Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-06-30 i Mercury

Experts have warned consumers to prepare for another steep fuel price increase next week. The AA has warned that consumers could expect an increase of about R2 for the prices of petrol and diesel. Layton Beard, AA spokesperson, said unaudited fuel price data from the Central Energy Fund showed a possible increase of R1.80 in the price of petrol, and an increase of R1.60 in the price of diesel. “The important thing to remember is that the minister of finance and the minister of mineral resources and energy jointly announced that the General Fuel Levy was reduced by R1.50 from March to June. For July, the General Fuel Levy will decrease by just 75 cents. “In effect, that 75 cents that is being added back to the General Fuel Levy…

Dealing with adversaries Send an adversary (an enemy) like a boss with whom you do not get along, or a crabby neighbour, or the self-righteous prig who works along the hallway, a greeting card. Astound him or her with kindness. Express forgiveness before it is requested and even if it is not deserved or requested – remember forgiveness is about you, not the person who has hurt or offended you. This is a matter of self-care. Approach people you’d prefer to avoid – avoiding people gives them power over your life that you probably do not want to give. Why would you allow anyone to dictate your path or your actions? Dance, don’t walk on eggshells. Address topics that need to be addressed rather than tiptoe lightly around them. Declare…

Due to the depredations of a devastating global pandemic whose threat is still evident as it continues to mutate and, together with the Russian-Ukrainian war, almost all of mankind is at the mercy of soaring energy costs, food insecurity and a searing willingness just to be alive! No country is immune. But the difference in ordinary citizens’ lives globally is whether and how their governments reached out to them to lighten the tightness of existence and bring hope. While many countries have instituted rescue, revival, survival and stimulation packages with fiscal dispensation of hard cash being an integral component of such packages, South Africa lacks the initiation, sustenance and continuity of such social and economic initiatives for its hoi polloi, the majority of whom are unemployed, starving and denied basic…

I’VE been with the same cellphone service provider for about 20 years, on a contract. If I exceeded my data or airtime, no problem. The extra was added to my monthly debit order. Then, the other day, for the first time ever I ran out of airtime. I phoned the customer services number. What did I get there? A stream of robotic gobbledegook, absolutely unintelligible. Yes, I was listening to a robot, artificial intelligence. Then came a print-out of more gobbledegook setting out the services offered by the service provider. Also unintelligible, meaningless to anyone not trained in AI-speak. But also a section where I could respond. I did so thus: “You have been my service provider for more than 20 years. For the first time ever you have told…

The fossils of our earliest ancestors found at the Cradle of Humankind world heritage site, south-west of Johannesburg, are a million years older than previously thought, meaning they walked the Earth around the same time as their East African relatives like the famous “Lucy”, according to new research. The Sterkfontein caves at the Cradle of Humankind have yielded more Australopithecus fossils than any other site in the world. Among them was “Mrs Ples”, the most complete skull of an Australopithecus africanus, found in 1947. Based on previous measurements, Mrs Ples and other fossils found at a similar depth of the cave were estimated to be between 2.1 and 2.6 million years old. But “chronologically that didn’t fit, said French scientist Laurent Bruxelles, one of the authors of a study published…

A Vredenburg businessman who defrauded the SA Revenue Service (Sars) of millions of rand has been sentenced to three years’ house arrest with community service. Flip Roger Lambert was also fined R256 000 by the Cape Town Regional Court following his conviction on more than a thousand counts for the contravention of the Value Added Tax Act – failing to pay VAT to Sars, failure to provide VAT 201 returns within the prescribed period to Sars and failure to pay over VAT collected to Sars. The value of the collected VAT that was not paid over, if inflation is considered, is R17.36 million. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Lambert received a fine and a prison sentence, suspended for five years on condition that he was not convicted…

