Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-09-15 i Mercury

Without doubt our country needs excellent leaders. It was with great elation and joy that I read about the launch of the National Independent Congress of South Africa. It will be led by a man who in many ways has been the tireless and unrelenting voice of the voiceless and marginalised, Narendh Ganesh. We have reached a crossroads in political terms. The current leadership of the country shows no sign of improving. The time has come to blood new leaders who have the interest of the people and country at heart. Some of them have now become political opportunists – this must stop. Ganesh has become a consistent fighter for the rights of the people for decades irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity, unafraid of taking on the highest office…

TOURISM organisations in KwaZulu- Natal said they were ready to welcome visitors during September, which is marked as Tourism Month, and over the summer holidays despite concerns regarding Eskom’s Stage 6 load shedding being implemented indefinitely. Brett Tungay, East Coast chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa, said Tourism Month was an exciting time as they expected more domestic visitors. “From September, which is Tourism Month, we see an increase in visitors, this leads to December and our summer holidays. So we are definitely looking forward to this and there are lots of events that are planned for Tourism Month, and this will be a welcome boost to the hospitality and tourism industry. We are still in recovery as a sector.” Tungay said July and August was the…

While production costs of bread and wheat, among others, have fallen consistently over the past two years, consumers are yet to feel the benefit of lower input costs, with producer and retail prices yet to decline. This is according to the Competition Commission Essential Food Pricing Monitoring (EFPM) Report released this week, which found that despite inflation reaching its lowest level since October 2021, food prices remained high. The commission said it was monitoring essential food prices throughout the value chain, to see whether consumers were harmed by the state of competition throughout food value chains. The EFPM report highlights comparative trends in grocery retailer margins to global peers Canada, Ireland, and the UK, and shared evidence of “rocket and feather” effects, which means prices were quick to rise in…

TODAY people around the world celebrate the International Day of Democracy. South Africa, once celebrated as a beacon of democracy and reconciliation, finds itself in a winter of discontent with a great Constitution but a dysfunctional government. Over the past 30 years the country has faced many challenges that have chipped away at the bedrock of its democracy, leaving us on unstable ground. Corruption is at the forefront of these issues. The corruption in the government, epitomised by the state capture scandal during Jacob Zuma’s presidency, has not only eroded public trust in political institutions and bred a culture of voter apathy, but has also diverted resources away from essential public services, exacerbating poverty and inequality. Economic inequality looms large, with South Africa earning the distinction of being the most…

THE fishing from the shore has been focused on live baits and garrick. Please remember that this is a species on the brink of disappearing so consider letting them go ... The north coast has seen a lot of bigger kob caught on lure. The photos on social media do not tell you about the hours of fruitless throwing and retrieving so do not get disheartened if you don't get a bite first throw. The central coast has seen garrick action around the Blue Lagoon area. This spot has also accounted for some decent kingfish on live bait as well. The resident grey sharks have kept the guys busy who want to target something with a bit more oomph. Any fleshy bait combined with some chokka will quickly get the…

INDEPENDENT Media lives to fight another day as the Western Cape High Court granted the media house an interdict against Standard Bank, preventing it from closing its bank account and that of the other companies in the Sekunjalo Group (SG). The court ruled that the interdict will remain in place until September 11, 2024, or until the final determination of the applications pending in the high court whichever occurs first. The judgment was delivered by Judge Judith Cloete who found that in the high court interdict application, the Sekunjalo Group asserted that its prima facie right – even if open to some doubt – lay in Section 22 and Section 34 of the Constitution. “If Standard Bank is permitted to close the accounts at this stage, the purpose of the…

THE relevance of the regulation relied on by the Westville Ratepayers’ Association (WRA) in their legal dispute against the eThekwini Municipality over the paying of municipal bills was placed under scrutiny in the Durban High Court yesterday. The court is dealing with an application brought by the WRA to stop the City from disconnecting services to ratepayers who have joined the association’s rates boycott. In terms of the boycott, the ratepayers have withheld payments of their municipal bills, but instead are placing the funds in a trust account pending the finalisation of their dispute. Their dispute is over the tariff increases passed in the City’s budget. Advocate Muhammad Zakaria Suleman, who was representing the WRA, was questioned extensively by acting Judge Jabu Thobela-Mkhulisi over the use of Section 102 (2)…

