Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-05-30 i Mercury

When it is cold and dark outside, one of the best wintertime comforts is to close the curtains, settle down on the couch with a cosy blanket and wrap your hands around a piping hot drink. If you are tired of regular tea or coffee, you might be wondering what other drinks are out there. Luckily, there are loads of comfort drinks that taste delicious and will help keep you warm through the long winter nights. From boozy evening concoctions to mouthwatering sweet ones, here are five warming drinks for you to try: Spiced apple cider This classic drink is perfect for chilly days and nights. Add some spice to your cider by infusing it with cinnamon sticks, cloves and fresh ginger. The apple cider offers a rich, tart and…

Police Minister Bheki Cele assured the public yesterday that no ballot papers would be delivered to voting stations across the country for counting without an escort provided by the SAPS, metro police and other law enforcement agencies. Cele was speaking after casting his vote in Lamontville, south of Durban, yesterday. The minister stressed that no ballot papers would be transported without an escort. “But the communication must be improved by the IEC to make the call on the members of the SAPS or any law enforcement,” Cele said, adding that there will be SANDF members in some areas. “There is no war in the country, police are adequate unless an extra thing is needed and makes a case for the SANDF to be invited, but in…

On the most ridiculous promises made by political parties to the voters: in a desperate effort to woo voters, some political parties make unachievable promises which expose their lack of understanding of the monumental task and importance of governance, their ignorance of the socio-economic state of the country and how they would collapse the country within a few months of taking over from the previous regime. South Africa is bankrupt, any politician who can promise the voters that under their rule old-age pension will be increased to R4 000 a month, child support grant will be increased to R1 200, no one working for government will be on a salary of less than R10 000 a month, which obviously refers to the domestic staff and security guards, immigration from…

We have the laws in place and we have the network enabling the State to take action against crime. Unfortunately, the government has let us down radically. The police force has been denuded to such an extent that invariably when police are called to investigate something they don’t have the manpower or the skills. It doesn’t help to have the legislation and the structures when we can’t investigate properly or punish in due course. Our legal system is broken to the extent that the prosecution services are completely under-resourced. We need a new democratic government which should prioritise children’s safety in schools so that we can develop and grow as a nation. The reality is that we need to have the tools and machinery available so that we can implement…

In KwaMashu yesterday, a local soccer team played football with ANC and IFP T-shirts that political parties were handing out. The decision had nothing to do with political affiliation but helped Young Stars Football Club differentiate the team members in the practice game – the players are still in school and not eligible to vote. The practice match took place within walking distance of a voting station where young people were voting for the first time in an election. The latest census, conducted in 2021, reveals that 63% of South Africa’s population is made up of younger people aged between 15 and 34. According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), as at May 22 this year, of the 27.6 million registered voters in South Africa, only about 5…

Six decades of co-operation have led to invaluable benefits for Chinese, African people Africa Day, held on May 25, is an important annual event in celebration of the African people’s struggle for independence and unity. On this day 61 years ago, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) was founded under the banner of Pan-Africanism. Africa started a new journey of seeking strength, development and vitalisation through unity. Strengthening unity and co-operation with Africa is China’s unwavering strategic choice. Premier Zhou Enlai sent a congratulatory message on the very day the OAU was established. Since then, China and African countries have fought shoulder to shoulder against imperialism, colonialism and hegemonism, and worked hand in hand in pursuit of development and vitalisation. Despite an ever-changing international landscape, the Chinese and African people…

Record heat seared parts of the Indian capital for a second day yesterday, reaching a temperature of 52.3°C while an unprecedented heat wave continued to parch some northwestern regions. The unusually high summer temperatures have brought “heat wave to severe heat wave” conditions over the last few days, weather officials said, but added they were likely to ease from today over north-west and central India. Pupils fainted in the heat at a government school in the eastern state of Bihar, with video images showing a girl lying on a classroom bench as teachers sprinkled her face with water and fanned her with a book. Asia has sweltered in a hotter summer this year, a trend scientists say has been worsened by climate change. India declares a heat wave when the…