The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature held a march in Durban, in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community, and to call for justice in cases of hate crimes. The march was followed by a symposium at the Olive Convention Centre. June is recognised as Pride Month around the world, after it first was commemorated in the US – in honour of the Stonewall riots. In South Africa, concerns have been raised about the crimes against men and women, who have been attacked or killed because of their sexual orientation. In KZN last year, Anele Bhengu, a 22-year-old lesbian, was raped and stabbed to death in KwaMakhutha, allegedly due to her sexual orientation. KZN’s legislature speaker Nontembeko Boyce said: “Lesbians, in an often homophobic and patriarchal society, face a further danger – the idea that…

KwaZulu-Natal police have arrested a 49-year-old man who allegedly stabbed a mother of three multiple times in front of her three children in Bayview, Chatsworth, on Tuesday. According to provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo, the incident took place at around 11.30am. “The complainant alleged she was on Silverglen Drive in Bayview when she was approached by a known suspect, who instructed her to follow him to Aviswood grounds in Silvergen. “An argument ensued, the suspect assaulted her with a beer bottle on the head and stabbed her on the body.” Ngcobo said the victim was taken to hospital. Ngcobo added that the suspect was arrested by Bayview police and will appear in the Chatsworth Magistrate’s Court soon, facing a charge of attempted murder. | Mercury Correspondent…

Why we can no longer trust Western leaders to lead Just after filling my car’s tank recently, a text went through to my brothers: “Just cost me R900 to fill my tank.” The stop at the garage was followed by a pop-in at the local supermarket. A bottle of juice, half a dozen eggs, a block of cheese, two tomatoes and three rolls cost me a whopping R100. The cost of living has risen rapidly in the past few months. Inflation, in South Africa, is said to be its highest in five years at 6.5%. In Britain it has gone into double digits already, and sits at 11%. The world is in a cost of living crisis and no doubt the people who bear the brunt of this crisis the…

The US vowed yesterday to shore up Europe’s defences in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Nato declared Moscow the West’s greatest threat. Meeting in Madrid, alliance leaders said Russia “is the most significant and direct threat to allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area”. This came as Nato welcomed Sweden and Finland as invitees to join the alliance, and US President Joe Biden announced new deployments of US troops, ships and planes. Biden boasted the US announcement was exactly what President Vladimir Putin “didn’t want”, and Moscow, facing fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces equipped with Western arms, reacted with predictable fury. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov denounced the US military build-up, and warned Nato members that the shifting balance of power “would lead…

At least 51 migrants have died after being trapped inside a tractor-trailer truck found abandoned in Texas, authorities said this week, as two Mexican nationals tied to the smuggling tragedy were charged in US federal court. The deceased migrants, 39 men and 12 women, most of them citizens of Mexico, were found on Monday in an industrial area on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, about 250km north of the US-Mexico border. The incident marked the greatest loss of life on record from a human trafficking attempt in the US, according to Craig Larrabee, an acting special agent in charge with the investigative arm of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Local authorities described finding the rear door to the trailer open with “stacks of bodies” inside, while others were…

A man interrupted a gathering for buyers and sellers of fine art in the Netherlands on Tuesday, when he whipped out a sledgehammer and smashed open a display window. In a video taken by someone standing down the hall, shared on social media, he can be seen reaching into the display to snatch a prize. A man approaches in a move to stop the apparent thief with a flower vase, but seems to think better of the attempt when an accomplice appears to fend him off with a handgun. In a matter of seconds, the hammer wielder and three others bag the goods and jog off. Dutch authorities later said they had arrested two Belgian suspects after a jewellery robbery on Tuesday in Maastricht, in the middle of a top…

The Zondo report on state capture, will be embedded in our collective memories for decades to come. The sheer magnitude of the crimes that were unearthed is bewildering. The full picture is only known to Almighty God. We are an impoverished people due to the fact that we allowed our resources to be plundered, our economy to be dismembered, and our freedoms to be emasculated by political pirates. Political analysts will remember this year as the days of revelation as the truth exploded into our homes like a nuclear bomb with destruction on a seismic political scale. We will be classified as a failed state in 2023, unless we drastically change course. Over the past 25 years, 30 institutions, comprising government departments, private mega companies, law firms, banks and accounting…