THE police portfolio committee’s approval of the unconstitutional Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) Amendment Bill will give Bheki Cele, the Minister of Police, full control over Ipid’s activities. He will have the power to appoint and remove the executive director of Ipid from office, and with that, will change Ipid from an independent watchdog to a bouncer. Moreover, President Cyril Rampahosa’s failure to implement critical performance evaluation measures for ministers, as promised in 2019, means that there is no way to police the police. In July 2022, Action Society lodged a Promotion of Access to Information Act application to request access to the performance agreements signed by all the ministers, their evaluation reports and other related records or information from when Ramaphosa put the policy into place in October 2020.…

The sudden U-turn by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife on environmental impacts associated with the proposed floating power plants berthing in Richards Bay raises serious questions about the entity’s management trajectory. Staffed by numerous highly qualified environmental experts, EKZNW should be the first to thoroughly interrogate the impact of a floating gas-powered station on the Richards Bay’s estuarine system. New reports of the entity changing its position from concerned to accepting, due to a separate purchase of a game ranch by Karpowership, are laughable. No company should be allowed to offset its environmental impact by purchasing a private conservation area. This while the harbour and estuaries remain in jeopardy. The process remains a perversion of the intended international and national goals of reducing our carbon footprint and tackling global warming. Ezemvelo has…

The government says the grant payout delays that affected more than 600 000 people have been resolved, and funds should now be in their bank accounts. Thousands of elderly citizens and people living with disabilities were sent from pillar to post in their quest to get their South African Social Security Agency grants in the past few weeks. The government apologised and blamed the problem on technical issues at Postbank. “We apologise profusely for what has happened. We are well aware that a number of homes survive on this grant they receive from the ANC government. We want to assure people that we are going to use improved systems so that we don’t find ourselves in a situation of being told about technical glitches,” said Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu.…

Grade R will be the new compulsory school-starting age, while penalties for parents who do not ensure their children are in school will soon come into effect, as the parliamentary portfolio committee on basic education adopted the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Bill this week. Committee chairperson Bongiwe Mbinqo-Gigaba said the bill was more than 20 years in the making. She said the proposed amendments were to “align the legislation with developments” in the education sector. “The committee held extensive public hearings in all provinces, oral submissions were heard in Parliament from stakeholders, and thousands of written submissions were considered when debating and drafting this piece of legislation. This speaks of a Parliament that engages and listens to the people,” she said. Regarding the language policy of a public school,…

Several of Mkhwebane’s reports seemed to drop at crucial political moments It was one of those pieces of news that was simultaneously stunning and utterly expected: President Cyril Ramaphosa formally removed Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane from the Public Protector’s office just weeks before her seven-year term expired in mid-October. The removal follows the September 11 impeachment vote in a special sitting in the Cape Town City Hall, concluding the parliamentary process of the inquiry into her fitness to hold office. No doubt, Mkhwebane and the CR17 group have been embattled almost from the start of the president’s tumultuous five-year-long reign. Mkhwebane took over from Advocate Thuli Madonsela, who – whatever criticism levelled against her – was popular with the staff and many South Africans because “she was not incompetent”. That is…

KESHAV Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi roared out of Centurion after Proteas training yesterday in a bright red sports car. The sound of the high-revving internal combustion engine reverberated throughout the empty stadium. Not quite what you would expect from two bowlers whose craft relies on skill and guile, rather than muscle power and speed. Both were excellent in the Proteas’ victory over Australia in the third one-day international in Potchefstroom on Tuesday, where they once again showcased their potential value at the upcoming 50-over World Cup in India. “We have done well as a unit when two spinners have played in the past. The last wicket presented some turn, and we utilised that with the spin,” Maharaj told reporters yesterday ahead of the fourth ODI today (1pm start). The pair…

HIGH-FLYING Golden Arrows will target a morale-boosting result with the return of the Premiership as they next target a visiting Stellenbosch FC. Abafana Bes’thende, who have surprised many this season, will welcome the visit of a tricky Stellenbosch outfit to the Mpumalanga Stadium in Hammarsdale tomorrow (3pm kickoff). The Durban-based club have undoubtedly been the most startling revelation of the season, as they launched their way into an impressive second spot on the league standings. In an unusual spot for Arrows, under the guidance of now sole head coach Mabhuti Khenyeza, the club are looking to improve on the efforts of last season, which saw them miss out on the top eight on the final day. They have begun the new campaign with purpose and entertainment by winning three, drawing…

