 20% of the voters at the conference out of the total of 4 436 eligible voters. Mkhize’s supporters said this was a considerable voting group and while others in his slate were elected to the Top Seven – Paul Mashatile was elected deputy president and Nomvula Mokonyane first deputy secretary-general – Mkhize did not get the required support from other provinces. The ANC in KZN also has no representative in the Top Seven.…

BRITISH broadcaster and writer Piers Morgan has come out swinging at Prince Harry and Meghan for their tell-all Netflix series, which he describes as a “whineathon”. “Diana would be appalled at how he’s trying to destroy the monarchy and attacking Britain,” he broadcast on his Piers Morgan Uncensored programme. “Their incessant whining is so insufferably exhausting, Prince Harry publicly trashing his brother William, branding his father King Charles a liar and attacking his grandmother the late Queen for doing nothing. “This is such a grotesque and sickening betrayal of his family.” Is there any precedent for this break with royal protocol? No exact parallel, it seems, though in 1936 King Edward VIII shocked the Brits and the Commonwealth by broadcasting from Windsor Castle that he had abdicated from the throne…

Did I really read the following sentence on the front page of “The Mercury”, Monday, December 19? Under the headline “Judge orders municipality to fix street lights”. “The municipality relied on two earlier judgments in unrelated matters, where the court held it was not reasonable for a citizen to expect that services such as roads and pavements and by extrapolation, street lights, be maintained in pristine condition at all times.” Would it then be unreasonable for ratepayers to not pay their rates? Simple question. Really. WENDY LOKER ILLING |…

I read in the media that four power stations will have army on site. This to protect against vandalism, theft, corruption and sabotage. Very curious, since (former Eskom CEO André) De Ruyter has been speaking about these issues hobbling Eskom and was met with not much support and in fact much derision from the leader of the red berets. One must wonder who authorised the army and whether De Ruyter will in some way be vindicated? No, I think not, he will remain the problem in the eyes of those whose agenda is perhaps not to fix Eskom. ROLAND FISHER |…

WITH seven in 10 South Africans dependent on public clinics, hospitals and other public institutions when they are ill or injured, there was an urgent need to address the country’s infrastructure backlog. This is according to chief executive of Gap Infrastructure Corporation, Roelof van den Berg, who said it was revealed that as many as 265 state hospitals and 1 903 primary healthcare facilities require urgent upgrades and maintenance to bring them up to acceptable standards. Van der Berg said while research shows an impressive 98% of the population live within at least two hours of a government hospital, households living in rural areas were often affected by unequal access to health care and forced to travel long distances to urban areas for advanced medical treatment. However, although people live…

THE Department of Employment and Labour, through the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), will be “following the money” for all payments made to employees and employers negatively affected by the Covid-19 lockdown. The UIF said it had already deployed over 360 auditors to visit employers who benefited from the Covid-19 Temporary Employee, Employer Relief Scheme. They will examine their financial records, verify the authenticity of their claims and confirm if the correct amounts of money were paid to workers at the right time. During the national lockdown, the UIF provided wage subsidies to employees and employers affected, for which it budgeted R40 billion for three months. The period was extended due to continued implementation of the national state of disaster to July 2021. UIF spokesperson Trevor Hattingh urged employers to pro-actively…

But will he act decisively, and how much damage will his detractors do? TURN on the radio or scroll down your phone, and the big headlines belong to the ANC’s 55th elective conference and the leadership contest that has returned the Cyril Ramaphosa slate to power. But when this latest version of the political circus drops off the front pages, another story is set to take its place. This one will hang around for most of the period leading to the 2024 national and provincial elections, specifying the terms of public office horse trading from the top in the Union Buildings down to the bottom at the municipal level, and possibly once more deciding Ramaphosa’s future as the country’s president. Under South Africa’s political system, Ramaphosa will lead the ANC…