Like waving a magical wand, President Ramaphosa has disposed of the face mask. Covid-19 died. Ventilators for sale. Surplus stock of sanitiser fluid at discount prices. Paradox: “Please come and pick up your vaccine. Booster doses readily available. Come one, come all.” Duh – Covid gone, but we must still get poked, eh? Let's hope that the common seasonal virus that generally runs amok annually will be kept at bay, without the hitherto mandatory mask to assist. Already hundreds of people are in hospital – some few with Covid, most with some hectic flu. Now that masks have revealed naked noses, the seasonal influenza bug can easily be passed on. Maybe, even Covid can start happening again – God forbid! Most people have been using masks and sanitising only because…

Political parties are in disagreement over whether independent candidates should be allowed to stand in more than one province to be elected in the National Assembly. This emerged when the home affairs portfolio committee this week deliberated on the Electoral Amendment Bill, which provides for independents to stand for election in the National Assembly and provincial legislatures. Earlier the committee heard from content adviser Salmon Adam, who said Parliament should decide whether to allow independent candidates to contest across several regions or just for one region and nationally like political parties. Adam said if it was agreed, it would mean that a clause on the independent candidates would be redrafted to be on par with the clause of the bill on political parties. The clause provides that the name…

AN NPO aims to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest mosaic created from food tins, this Mandela Day. On July 18, Ladles of Love will attempt to create a new record, with a gigantic Madiba face being created at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and a massive South African flag being created in Sandton’s Nelson Mandela Square. Ladles of Love said every can of food collected for the mosaic would be donated to communities in need, adding people who would like to be part of the initiative can donate 67 minutes of their time at one of the venues for a fee of R150, which will go towards buying bulk nutritious food, or sponsor five food cans for R100. | Mercury Correspondent…

COUNCILLORS want to know how many contractors are doing work for the eThekwini Municipality without authorisation. The issue came to the fore during an executive committee (exco) meeting this week when the city revealed that it had identified close to R90 million to pay contractors who had done work for the city. DA councillor Thabani Mthethwa said it was unacceptable that contractors did work and the city had to pay them, despite never having appointed them. He said there had been many instances across the city where contractors did work and then demanded payment from the city. The committee received a report seeking authority to reallocate funds to the amount of R88m arising from savings identified in the 2021-2022 capital budget to fund expenditure incurred under projects for the provision…

Ebrahim Ebrahim’s extraordinary memoir Beyond Fear has had me spellbound, and I am on my third reading of it. I have asked myself why this story is so compelling. The conclusion I came to is that Ebrahim is actually a real hero – a person of extraordinary courage, admired for his brave deeds. In this moment of extreme disillusionment with our body politic, he takes us back to a time when our Struggle for liberation was glorious – he is the embodiment of what was so noble and just about our Struggle. Ebrahim is known for having been one of the only comrades to have been sentenced to two lengthy prison terms on Robben Island: the first for 15 years, and following his trial for high treason in 1989, he…

Fearing outbreaks of religious violence, police in the Indian state of Rajasthan banned public gatherings and suspended internet services a day after two Muslims posted a video claiming responsibility for slaying a Hindu tailor in the city of Udaipur. Two suspects were being interrogated by federal investigators yesterday, while state police were on guard against any unrest in the state. Brandishing a meat cleaver, two bearded men said in the video they were avenging an insult to Prophet Mohammad caused by the victim. They also alluded to Nupur Sharma, a former spokesperson for the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose remarks about the Prophet earlier this month triggered domestic and international outrage. India’s Home Ministry said federal police have taken over the investigation into “the brutal murder” of…

NEW YORK: Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison this week for helping sex offender and globetrotting financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls, in what a judge called a “horrific scheme” that inflicted “incalculable” harm on victims. The British socialite, 60, was convicted in December of sex trafficking a minor, for recruiting and grooming four girls to have sexual encounters with Epstein, then her boyfriend, between 1994 and 2004. Maxwell called Epstein a “manipulative, cunning and controlling man” who fooled everyone in his orbit. She said she was “sorry” for the pain that his victims experienced. Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 at age 66 while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial. US Circuit Judge Alison Nathan said Maxwell did not appear…