Quetta: At least 29 people were killed yesterday when a bus plunged off the road into a deep ravine in south-western Pakistan, hospital and government officials said. The crash happened in Basima town in Balochistan province while the bus was travelling from Turbat city to Quetta. “The driver was navigating a turn in a mountainous area when the vehicle lost control and fell into a ravine,” a government official said. The driver died from injuries in the hospital, and more than 20 passengers were injured. The Civil Hospital Basima, said 29 bodies were taken there. | AFP…

COPENHAGEN: A volcano in south-western Iceland sent glowing hot lava shooting 50m into the air yesterday, its fifth eruption since December, shortly after an eight-week long eruption on the same Reykjanes peninsula came to an end. Authorities had warned of the risk of renewed volcanic activity in the area just south of the capital Reykjavik as studies showed magma accumulated underground. Flights continued as usual at Reykjavik’s Keflavik Airport. Volcanic activity has disrupted district heating, closed key roads and razed several homes in the Grindavik fishing town. | Reuters…

CAPITAL Limited, a minerals and exploration drilling company, is geared to reduce its carbon emissions, although the nature of machinery from its suppliers is holding it back from speedy attainment of net zero emissions. Its partnership with Barrick Gold in Tanzania to adopt PhotonAssay technology, an environmentally-friendly gold analysis platform, has helped it scale up its efforts to move towards sustainability and reduction in emissions. Capital Limited chairperson of the sustainability committee, Cassie Boggs, commented on the sustainability report. “I am delighted to introduce our first stand-alone sustainability report for 2023 demonstrating sustainability progress made across the group and providing greater transparency with respect to our ESG performance,” Boggs said. “The comprehensive report highlights the company’s past and present initiatives as well as an overview of how we manage our…

As millions of South Africans voted yesterday, there were many who stood in queues but were still deciding on who they would vote for. A recent study by the Pan-African research and survey group, Afrobarometer, found almost a third of registered voters indicated they were uncertain about who they would be voting for. The study, commissioned by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, found that 47% of the respondents said they did not feel close enough to any political party, meaning their preference could change. The study found that the popular belief that voters make emotional choices devoid of logic may not have proven true for many voters yesterday. The study also suggests it is possible that undecided voters could determine the election outcome. Robert Biyela, 60, from Adams Mission,…

What do you want? Have you assessed what you want? Answering “What do you want?” will engage you in the most holy journey. It is rare to find people who plan the details and implement what they need to do to enjoy the life they say they want. It appears that many people live as if being who they really want to be and doing what they really want to do would happen by accident. In relation to what you want: It’s not too late. It might be too late for some things but you probably can find a parallel dream or activity that fits with the one you feel you might have missed. You can legitimately want only for yourself. Wanting for others might make you feel good but…

THE IFP is profoundly troubled by the safety of its KZN provincial chairperson and premier candidate, Thami Ntuli, in light of recent incidents involving threats from individuals purporting to be law enforcement officers. Recently, Ntuli's convoy, en route from a public event called an Ingezo, which took place at eSikhaleni (Richard’s Bay) encountered an alarming situation. A suspicious unmarked Ford Ranger, occupied by four unidentified men, aggressively inserted itself into the convoy’s path on the N2 towards eMpangeni/Richard’s Bay. Despite efforts by Ntuli’s security detail to evade the vehicle, it persisted in its pursuit, eventually blocking the convoy at the intersection of John Ross Highway and the N2. The four armed individuals, clad in police overalls and wearing balaclavas to conceal their identities, brandished rifles and forcibly detained the convoy.…

“Water is Life, Sanitation is Dignity” is the slogan of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). The question remains: How many people have not realised this dignity that is so sought after? How many people suffer the indignity of having to use the bushes or pit toilets to relieve themselves daily? As someone who has used a pit toilet, I can confirm that it is the pits – the flies, the never-ending smell … air freshener has met its match. However, my greatest fear pertaining to pit toilets was going out in the middle of the night to get there. The worst time was after watching a scary movie or show. To put things into perspective, having a flushing toilet in every household would be practically impossible. South Africa…