China yesterday reported its first Covid-19 deaths since loosening its hardline containment policy, as hospitals and crematoriums struggle with an outbreak authorities say is impossible to track. The country is pressing ahead with unwinding its zero-Covid policy, with people in one megacity now told they can go to work if they are visibly ill. Official case numbers are widely considered unreliable following the end of mandatory mass testing. Fears are mounting of a wave of infections in poor rural areas during the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays. Authorities reported two virus deaths in the capital Beijing, where fear of Covid has emptied streets and stripped pharmacies of medications. Millions of unvaccinated elderly Chinese remain vulnerable to the disease. Accounts from strained hospitals and crematoriums suggest the true toll of the…

SAN FRANCISCO: Twitter users voted in a poll for Elon Musk to step down as chief executive of the social media platform, in a backlash against the billionaire less than two months after he took over. About 57.5% votes were for “Yes”, while 42.5% were against the idea of Musk stepping down as the head of Twitter, according to the poll the billionaire launched. More than 17.5 million people voted. Musk said he would abide by the results of the poll, but did not give details on when he would step down if results said he should. Shares of Tesla the electric-car maker Musk heads, were up about 3% at $154.70 in premarket trading. The poll is the latest twist in Musk’s chaotic reign as Twitter CEO, which includes firings…

Forty-eight teams, three host countries, and potentially more than 100 games. After successfully staging the most compact World Cup in history, Fifa is now preparing to organise the biggest. The dust had barely settled on Sunday's World Cup final before attention turned to the gargantuan figure of 2026 looming on the horizon. For the first time, football's greatest tournament will be held across three host nations - the US, Canada and Mexico. The tournament will notably see an expansion to 48 teams, up from the current 32-team format that has been in place since 1998, and double the number of teams that took part in the last World Cup held on US or Mexican soil. The enlarged competition represents a triumph for Fifa president Gianni Infantino, who made expanding the…

Three women were elected to the ANC’s Top Seven leadership yesterday, a marked improvement from the outcome of the previous elective conference. Nomvula Mokonyane was named first deputy secretary-general, with Maropene Ramokgopa taking the second deputy secretary-general position, while ANC veteran Gwen Ramokgopa emerged as treasurer-general. Mokonyane beat another female contender, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, to the position of first deputy secretary- general. Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Gauteng MEC of Public Safety Faith Mazibuko celebrated the move and said the inclusion of women in the ANC leadership was a step in the right direction, following years of complaints that the top structure of the governing party was dominated by men. Jessie Duarte, who died early this year, had been the only woman in the ANC’s Top Six that was…

AS we bid farewell to 2022, let us remember the trauma and heartbreak associated with a turbulent and drama-filled year. Let us honour all those who answered the call of duty this perilous year. Outstanding contributors are the security officers, medical helpers, caregivers who assisted during the massive storms that displaced people and destroyed homes and livelihoods. These dedicated team members whose service to every aspect of humanity personifies supreme acts of kindness will be embedded in our collective memories. The strength, grit and dedication of our community volunteers is reason to honour and rejoice in how far we have come in our fight for survival against flood waters. At a time when humanity rose to the adversity forced on us by nature, the service of our dedicated community…

The arrogance of the ANC must be the last straw for the people of South Africa. The sheer superiority, superciliousness, and officiousness of the privileged cadres knows no bounds. While people are having to put up with up to six hours-plus a day without electricity, the ANC elective conference is exempt from load shedding. Under some half-baked excuse and request from the police, the conference was allowed a continuous supply of electricity; this for a political party, not a national key point. Is that not the most obscene display of entitlement? While some hospitals, according to press reports, still experience power outages, these abusive “leaders” are above what us mere mortals have to endure. Ordinary people can’t cook or do their washing, wake up and go to bed in darkness,…

THE KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education yesterday expressed shock at the killing of a Durban school principal. Education spokesperson Muzi Mahlambi said they were saddened by the tragic death of the principal of the Bright Future Special School, Sipho Nkosi. He was gunned down by suspects while on his way home on Thursday last week. “We are all devastated at the department. We were with Nkosi (last week) at the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) Training Indaba Programme at Coastlands in uMhlanga,” said Mahlambi. He described Nkosi as a bubbly, happy, and energetic individual, adding that many were still battling to come to terms with the tragedy. “We parted on December 14. The following day, on the 15th, we heard the news that he had been shot,” the spokesperson added. He…