Over the last weekend Port Natal Bowls held the Champion of Champions Singles Tournament at Stella Park Bowling Club. The competition gave the women’s and men’s champions of each bowling club in the district the opportunity to play against the champions from the other clubs in Port Natal. The format was knockout, where three rounds were played on the Saturday and the finals on Sunday. There were several newcomers in this year’s competition. In the ladies’ section there was Monica Smart from Queensburgh, Cindy Roos from Lahee Park, Cathy Coetzee from Westville Country Club and in the men’s section there was Martin Pitchers from Amanzimtoti, Norman Jones from Umhlanga and Alan Durose from Westville Country Club. As expected several of the more experienced players went through the early rounds with…

A DINNER event to “present” the budget for the eThekwini Municipality’s Human Settlement and Infrastructure Unit at a posh Durban hotel has come under fire from opposition parties in the council. The Mercury has seen an electronic invite stating that the dinner would be held this evening at a top hotel in Durban. The invite says: “The chairperson of Human Settlement and Infrastructure, councillor Philani Mavundla, cordially invites you to the 2022-2023 budget presentation Gala dinner for Human Settlement and Infrastructure Clusters.” Mavundla is the chairperson of the Human Settlement and Infrastructure portfolio committee. It is understood that the councillors who sit on the committee were sent the invitation. The invitation has caused outrage among opposition councillors, and left some council officials bewildered. One said they had never heard of…

More damning allegations have come to light about the Eastern Cape tavern where 21 teenagers lost their lives at the weekend. While it was alleged that minors, the youngest being 13, had been allowed into the venue and served alcohol, it has also since emerged that the double- storey venue in East London was illegally extended and the renovations were never approved, according to the Buffalo City Municipality (BCM). The business had also not applied for a rezoning of the property to operate as a business in a residential area. This as police expressed concerns about circulating rumours and reports speculating on the cause of the deaths. BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said the municipality did not receive any land-use application and no approval was granted for the operation of a…

ZIMBABWE should only be admitted into the Commonwealth when it changes for the better and stops human rights abuses. It has disgraced the world that Zimbabwe’s request to be readmitted to the Commonwealth has failed to materialise. The Commonwealth suspended Zimbabwe, citing gross human rights violations, a collapse of the rule of law and its shrinking democratic space. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been slow to implement political and electoral reforms, and his government has continued with gross human rights violations since taking over from Mugabe through a military coup in November 2017. Corruption in Mnangagwa’s ruling party is spreading like cancer. It is clear he has failed to reform the country since he came to power in 2017. The situation has deteriorated since he was elected, with the country’s economic…

I am a sardine lover. Fresh from the sea, seasoned with salt, masala and lemon, there’s nothing to beat this crisply fried delicacy. Indians have been savouring them ever since they came to these shores. Every year I follow the sardine run and eagerly look forward to the sardine season around June and July. When I hear the little silvery fish have landed on our beaches I get so excited. I cannot wait to get hold of them. I drive around to the usual spots in Chatsworth where sardines are sold. I even ask friends and relatives to keep a lookout. My wife thinks I’m crazy. She doesn’t eat them. She, like many, scoffs at these little slippery, smelly fish. But I love them. So there I was last week,…

The amount of fish, shellfish and algae caught in the wild and farmed in aquaculture hit a record 214 million tonnes in 2020, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said yesterday. Driven by a sustained surge in aquaculture, the new record is good news for a world facing price hikes and food shortages due to the war in Ukraine, disrupted supply chains, and inflation. “The growth of fisheries and aquaculture is vital in our efforts to end global hunger and malnutrition,” said FAO director Qu Dongyu. But overfished oceans, climate change and pollution – if left unaddressed – could threaten that potential, the UN agency warned in its 2022 state of the world fisheries report. “Aquaculture growth has often occurred at the expense of the environment,” it said. “Sustainable aquaculture…