THE National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) administrator Freeman Nomvalo has insinuated that there is no action they can take against former board chairperson, Ernest Khosa. However the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) says Nomvalo can approach the High Court with an application to have Khosa declared a delinquent director in terms of the Companies Act. The civil organisation is expecting to write to the administrator to consider that. Advocate William Mokhare, on instruction by Tshisevhe Attorneys Incorporated (TGR), prepared a 106 page report that has now been made public, to investigate leaked voice recordings shared by Outa. Khosa and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande are at the centre of the corruption allegations. The recorded conversation was between Khosa, Joshua Maluleke and Thula Ntumba. Mokhare’s report found that while Outa…

ENERGY experts have allayed fears that load shedding will return after the elections, saying there has been a big improvement in the energy availability factor (EAF). This after fears were raised by social media users that load shedding was imminent after the elections. Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister of Electricity, said the 62 days without load shedding could be attributed to an increase in energy availability and a reduction in breakdowns. Craig Morkel, chairperson of the Gas Economy Leadership Team at SA Oil and Gas Alliance (Saoga), said the energy availability factor had improved significantly to 65% in May 2024 from 52% in May 2023. “The assertion by Eskom and the Ministry of Electricity that load shedding is unlikely to return after the election, bar any extraordinary event, is plausible as…

THE voters have spoken and have spoken loudly, emphatically endorsing democracy as the biggest winner of yesterday’s crucial election. The pictures in today’s The Mercury, resembling the historic 1994 election, are a testament of how far we as a country have come. To say the road to yesterday’s elections has been a rough one would be an understatement. As a country, we have collectively overcome so many challenges that could have derailed whatever progress we have made since we ushered in a democratic government 30 years ago. It’s perhaps important to highlight the unity that emerged through the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s also worth noting the determination of NGOs whose resilience ensured that many poor South Africans did not go to bed on empty stomachs. Equally important to highlight is…

A northern Nigerian state governor yesterday banned protests and public rallies to prevent a power struggle between two rival royals over a traditional throne spilling into violence. Emirs in the mostly Muslim north, as well as Obas or kings and other traditional rulers in the predominantly Christian south, have no constitutional authority, but they wield huge cultural and religious influence. The northwestern city of Kano, capital of Kano state, has been caught up in drama after governor Abba Kabir Yusuf restored former emir Muhammadu Sanusi II to the throne, four years after he was deposed. Sanusi’s successor Aminu Ado Bayero was removed last week along with four other emirs after Kano assembly MPs amended the emirate law of 2019 that put them in place. But Bayero returned to Kano and…

LONDON: Junior doctors in England will strike for five days immediately before Britain’s July 4 national election as part of a long-running dispute over pay, the British Medical Association (BMA) said yesterday. The BMA said junior doctors – qualified physicians who work under the guidance of senior doctors – strike from June 27 to early on July 2. The BMA junior doctors committee said it expected no new offer from the government despite mediation this month and they called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to meet their demands for 25% pay rise. | AFP…

Israel sent tanks on raids into Rafah yesterday and said its war on Hamas in Gaza would likely continue all year, after Washington said the Rafah assault did not amount to a major ground operation that would trigger a change in US policy. Israeli tanks moved into the heart of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, despite an order from the International Court of Justice to end its attacks on the city, where many Palestinians had taken refuge from widespread bombardment. Rafah residents said the tanks had pushed into Tel Al-Sultan in western Rafah and Yibna and near Shaboura in the centre before retreating towards a buffer zone on the border with Egypt. “We received distress calls from residents in Tel Al-Sultan where drones targeted displaced citizens as they…

THIS IS THE most important and highly anticipated election in South African history since the 1994 dawn of democracy. Why are these elections so important? Trust in SA politics and trust in government has dropped to an all-time low. Only about 22% of the population says they have trust in government. The distrust in government is off the back of such issues as unemployment and jobs, rising inflation, food shortages, and energy shortages, crimes and corruption, among others. However, at the forefront of SA’s disenchantment in the ruling party is the energy crisis, power cuts and load shedding. Electricity in its entirety – be it generation, power disruptions and never-ending rolling blackouts – is the main issue that has decimated the South African economy and people’s livelihoods. The energy crisis…

