Indholdsfortegnelse for 2021-10-20 i Mercury

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za With future incidents of looting and unrest possible, an agriculture expert has warned that contingency plans were needed to ensure the safe transport of food and other vital supplies across the country. Agriculture expert Theo Boshoff, in a recent agribusiness webinar that was held by the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called for a greater consideration of rail transport as a means to move goods, especially food. Boshoff’s comments were in reference to the complete disruption of the food supply chain during the July unrest as both the N2 and N3 routes were closed due to the violence and looting of trucks, and the inability of the port to move goods. Boshoff, from the Agricultural Business Chamber (Agbiz), said that businesses in KwaZulu-Natal alone suffered losses…

Sihle Mavuso and Sibusiso Mboto THE former minister of tourism and Jacob Zuma’s nemesis, Derek Hanekom, has been appointed as one of the five conveners to chair panels to interview ANC mayoral candidates for KwaZulu-Natal municipalities after the elections. The other conveners are Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba, a former minister of state security, Tandi Mahambehlala, a former youth league leader, Khensani Kubayi, current Minister of Human Settlements and Noxolo Kiviet, the former premier of the Eastern Cape. The panel to interview mayoral candidates was recently touted by ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa, while on his campaign trail in KZN. Political analysts said yesterday that the interviews come as the undesirable state of local government, mirrored by service delivery protests across the country, has forced the ANC to show that it was making…

“WHAT do you want me to do for you?” is a powerful question and I believe one that ought to be considered deeply when seeking talk therapy. I may not ask a client this question directly on a first, third, or even fourth visit, but I may. I am always hoping my clients have faced the question, tried to answer it even before making an appointment. There are several reasons for this: • Answering the question suggests the client is taking personal responsibility for the outcome, for the trajectory of his or her life. The question is in itself empowering. • Answering the question demystifies the client-therapist encounter. The client who puts the therapist on any pedestal is likely to be disappointed; the last thing the therapist wants. The client…

IAN LLOYD Durban North I HAVE never been a great lover of France but Shannon Ebrahim’s recent article about the evils perpetrated by France during the insurrection in Algeria, I found to be somewhat harsh. If we look back in history, France went into Algeria to fight the Barbary pirates who had started up again after having been destroyed by the US earlier in the century; these pirates had been plaguing commercial shipping in the Mediterranean Sea for many years. The Algerians were Muslim Berbers, who were quite violent, and who fought against the colonisers under the banner Front de Libération National or FLN for many years until Algerian independence in 1962. Like all colonial countries, France employed local people to assist in the running of the country who were…

COLIN BOSMAN | Cape Town WHY are the main political parties, ANC aside, so silent and non- committal on the subject of private gun ownership? Why are the DA, Freedom Front Plus, IFP and so on sitting on the fence while the ANC is attempting to push through legislative changes to the Firearms Control Act by attempting to prohibit self-defence as a reason for owning a firearm? Is this legislation simply an attempt to disarm the public? Why is it that not a single political party is standing up for the constitutional right of honest, law-abiding citizens to defend their lives? Why are honest law-abiding gun owners and potential gun owners being demonised and blamed for the killing fields on the Cape Flats, with the help of selective…

The FBI, US Secret Service and Interpol have helped the Hawks apprehend eight foreign nationals in Cape Town suspected of being involved in internet scams, money laundering and international-wide financial fraud. The suspects, aged between 33 to 52, allegedly lured their victims, many of whom are vulnerable widows or divorcees, into believing they were involved in serious romantic relationships before duping them out of a combined R100 million through “sob stories”, the Hawks said in a statement yesterday. The alleged fraudsters “intimidated and berated their victims, ruined their lives and then disappeared”. The Crime Intelligence Unit, K9 unit, National Intervention Unit, Special Task Force, Tactical Operations Management Section, Criminal Record Centre and Cape Town Metro police were also involved in tracking down the suspects. “It is alleged that these suspects…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za Transnet said yesterday an investigation was under way to find the cause of fires that caused damage to both the Richards Bay and Durban port terminals. Transnet declared a force majeure after two fires on October 6 and 13 caused extensive damage to the import conveyor route at the Richards Bay terminal. Transnet also revealed in the statement that there had also recently been a fire which caused damage to the grain conveyor route at the Durban terminal. Ayanda Shezi, general manager for corporate affairs at Transnet SOC Limited, said a board of inquiry was being set up to investigate the cause of the fires. Shezi said no injuries were reported and that ensuring the safety of the area was a priority before operations resumed. Shezi added…

