Table of contents for 2024-05-06 in Mercury

Three women had been diagnosed with HIV after getting “vampire facial” procedures at an unlicensed New Mexico medical spa, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report last week, marking the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through cosmetic services using needles. In the report, health officials disclosed that a probe into VIP Spa in Albuquerque from 2018 to 2023 had exposed some alarming practices. The spa is accused of reusing disposable items meant to be used just once, which has led to clients contracting HIV through treatments that involved contaminated blood, according to The New York Times. The investigation linked five individuals who all had nearly identical HIV strains. Four had received a skin treatment, known as platelet-rich plasma microneedling, at the spa.…

THE KwaZulu-Natal provincial government believes the Msunduzi Municipality has improved enough and is ready to “manage” its own affairs despite admitting that the municipality is battling financially and struggling to deliver services. The provincial government announced that it was “lifting” the administration of the municipality as it has addressed many of the concerns that led to it being placed under administration. In a statement, the provincial government announced that it was lifting the intervention in terms of Section 139(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. This means that the administrator who had been appointed to assist the municipality will be removed and it will be run through liaising with Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) directly. A senior official in the municipality described this decision, as…

The IFP in the KZN Legislature, as the official opposition, is deeply saddened by the passing of Inkosi Bonga Mdletshe. Inkosi Mdletshe’s death is a great loss for the entire institution of traditional leadership, not just the Mdletshe family and clan. His warmth and friendliness will be sorely missed, and the institution of traditional leadership in KZN will be poorer without his stature. His passing came at a critical time when his leadership and inputs are needed to ensure legislation is passed ensuring that the institution’s dignity is restored. Inkosi Bonga Mdletshe was a loyal, committed, and senior member of the IFP. He became Inkosi of the Mdletshe clan in the late ’80s and became a member of Hlabisa Regional Authority as well as a member of the erstwhile KwaZulu…

A 101-year-old gal named Patricia – she wants her surname not to be revealed – is a keen traveller and regular passenger on airlines. But she keeps getting mistaken for a one-year-old baby, according to the BBC, because of an error with the airline’s booking system. Instead of the wheelchair ordered to help her from the aircraft to the passenger lounge, an airline lady is standing by expecting to carry a one-year-old baby. American Airlines’ systems apparently cannot compute that Patricia was born in 1922, not 2022. A BBC staffer happened to be on board at the latest mix-up, which Patricia and the cabin crew at least found hilarious. “It was so funny that they thought I was only a little child and I’m an old lady!” But she…

Minister in The Presidency for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has said the government is making progress in tackling gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). She was responding to the DA’s Nazley Khan Sharif who had asked Dlamini Zuma to explain what steps her office had taken to assist women, subjected to violence at the hands of their current or former partners, since her tenure started in June 2019. Dlamini Zuma said the responsibility for combating the scourge of GBVF rested with all of society if any progress towards its eradication was to be made. “GBVF is a complex phenomenon that happens in families, households and communities, thus we need all to be invested in the fight against this pandemic. From each individual, household/family, and community…

Two people have been arrested after a man was injured in a shooting outside a nightclub just after midnight on Saturday in uMhlanga. Security company and private ambulance provider KZN VIP Protection Services said they responded to the incident and assisted the shooting victim. “KZN VIP Ambulance responded to the scene and began assessing the injured patient, who sustained moderate injuries. The patient was stabilised before being transported rapidly to a nearby medical facility.” Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said the police arrested two suspects. Police opened an attempted murder case following the shooting incident. “Reports indicate that a man was seated in his car on Palm Boulevard when the brother of his girlfriend approached him and started an argument and allegedly hit him. The victim retaliated by drawing his…