A UN study has found that 222 million children and adolescents worldwide have had their education disrupted by multiple crises that have rocked various parts of the world in the past six years. The study was produced by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the UN global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises. When the organisation was created in 2016, the number of crisis-affected children whose education had been disrupted stood at 75 million, but ECW director Yasmine Sherif said multiple crises over the past six years had boosted the number to 222 million among more than 40 countries. “Conflicts are raging around the world – we know that, but they also are more and more protracted. But the growing record-high number of refugees and internally displaced, as a result…

Now that the national State of Disaster is over, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) is winding down and preparing to close the Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Covid-19 Ters), by paying all valid and remaining claims. UIF communication and marketing director Makhosonke Buthelezi said the fund would continue urging employers to correct all errors on the Covid-19 Ters relief scheme portal, to enable the fund to disburse all outstanding monies and bring an end to the scheme. “We need to have a cut-off date, pay everyone who is in the system, and let this Covid-19 Ters matter rest so that we can continue with the normal benefits,” said Buthelezi. He was speaking at a media briefing called in Cape Town by UIF commissioner Teboho Maruping, to provide updates on the…

CO-OPERATIVE Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has revealed that 26 suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing of traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal. “The provincial department has advised that a total of 26 arrests have been made,” Dlamini Zuma said. She was responding to parliamentary questions from IFP MP Bhekizizwe Luthuli, who asked how many arrests had been made since 2012 for the killing of traditional leaders. Luthuli said the assassination of traditional leaders in KZN had become an alarming matter requiring urgent attention. “In view of the fact that residents are being robbed of the traditional leaders’ valuable leadership skills, what action has the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) taken to address the surge in the killing of traditional leaders?” he asked.…

THE scrapping of the last Covid-19 curbs, including wearing masks indoors and doing away with restrictions on gatherings, shouldn’t make South Africans lose sight of a possible monkeypox outbreak. That it took so long for the country to detect and identify the first case, should be cause for concern. The case was confirmed last week in a press briefing when Health Minister Joe Phaahla told the nation that the 30-year-old patient from Joburg had no recent travel history. On Tuesday the Health Ministry called for vigilance as South Africa recorded another case – a 32-year-old Cape Town man, also with no travel history. More worrying is the fact that these cases suggest there is a high possibility of local transmission. The health ministry said the source and linkage of cases…

Two Indian women were arrested at a Bangkok airport this week after more than 100 live animals were found in their luggage, Thai officials said, amid an uptick in wildlife trafficking as pandemic travel restrictions are relaxed worldwide. Officials detected suspicious objects in the women’s luggage during an X-ray scan at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Authorities conducted a search and found 50 lizards, 35 turtles and two porcupines, among other animals. At least two of the animals were dead and many were dehydrated. Among the animals were the yellow-spotted river turtle, which is native to the Amazon and on an international vulnerable species list, and the Peter’s banded skink, which is sold as a pet in the US. The two women were charged with violating Thailand’s customs and public health laws,…

BRUSSELS: The European Commission proposed yesterday to ban the sale in the EU of flavoured heated tobacco products after a big rise in their consumption. “By removing flavoured heated tobacco from the market we are taking yet another step towards realising our vision under Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan to create a “Tobacco Free Generation” with less than 5% of the population using tobacco by 2040,” EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said. The proposed ban would be in force if EU governments and EU lawmakers do not oppose it. Even if approved EU-wide, governments will have months to adapt their legislation. | Reuters…

THE 25th edition of the Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup is set to kick off at the King Zwelithini Stadium next week as the showpiece welcomes the return of supporters for the first time since 2019. The tournament made a thrilling return last year in Nelson Mandela Bay after having the 2020 edition cancelled due to Covid-related protocols. However, fans from across the Southern Africa will be happy to know that this year’s competition will not only grant 100% stadium capacity but entrance into all venues is free. Fans can collect tickets on a first come, first served basis at match venues a day prior to the games and supporters will not be required to provide proof of vaccination or a PCR test to enter the stadiums. The King Zwelithini Stadium in…