ONE of the main reasons for us all to vote in these elections is that most politicians everywhere seeking re-election are among the chief architects of South Africa’s political, economic, and social calamity. They must be removed from power. They are arsonists posing as fire-fighters, not that you would know it from the false election promises reported in the media, which suggest they had more than risen to the occasion of representing the interests of the people in the last five years in office and will continue to do so if re-elected. Our local government is in shambles. More and more people say so: not just the independent candidates, but the disgruntled party members exposing factionalism, not just residents inconvenienced by constant electricity blackouts and astronomical municipal bills, but…

ADDIS ABABA: The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Africa reached 8 437 361 cases as of yesterday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. The Africa CDC, the specialised health-care agency of the AU, said the death toll from the pandemic across the continent stands at 215 760. About 7 811 400 patients across the continent have recovered from the disease so far, according to the agency. South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and Ethiopia are among the countries with the most cases in the continent. South Africa has recorded the most Covid-19 cases in Africa, with 2 916 803 cases.…

The performance of advanced driver-assistance technology used to help vehicles automatically brake and stay in lanes is significantly reduced by rain, a study by the American Automobile Association has found. Researchers at AAA, a federation of North American motor clubs, found that vehicles’ auto emergency braking systems, in several instances during simulated rainfall, no longer recognised stopped vehicles ahead and that vehicles’ lane-keeping systems performed considerably worse. That could lead to dangerous situations if drivers rely too heavily on the systems, whose performance is typically evaluated in ideal conditions, the researchers said. “The reality is people aren’t always driving around in perfect, sunny weather, so we must expand testing and take into consideration things people actually contend with in their day-to-day driving,” Greg Brannon, AAA’s director of automotive engineering and…

PAKS PAKIRIY Durban North It’s time to break the ANC’s hegemony. There is no better time than now. Of the 285 councils countrywide, the majority are controlled by the ANC. A quick survey among the public will show the level of distrust with the ANC in the areas it controls. Eighty-five percent of corruption is perpetrated by the municipal managers in these councils, according to Corruption Watch. Here are some examples of ANC governance failures: In Evander, potholes in roads resemble a swimming pool. In Emfuleni, sewage flows on the streets and in Msunduzi rubbish is not collected. The list can go on and on. There are a number of independent candidates standing for election. They deserve a chance as some of these men and women come with a good…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof IT WAS a scorcher last week Thursday. You would have thought God was burning us alive for our sins. But Zuma supporters were not deterred. Hundreds of them gathered at the People’s Park in Durban to celebrate his release from prison and to ask God to keep him healthy for the rest of his life. Jacob Zuma would have loved to be at the prayer meeting hosted by his foundation, and do his signature dance and song to the delight of the crowd, but that would have risked breaking his parole conditions and falling foul of the law. With the law after his blood, he couldn’t risk that. In his video message to his loyal supporters, Zuma showed no signs of a man who has mellowed…

DR THABISI HOEANE Pretoria I AM all for vaccination and very critical of anti-vaxxers. And I am not a prude nor a conservative right-wing zealot. But it is ludicrous that children between 12 and 17 can, without permission, let alone discussion with their parents, be vaccinated against Covid-19. This issue robs parents of the responsibility to care for their children. Also what is a “child”? Under what circumstances as parents are we supposed to be responsible for them and when are they “independent” enough to make decisions on such critical matters as their health? I do not subscribe to the inane view that we have “too much democracy”, but we are just going too far. We are robbing parents of the responsibility that they have towards their children. According to…

Two teenagers have been charged with the murder of a woman whose body was found in the boot of a car in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal police say. Provincial police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said Mountain Rise SAPS received a complaint of a suspicious vehicle in Copesville last Friday at 8.20pm. She said police officers went to the scene. “They found the body of a 48-year-old woman wrapped in blankets in the boot. The victim had bruises on the body and open wounds on the head, shoulder and chin.” Gwala said a case of murder was opened for investigation. The woman is believed to be a school teacher. Gwala said police followed up on information and made two arrests. She said a 16-year-old juvenile and 18-year-old Luyanda Luthuli appeared in the Pietermaritzburg…