THE SAPS has closed more than 5.4 million case dockets and investigations due to a lack of results and leads in the past five years. This was revealed by Police Minister Bheki Cele when he responded to parliamentary questions from DA MP Okkie Terblanche. Terblanche enquired about open case dockets that were lost and stolen in each province in the last five years, and from March last year to March this year. In his written response, the police minister said that 5 428 631 case dockets had been closed without results due to lack of leads at the time in the past five years. The number of dockets closed in each financial year were as follows: 1 215 394 dockets in 2018/19. 1 166 681 in…

EVERY year on May 5, the world celebrates the International Day of the Midwife, honouring the vital role midwives play in ensuring safe childbirth, and maternal and newborn health. This year, as we commemorated this significant day, it’s imperative to recognise midwives not only as guardians of life but also as crucial actors in combating the existential threat that climate change poses to Mother Earth. This year’s theme, “Midwives: A Vital Climate Solution”, highlights how midwives in Africa are at the forefront of climate resilience efforts, safeguarding communities and fostering sustainable health-care practices. Midwifery is often misconstrued as merely a branch of nursing. However, it embodies a distinct profession, rooted in expertise and specialised skills focused on maternal and newborn care. In Africa, where access to comprehensive health care remains…

Kenya said yesterday that the death toll from weeks of devastating rains and floods had risen to at least 228 and warned that there was no sign of a let-up in the crisis. While Kenya and neighbouring Tanzania escaped major damage from a tropical cyclone that weakened after making landfall on Saturday, the government in Nairobi said the country continued to endure torrential downpours and the risk of further floods and landslides. In western Kenya, the River Nyando burst its banks in the early hours of yesterday, engulfing a police station, school, hospital and market in the town of Ahero in Kisumu County, police said. There were no immediate reports of casualties but local police said water levels were still rising and that the main bridge outside Kisumu on the…

Afghanistan’s top diplomat in India resigned days after she was caught by airport authorities smuggling nearly $2 million (R37m) worth of gold into the country. Zakia Wardak, the Afghan Consul-General in India’s financial capital Mumbai, announced her resignation in a statement posted on social media platform X. Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi shut down in November, more than two years after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul following the collapse of the Western-backed government. Indian media reports said Wardak was last month stopped by financial intelligence authorities at Mumbai airport on arrival from Dubai, along with her son, carrying 25kg of gold. She was not arrested because of her diplomatic immunity, but the gold, worth around $1.9 million, was confiscated. | AFP…

SAO PAULO: The death toll from heavy rains that have inundated Brazil’s southern state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to at least 66, local authorities said yesterday. The number of people still missing rose to 101 and more than 80 000 had been displaced, according to the state civil defence authority. It was investigating whether another six deaths were related to the storms. Storms have affected about two thirds of the nearly 500 towns and cities in the state, which borders Uruguay and Argentina. Floods have destroyed roads and bridges in several areas. The rains have also triggered landslides and the partial collapse of a dam at a hydroelectric power plant. | Reuters…

Tokyo: More than 400 residents in northern Japan were urged to evacuate yetersday over fears that a forest fire that had been blazing for two days could spread to residential areas. Helicopters poured water for hours on the mountains around Nanyo city in Yamagata prefecture to douse the flames, but the operation was called off after dark with the fire still burning. Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed white smoke rising from the mountains. The northern city has been sweltering under higher-than-average temperatures and saw the mercury rise past 31°C yesterday, according to private weather forecaster Weather News. | AFP…

THERE are many statistical skeletons of statisticians strewn around at the hands of politicians. One remarkable example is the Greek statistician – my brother and friend – Andreas Georgiou, about whom I have written no less than six articles over the 14 years since his persecution began. You may recall the plight of this persecuted chief statistician of the Greek statistics office. Statistics is a conduit of trust. Only those who are trusted can acquit themselves well in this calling. Georgiou had written to us that the Greek Supreme Court had decided, in spring 2023, to accept his request to annul the conviction decision of the Civil Appeals Court in the case of “simple slander” for his defending the corrected fiscal statistics of 2006 to 2009. Simple slander means making…