MOTORISTS who find themselves on the roads this festive season should drive with extreme caution and observe the rules of the road so that the number of fatal crashes is drastically reduced. KwaZulu-Natal always records the highest number of road deaths in South Africa, and this statistic should be reversed. Law enforcement authorities, traffic officials, taxi and truck operators should work extra hard to stop the unnecessary carnage on our highways. It is very concerning that seven people were killed in a collision between a minibus taxi and truck near the Bergville Interchange on the N3 in the direction of Durban on Sunday. The crash happened between the Bergville Interchange and Tugela Toll Plaza. While the police are investigating the cause of the crash, it is understood the minibus overturned.…

Judges in London yesterday ruled that the UK government’s controversial plan to deport failed asylum seekers to Rwanda was lawful, after a legal challenge by migrants and campaigners. Former prime minister Boris Johnson brought in the proposal to try to tackle record numbers of migrants crossing the Channel from northern France by small boats. But it triggered a wave of protests from rights groups and charities, and last-gasp legal challenges successfully blocked the first deportation flights in June. Several individuals who arrived in small boats and organisations supporting migrants brought a case at the High Court in London for a judicial review of the policy, claiming it is unlawful. The judges acknowledged that the issue had stirred public debate but said its only remit was “to ensure that the law…

Canberra: More than 200 people have fallen ill with many hospitalised in a widespread food safety incident across multiple Australian states. The people are believed to have suffered symptoms after eating baby spinach, and four major supermarket chains in Australia have taken down the contaminated products from the shelves, reports said yesterday. The Food Standards Australia New Zealand has made a national recall of the contaminated baby spinach products. The initial possible symptoms include delirium or confusion, hallucinations, dilated pupils, rapid heartbeat, flushed face, blurred vision, and dry mouth and skin. | IANS…

Emirates Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen and his coaching staff are coming up with “creative” solutions for training sessions this December in their bid to keep the players focused as the South African teams play festive season rugby for the first time in history. As the rest of South Africa prepares to put their feet up, the South African franchises are still lacing up their boots in the thick of a heavy training and playing schedule, specifically with United Rugby Championship (URC) matches on Friday and New Year’s Eve ahead. “I think it will be a challenge,” said Van Rooyen. “At a time when everyone usually goes on holiday, we now need to train every day and be prepared. It will be a mental challenge and it’s something new for…

PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE supporters should use their Christmas family gatherings to reminisce fondly about everything regarding the recent World Cup because they’ll soon be back to reality. The global event had everything - from Cristiano Ronaldo weeping in agony after Portugal’s early exit, to Lionel Messi’s tears of joy as he held the trophy aloft. Argentina beat France in the final in Lusail Stadium as Messi became a world champion, entered the upper echelons of world football to be consider one of the greats alongside Diego Maradona and Pele. The Africans also rewrote the history books as Morocco beat the odds to become the first nation from the continent to progress to the semi-finals of the tournament. But with Bafana Bafana failing to qualify for the event yet again, South…

In A world where you and I and children are often told we can be anything we want to be, I’d suggest we all: Be kind to others, aware of others, and make room in our hearts for those less fortunate than we are, understanding that “less fortunate” may (or may not) have to do with money and opportunity. Be generous with our time and resources by doing our part to empower others where possible. Promoting others ahead of ourselves almost always results in rewards that come in beautiful and unexpected ways. Be assertive, be clear about what we need and what we will and will not do, while understanding that being assertive is not the same as being stubborn. Be as prepared as possible for our daily tasks and…