Ntombi Nkosi ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za Thirteen military veterans accused of holding Cabinet ministers hostage have been granted R500 bail each. A total of 53 military vets stand accused of holding the ministers against their will. Magistrate Bheki Ntshingila made the ruling yesterday and postponed the matter to February 1. The 13 are facing schedule 1 offences. Yesterday, State prosecutor Sanet Jacobson indicated that they were now looking at 27 charges. According to her, the profiles of the accused were submitted, but that only addressed 13 people. No pending convictions had been verified. In her submissions, Jacobson also delved into how the accused were associated with the incident. “In terms of association and court participations, I can’t inform the court … that accused number 1 was the one who shouted at the minister.…

Strasbourg: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki accused the EU of “blackmail” yesterday in a public clash with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen over his country’s rejection of parts of EU law. The ferocious row that played out in the European parliament underlined the seriousness of the issue, which both Brussels and Warsaw say threatens the cohesion of the 27-nation bloc. Von der Leyen, speaking just before and after Morawiecki took the podium, warned that her commission – tasked as guardian of the EU treaties – “will act” to rein in Poland. She said a controversial October 7 ruling by Poland’s consitutional court challenging the primacy of EU law was an attempt “to take an axe to the European treaties by undermining their legitimacy”. “Undermining any of these essential…

THE New Zealand city of Christchurch has decided to dispense with the services of its official wizard. I guess most readers were unaware, as I was, that Christchurch has had a wizard on its payroll since 1988 – pointed witch’s hat, cloak and all – to promote the city. According to Huffington Post, the city council has now decided an official wizard is passé and his term of office will end in December. What does a city wizard do? Does he cast spells causing financiers worldwide to invest in the city, traffic jams with a few magic words, or order the end of power outages? And do the cities of New Zealand as a matter of course employ the occult, witchcraft in such areas as refuse collection and the issuing…

FAROUK ARAIE Johannesburg AS WE prepare for metro and municipal elections in November, the most pivotal issue that will direct the fate of our country, will be the situation of abject poverty in our land. Ten percent of South Africans live in opulence, while 35% are ranked as middle class and more than 50% live in abject poverty. The biggest ticking time bomb we have in our country is massive poverty involving over 50 million people. Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction that could set this country ablaze, until and unless it is eliminated. It was poverty that served as a catalyst during the chaos in July, that came so close to decimating the country. The major cause of all the unrest in our rainbow nation, is endemic poverty.…

HAZEL LODETTI Amanzimtoti THE ongoing saga of queues at Home Affairs continues every single day. We all know that in business, where there is a demand, that business is usually expanded to accommodate the demand. Is it so impossible, then, to put into action more Home Affairs offices to accommodate the masses that descend upon the few and far between ones we have at present? This is not rocket science. At the very least, double the present Home Affairs offices. If this one area of government can be upgraded to work efficiently, then all things are possible.…

THE e-toll system in Gauteng will go down in history as one of the greatest financial disasters by a South African government. Similarly, the refusal by motorists to service their e-toll bills, ultimately signalling the death of the system, has set the bar with regards to civil disobedience in the democratic dispensation. The SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) last week reported that the revenue from e-tolls dropped by 31.5% in the financial year ending March 2021, largely due to the pandemic and lockdown. It said the revenue from e-tolls decreased by R207m, down from R452m in 2019/20. Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said the government was determined to finalise the matter before the end of the year – possibly next month when Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivers the medium-term budget policy…

China jailed 20 people for corruption over their role in the deadly collapse of a quarantine hotel last year, prompting online outrage yesterday over poor building standards in the country. Twenty-nine people died and 50 were injured when the Xinjia Hotel in Quanzhou city caved in last March. At the time, the 66-room hotel was housing dozens of people who had been ordered to quarantine there after recently travelling to Covid-hit regions as part of China’s strict measures to contain the virus. An official probe later found three floors had been illegally added to the originally four-storey structure, and safety auditors had collaborated with the hotel’s owner to create false reports about the building. Hotel proprietor Yang Jinqiang has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for causing a serious…