THE Sharks pulled off a nail-biting win on Saturday to go through to the final of Europe’s Challenge Cup to potentially turn a disastrous season into a memorable one. The Sharks have had a terrible season in the United Rugby Championship (URC), but at the weekend they beat French team Clermont 32-31 in London to advance to the final against England team Gloucester on May 24. But for three-quarters of the game, all seemed lost for the Durbanites. It was shades of the agony of the World Cup six months ago in France as the Sharks looked dead and buried at 31-18 before exploding into action and winning the game by a single point, a margin the Boks perfected in the quarter-finals, semi-final and final of the World Cup. And…

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula confirmed yesterday that the disciplinary process against former president Jacob Zuma scheduled for tomorrow had been postponed. He said this was necessary after internal and external security assessments were submitted to the party’s national disciplinary committee (NDC) to put aside any large gatherings that had the potential to attract violence. Zuma’s disciplinary hearing would proceed but at a later stage. The MK Party (MKP) issued a statement yesterday saying that Zuma had been invited to participate in the hearing virtually but he had rejected this idea. The former president would physically attend tomorrow without any MKP supporters. Mbalula said the party’s constitution called for the national executive committee and his office to respect the integrity and independence of the NDC and to take all steps…

It seems that the earth is divided into two parallel universes: One that believes in facts, figures and truth. The other deliberately believes in fairy tales and lies. Once-iconic sources of factual news – CNN, Sky news, the New York Times, The Washington Post, NDTv and BBC – all have during the past two decades fallen into the nether world of punting neo-nationalism and projecting mostly serious untruths. Reading or watching lies is not in itself serious. But shifting public opinion continuously into a certain false mindset can have dire consequences, by garnering political support from mindless people who are mostly ignorant or have minimum intellectual ability or lack any degree of critical thinking power. All of the following institutions reached a very premature “The End” title mainly due…

Before you judge others by looks, clothing, demeanour or attitude: You do not know their story, the hardships faced, the history lived, the moves, the changes and challenges faced. You do not know the heartaches, the heartbreaks, the longings, the broken promises or the losses faced and endured. Tread carefully. You do not know what they are hiding in embarrassment and shame with the clothes they choose to wear or what statement they are trying to make. You do not know what violence they may have endured which appear to demand clothing themselves for rejection or protection. Read the signs with empathy. People tell their stories – voluntarily and involuntarily – with their every move, every word, every mood and every decision. They do the same with their language, responses,…

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has revealed that more than R227 billion was lost due to corruption, fraud and bribery at Eskom, South African Airways and Transnet in the past five years. Gordhan was responding to parliamentary questions from DA MP Farhat Essack, who enquired about the amounts the three state-owned entities lost due to corruption, fraud and bribery in the past five years as well as monies recovered in each case. In his response, the minister said his department formed working groups with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), state organs and other enforcement agencies to implement proclamations relating to maladministration concerning the affairs of state-owned companies (SOCs). “This initiative resulted in the employment of a civil litigation strategy to recover funds associated with SOC losses sustained during the state…

Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) has issued a warning to all would-be traffickers that South Africa is not open to their illicit business practices after a German man was arrested while boarding a flight to Croatia at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg while allegedly attempting to traffic two Madagascan women. According to the police, the suspect was arrested after they were intercepted by the Border Management Authority (BMA) as they attempted to board a flight to Croatia on April 19 with fraudulent passports. “The man, 56-year-old Joachim Will, appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Friday on charges of trafficking in persons and fraud. “He was remanded in custody until a formal bail application,” said the Acsa statement issued on Saturday. According to Acsa, the suspect was arrested…