I recently travelled to the Czech Republic. My primary reason was to solemnise the wedding of friends, Eman and Natan. Natan and I met several years ago in a small town near Geneva. Soon after my arrival in Prague, Natan introduced me to Eman who hails from Sudan. It quickly became clear that Natan, a man of deep faith and courage, had met his match and found his soulmate. I love expressions of courage and both bride and groom are overflowing with courage and joy and vision and care and so much else. Their combined natural charisma is as tangible as it is encouraging. Natan and Eman met on a remote Indonesian island while each was pursuing a Master’s degree. They dated long-distance, and confronted multiple hurdles of visas, a…

BRICS offers good opportunities, but it has many challenges. BRICS+ countries represent a significant portion of the world’s population and GDP, so there are many available opportunities for the member nations, such as membership providing access to a large and growing market for trade and investment opportunities. Diversifying economic ties is also a good policy to avoid the risk of dependence only on the West, but this doesn’t mean that we should destroy our bridges with the US and Western markets, as some call for. The collective voice of BRICS+ can help in creating a multi-polar world order, which is something good for all countries, especially the African ones. The BRICS New Development Bank will provide another funding source for infrastructure projects for member countries besides the traditional financial institutions…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, delivering unbelievable innovations that push the boundaries of human achievement. From enhancing daily life to transforming entire industries, AI continues to captivate minds and reshape our future. Welcome to the astonishing world of AI, where the unimaginable becomes reality. HONOR, known for its human-centric approach when inventing new technology, is once again revolutionising the smartphone landscape, with its latest release, the HONOR 90 5G. The groundbreaking device comes equipped with exceptional AI features that are set to redefine the user experience. AI Vlog Master & 200MP Ultra Clear Camera HONOR reveals a new AI Vlog Master for video capturing, including AI Video Recommendation, Instant Movie for quick and easy video production, and AI Noise Reduction that helps users capture clean…

A 23-year-old Durban man was handed two terms of life in prison and 15 years for the murder of two men and the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend in the Quarry Heights area. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said Andile Biyela was sentenced by the Durban Regional Court for the 2021 murder of Mthandeni Mpofana and Mxolisi Gida, and the attempted murder of Luyanda Ntuli. She said Biyela had been in a relationship with Ntuli, however, they had broken up before the attack. At the time of the attack Ntuli was in a relationship with Mpofana. “On the day of the incident, Biyela went to Mpofana’s home where Ntuli, Gida and some other people were. They refused him entry and he went away. He returned a few…

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has announced that a commission of inquiry into the deadly Joburg building blaze, in which 77 people died, will start its work next month. Lesufi, who addressed the media this week, said the reason he had established a commission of inquiry into the blaze was to ensure that there was no confusion as a fully-fledged inquiry would allow the province and the commission chairperson to subpoena witnesses. He said in spite of misgivings that this commission would be a waste of time, it was needed to get to the bottom of the incident to avoid similar incidents from happening again. “There are many people who felt this was a waste of money and resources, that we should have left it to other institutions to investigate, and…

Just when we thought it’s all smooth sailing for the Springboks so far at the Rugby World Cup, they got rocked by a massive blow yesterday. Talismanic hooker Malcolm Marx was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a serious knee injury. And what makes it worse is that he didn’t even get hurt during last Sunday’s 18-3 victory over Scotland in Marseille. It was friendly fire during a training session in Toulon on Wednesday that saw the big No 2 go down, and now out of the tournament. Marx is so much more than just a hooker. While he is outstanding in his primary duties of throwing the ball into lineouts, hooking the ball out in the scrums and controlling the ball at the back of a…

Who will stop the Lions from walking away with a third successive Cricket SA One-Day Cup trophy when the domestic competition gets under way tomorrow? The Central Gauteng Lions head into another season as one of the most feared teams in Division 1. They head into a second successive season as defending champions and after a quick glance at who has joined the Lions den during the winter, it is safe to say they look like an even stronger unit. Russell Domingo, a former Proteas and Bangladesh head coach, has taken over from Wandile Gwavu, who is now part of Rob Walter’s Proteas limited-overs team back-room staff. The legendary Hashim Amla has joined the Lions as a batting coach, while Zubayr Hamza, Tshepo Moreki and Tsepo Ndwandwa have all been…