This beloved country can be likened to a terminally ill patient on a ventilator. The prognosis is dismal. Machines emit a cacophony of disharmonious sounds. Tubes penetrate multiple areas of this ghostlike figure. All hope fades. The cancer has permeated the core of this being. Guilty loved ones shy away from this ghastly, macabre ICU bed of the doomed. Even God has forsaken this pitiful soul. This thing is now a shadow of its former self. Life support equipment artificially create the impression that this Frankenstein-like creature is being brought to life. In the meanwhile, the canker gnaws from within. The death knell tolls. Desperately and paradoxically the faithful bow in prayer for this human. Ghastly howls of despair eerily pierce the sombre atmosphere. Other ailing patients in the ICU…

It’s the end of the year, time to unwind, let your hair down, celebrate and party the night away. What is Christmas without a feast – roast turkey, succulent lamb and gammon, a tinkling of glasses overflowing with champagne and intoxicating spirits, tiramisu and baked puddings, and gifts and presents galore? Oh what a time of indulgence is Christmas, as revellers uncork bottles of bubbly and embrace one another warmly the world over. The Christmas spirit is so infectious that even non-Christians cannot resist it, and join in the Christmas spirit. While the Christmas spirit is like no other, it has also become so heavily commercialised that it has largely lost its spiritual significance. It has become synonymous with shopping, feasting, merry-making and materialism. It’s all about showering people with…

Emerging businesses, including operators in the entertainment and funeral industries, have lamented the impact of the latest round of load shedding. They say while some industries may make profits as the festive season moves into full swing, they are forking out huge amounts of money for generators and petrol to keep their businesses operating. Power utility Eskom continues to implement load shedding causing disruption to households and businesses across the country. A Durban businessman, Thembelani Dlamini, complained about load shedding, calling on the power utility to tackle the crisis. Dlamini who owns Classic Lifestyle, a leisure and entertainment outlet in Chesterville, said the past weekend had been bad for his business. He lamented how he had been looking forward to the long-weekend to make a profit, but had to hire…

THE state of the eThekwini Municipality’s wastewater treatment plants has come under scrutiny following revelations that some are not licensed to operate by the Department of Water and Sanitation. Ousted former deputy mayor Philani Mavundla claimed that several plants were not licensed and some were dysfunctional. Mavundla revealed that as far back as November 2021, there was a report compiled by the city that revealed the dire state of its wastewater works. The city’s head of water and sanitation, Ednick Msweli, said yesterday that he did not have updated figures, but there were about two plants that were unlicensed while 10 were operating with old permits while they go through the licensing processes, which normally takes about three months. He said the licensing process involved rigorous inspections by the…

WHO IS Helen Joseph? As part and parcel of answering that question Peter Joyce (1999:126) says: “Anti-apartheid campaigner. A graduate of London University, Joseph taught in India before coming to South Africa.” Where did it all begin? Was it a coincidence? It began with her service as an information and welfare officer in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force during World War II. That was followed by her interest in being a social worker, which exposed her to some realities of South African life. She was involved in a trade union and ended up being under the influence of Solly Sachs, Johanna Cornelius and Anna Scheepers - all steps in the development of her political activism. She was neither a spectator, a cheerleader nor a backbencher, but in the forefront…

A UN summit yesterday approved a landmark global deal to protect nature and direct billions of dollars toward conservation but objections from key African nations, home to large tracts of tropical rainforest, held up its final passage. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, reflecting the joint leadership of China and Canada, is the culmination of four years of work toward creating an agreement to guide global conservation efforts through 2030. Delegates were able to build consensus around the deal’s most ambitious target of protecting 30% of the world’s land and seas by the decade’s end, a goal known as 30-by-30. However, division over how to fund conservation efforts in developing countries led to intense negotiations to the end. With China holding the COP15 presidency, Minister of Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu…

Washington: At least 36 people were injured, 11 seriously, when severe turbulence hit a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu on Sunday, officials said. Flight HA35 “encountered severe turbulence” shortly before landing in Honolulu, the airline said. The Airbus A330-200 was carrying 278 passengers and 10 crew members. A total of 36 people, including three crew members, were treated in hospital for nausea and minor injuries, said Jim Ireland, director of Honolulu Emergency Medical Services. Hawaiian Airlines said there had been unstable weather conditions in Hawaii recently. | AFP…