THE five races that were abandoned on Saturday at Hollywoodbets Greyville racecourse in Durban due to the bad behaviour of a group of racegoers have been rescheduled for Wednesday, according to Gold Circle. The R500 000 Independent on Saturday Drill Hall Stakes, the R500 000 World Sports Betting Guineas as well as the R500 000 WSB Fillies Guineas will be run at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Wednesday afternoon. The last five races on the card were abandoned, including the three Grade 2 feature events after the horse Main Defender was scratched from the IOS Drill Hall Stakes. Gold Circle condemned the behaviour of a group of racegoers following the scratching of Main Defender. “Gold Circle firmly intends to sanction those responsible, which may include a banning order from its race tracks…

ANC stalwart Mavuso Msimang yesterday said whatever the outcome of the May 29 elections, the party’s veterans would apply pressure to ensure that those who face allegations of corruption, should not make it on to the party’s candidate lists. Msimang and other speakers, including ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) members Thoko Didiza and Pravin Gordhan, were speaking in Durban to mark the 130th anniversary of the Natal Indian Congress (NIC). The NIC was established in 1894 by Mahatma Gandhi to fight discrimination against Indian traders in the then-Natal and the congress was also a founding member of the United Democratic Front (UDF). After the ANC was unbanned in 1990, the NIC was disbanded and many of its leaders became active in the newly formed ANC branches and its provincial and…

SOUTH Africa’s fight against corruption becomes a mockery when big international companies at the centre of milking the state-owned entities (SOEs) are let off the hook with meagre fines. Complex as these crimes are, the public expects and demands to see those implicated in crippling the country’s SOEs, including global firms, answering to charges against them. It is all well and good that the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has recovered some of the more than R227 billion that was lost due to corruption, fraud and bribery at Eskom, South African Airways and Transnet in the past five years. Soon-to-retire Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has recently disclosed a R500m agreement between Eskom and Systems Applications Products (SAP) over a R1.1bn claim by the power utility. In another matter involving…

Three bodies recovered from a cliff-top shaft in Mexico’s crime-hit Baja California state are very likely those of two Australian brothers and an American who disappeared on a surfing trip, local investigators have said. The bodies were in an “advanced state of decomposition” when they were hoisted out of a shaft a few steps from the edge of the Pacific Ocean cliff, said state prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade. But “given their clothing, long hair and specific physical descriptions, we have high probability” that the bodies are those of the three missing men, she said. Another body found at the site had been there longer and was unconnected to the latest disappearances, officials said. Andrade said one line of inquiry is whether the deaths resulted from an attempt to steal the…

PARIS: President Xi Jinping lauded China’s ties with France as an international model yesterday as he arrived in Paris for a rare visit against a backdrop of mounting trade disputes with the EU. French President Emmanuel Macron is set to urge Xi to reduce trade imbalances and to use his influence with Russia over the war in Ukraine. China’s president is due to meet Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen today. France is backing an EU probe into Chinese electric vehicle exports, and in January, Beijing opened an investigation into mostly French-made imports of brandy, a move widely seen as a tit-for-tat retaliation for EU probes. France will seek to make progress on opening the Chinese market to its agricultural exports. China may announce an order for…

WASHINGTON: Former US president Donald Trump’s election campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) said on Saturday that they raised more than $76 million in April, over half of it from small donors. The monthly fundraising haul exceeded the $65.6 million raised in March by Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, and the RNC. Democrat Joe Biden’s re-election campaign has routinely surpassed Trump’s in fundraising ahead of the November 5 election. Saturday’s announcement came as Trump and the RNC hosted a retreat in Florida for donors and high-profile politicians including vice-presidential hopefuls. | Reuters…

Berlin: A 17-year-old has turned himself in to police in Germany after an attack on a lawmaker that the country’s leaders decried as a threat to democracy. The teenager reported to police in Dresden yesterday and said he “had knocked down the SPD politician”. Matthias Ecke, 41, European parliament lawmaker for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), was set upon by four attackers as he put up EU election posters on Friday night, police said. Ecke was “seriously injured” and required an operation after the attack. Ecke, who is head of the SPD’s European election list in the Saxony region, was the latest political target to be attacked in Germany. | AFP…

THE DA’s PROPOSALS to scrap the Minimum Wage is a recipe for labour market chaos. Cosatu and millions of workers were horrified by the DA’s proposals last week that seek to overturn every single labour right, protection and benefit that generations of South African workers struggled to achieve over many decades and that have been enshrined in law since 1994 under the ANC led government. In essence, the DA, which likes to portray itself as a friend of the poor and the unemployed (at least at election time) is proposing to grow the economy by imposing a wage freeze on the minimum wage that 6 million farm, domestic, cleaning, security, hospitality amongst other sectors’ workers earn. The DA believes allowing the minimum wage to be collapsed by inflation is…

Transnet SOC Ltd, which is opposing the court action brought by a subsidiary of shipping and logistics company AP Moller-Maersk to challenge the awarding of the Durban Container Terminal Pier 2 (DCT Pier 2) contract to a Philippines-based company, says it believes due process was followed in appointing the preferred partner. Transnet said it will allow the legal process to take its course. It was commenting after reports that APM Terminals, a subsidiary of AP Moller-Maersk, had brought an interdict application in the Durban High Court to prevent Philippines-based company International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) from taking on its role of managing the terminal operations. In response to questions from The Mercury, Transnet said it was aware of the application by APMT in the Durban High Court and…

A zebra that made a break for freedom while being transported to a petting zoo in the US was finally recaptured after running away almost six days ago. The zebra was one of four that bolted from a trailer on the side of a highway in Washington state on April 28. Owner Kristine Keltgen was taking the recently acquired creatures to Montana when she pulled over to fix a flapping floor mat. The moment she opened the trailer, the four zebras, all females, took off. “The first thing I thought was, ‘Keep them away from the (road),’” Keltgen said. “Then my next thought was, 'I need help.’” That help arrived in the form of a passing rodeo bullfighter and a couple of horse trainers. But the rescue squad was only…

One year since eThekwini Municipality adopted the Water and Sanitation Turnaround Strategy on April 24, 2023, notable progress has been made. This strategy is aimed at improving the performance of the Water and Sanitation Unit while fast-tracking interventions to ensure that it can meet current and future water and sanitation demands. The implementation of the strategy is based on a set of key objectives that were developed by the City and supported by National Treasury’s City Support Programme. Demands on the existing water and sewer network are growing in eThekwini, and this calls for urgent intervention. In addition, the floods in April 2022 caused further strain on the City’s infrastructure as most water and sanitation infrastructure was severely damaged. This resulted in the interruption of water supply as sewer networks…

INDEPENDENT organisations have become the latest voices to join opposition parties in requesting President Cyril Ramaphosa not to sign the highly-contested Expropriation Bill. On March 24, the National Assembly approved the Expropriation Bill as amended by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) following a vote of 205 in favour of, and 108 against. However, despite the resolution by the governing party, a number of voices have opposed the passing of the bill, especially the DA, Freedom Front Plus as well as the IFP, which have vowed to take it to the Constitutional Court to challenge the bill’s constitutionality. The DA accused the governing ANC of attempting to “bulldoze” the bill through as a last-ditch effort to gain votes in the run-up to the national and provincial elections on May 29.…

Former National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) deputy director Nomgcobo Jiba has hit back at comments made about her by former president Thabo Mbeki. In 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa fired Jiba based on the recommendation of the Mokgoro Inquiry. In his Freedom Day speech, Mbeki had said the NPA was infiltrated by the very same people who were supposed to protect it, accusing Jiba of not acting in accordance with her responsibility as the head of the NPA. “This describes the act of a counter- revolution. In this regard, I recall Justice Mokgoro’s report of what the court said about Jiba’s conduct – it was inconsistent with duties imposed on all public official functionaries to be responsive, accountable and transparent. Jiba’s stance was technical and formalistic, and aimed solely at shielding…

DURBAN ratepayers have slammed the slightly reduced tariff hikes which were approved by eThekwini Municipality’s council, saying the changes made were insufficient and will not ease the burden faced by residents. The ratepayers said despite the decreases, the tariff hikes scheduled to come into effect in two months’ time, remained unaffordable and will push the struggling ratepayers under water. One ratepayer group reiterated its stance that it was seeking legal advice on the matter while another said the residents were already battling to pay their current bills and the situation would worsen with the new increases. Some opposition parties in the council have also found the budget inappropriate and have refused to support it. The eThekwini Council on Friday passed the budget for the new financial year, detailing the tariff…

THE SOUNDS of the best in local and international jazz reverberated through the city as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) made its much-anticipated return. The festival, which showcased more than 30 local and international artists across four stages, welcomed thousands of guests, who are affectionately known as festinos, for the 21st instalment of Africa’s Grandest Gathering, said CTIJF spokesperson, Kaz Henderson. Henderson said the festival is the biggest jazz event on the continent and the most diverse with a mix of local and international talent. “More than 18 500 festinos reconnected with the CTIJF over the weekend, in addition to the thousands who filled Greenmarket Square at Thursday’s free concert. “Several artists throughout the festival, all expressed how glad they were to know that the festival is…

Seizure of land in Palestine and South Africa at the source of present poverty and pain The unfolding genocide in Palestine has brought into sharp focus the violent and brutal seizure of land as the driving force of the Zionist regime’s ongoing occupation. The unwavering support for the genocide has also exposed its sponsors and local supporters as those who believe in and continue to advance the cause of settler colonialism. Genocidal land-grabbing is unfolding everywhere in Occupied Palestine. While the blood of thousands of Palestinians continues to flow, Zionists are brazenly and unashamedly holding presentations to promote a future Gaza with Israeli settlements. Settler colonialism is best explained by the martyred spokesperson of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ghassan Kanafani, who said: “They steal your…

Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared slim yesterday as Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the freeing of hostages, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly ruled that out. The two sides blamed each other for the impasse. In their second day of truce talks in Cairo with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Hamas negotiators maintained their stance that any truce agreement must end the war, Palestinian officials said. Israeli officials have not travelled to Cairo to take part in indirect diplomacy, but yesterday Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s aim since the start of the war nearly seven months ago: to disarm and dismantle the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas for good or else endanger Israel’s future security. The prime minister said Israel was willing to pause…

In the seven months following Hamas’s shocking attack on Israel, the world has seen the worst outbreak of anti-Semitism since World War II, an annual report released yesterday said. If this trend continues, Jews in many countries will no longer be able to live their identity in safety and freedom. This is according to the report by the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the US. Last year, for example, there was an average of around three bomb threats per day against synagogues and Jewish institutions in the US. “The year is not 1938, not even 1933,” said Professor Uriya Shavit. “Yet if current trends continue, the curtain will descend on the ability to lead Jewish lives in…

Rio De Janeiro: Pop idol Madonna, 65, gave it all as she looked back on her four-decade career before throngs of joyful fans jammed on to Brazil’s famed Copacabana Beach on Saturday night. The show marked the final stop on her “Celebration Tour” noting her 40 years topping the pop charts, in a free event that drew upward of 1.6 million fans. It blended music and dance with cabaret. Madonna’s concert should provide an economic boost to Rio, which contributed 20 million reales (R74m) toward the $12m production cost. | AFP…

KARACHI: An International Monetary Fund mission is set to visit Pakistan this month to discuss a new programme, the lender said yesterday ahead of Islamabad beginning its annual budget-making process for the next financial year. Pakistan last month completed a short-term $3 billion (about $55bn) programme, which helped stave off sovereign default, but the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed the need for a fresh, longer-term programme. Pakistan narrowly averted default last summer, and its $350bn economy has stabilised, with inflation coming down to around 17% in April from a record high 38% last May. | Reuters…