SOUTH Africans came out in numbers to cast their votes yesterday, with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) revealing that it is projecting a high voter turn-out that could exceed previous estimates. The commission said early statistics have revealed significant voter interest across the country and if the trend holds, they project that voter turn-out could exceed 66%. Throughout the country, voters showed up to cast their votes for the 2024 national and provincial elections. These elections are considered the most competitive in decades. In KwaZulu-Natal, the control of the provincial government is fiercely contested by the IFP, MK Party (MKP)and the ANC. Addressing the media on the progress of the elections yesterday, the Electoral Commission’s deputy chief electoral officer, Masego Sheburi, said the commission was on track to…

A COBBER ran naked down the aisle of a plane flying between Perth and Melbourne, knocking down a flight attendant. The Virgin Australia aircraft turned about and flew back to Perth, where he was arrested, according to Sky News. I don’t know what the fuss is about. This is normal in-flight entertainment for the Aussies. Passengers travelling first class on British Airways 747s are worried about a redesign, which means some toilets have windows. A woman travelling to New York complained there were no blinds. She was told by a stewardess: “Madam, if some pervert is clinging to the side of this aircraft at 35 000 feet, he deserves to see everything.” A sensible response. Black bear incident STILL with Sky, a teenage boy was rescued by his brother after…

In 1942, Winston Churchill, the then-prime minister of Britain, took the harvested food from India and transferred it to Europe. This was due to the hunger Europeans were experiencing during World War II. More than 2.4 million Indians died of hunger in what became known as the Bengal Famine, which some call the world’s greatest holocaust. When informed of the famine, Churchill reportedly said: “Why do Indians breed like rabbits?” And he continued drinking three bottles of wine for breakfast as he always did. In the 1950s, Kenyan people were fighting for freedom from oppressive British colonial rule. The freedom fighters were led by Jomo Kenyatta. Churchill sent thousands of British troops to destroy the opposition to British rule. Yet, Kenyans eventually gained their independence through gallant means. When president…

WHEN I first read Lorenzo Davids’ article about “the historical currency and narrative” of the ANC meaning they mustn’t be humiliated at the polls (“Vote to strengthen and preserve, not to humiliate,” May 28), I was appalled – he admits to the ANC’s corruption and incompetence and still says we should keep them. He predicts rioting youth, if not – really, when hardly any youth have registered to vote? I think the youth have given up because nothing has been done to the bad guys, and I also think that a strong message from those who do vote (that corruption is unacceptable) will be educational, not confrontational. But maybe we need the ANC like we need bacteria and viruses – to weed out the weak, and help the strong survive?…

Prisoners at the Durban Westville Correctional Facility yesterday said they were voting to hopefully change socio-economic conditions such as crime, poverty and unemployment in their communities. According to Statistics SA, general unemployment rates rose slightly from the fourth quarter of last year to 33% during the first quarter of 2024. Monwabisi Jili, 27, who is serving a sentence for white-collar crime, said the country’s high unemployment rate was pushing people towards illegal activities. “Being in prison does not make me less of a South African. I still have rights, and today I exercised that right. “I believe that my vote today can help deal with unemployment and crime and I encouraged other inmates to register to vote because they have families in the outside world. “Voting is the most powerful…

Iran fires the starting gun this week on an election to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, whose death in a helicopter crash could complicate efforts by the authorities to manage a task of even greater consequence, the succession to the supreme leader. Once seen as a possible successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s ageing ultimate decision-maker, Raisi’s sudden death has triggered a race among hardliners to influence the selection of Iran’s next leader. Khamenei, 85, seeks a fiercely loyal president in the June 28 election to run the country day-to-day and be a trusted ally who can ensure stability, amid manoeuvring over the eventual succession to his own position, insiders and analysts say. “The next president is likely to be a hardliner loyal to Khamenei with a background in the…

NEW YORK: Global unemployment is set to fall slightly this year, a UN agency said yesterday, reversing its previous prediction of a rise while warning of “slow progress” on tackling inequalities. The International Labour Organization (ILO) expects a global unemployment rate of 4.9% in 2024, after originally forecasting unemployment would rise to 5.2% this year from 5% in 2023. The Geneva-based UN agency forecasts that the rate will stay at 4.9% in 2025. However, the ILO cautioned that “inequalities in labour markets persist, with women in low-income countries particularly affected.” | AFP…

BRUSSELS: The EU yesterday announced the creation of a 140-member “AI Office” of tech experts, lawyers and economists to regulate artificial intelligence under a sweeping new law. The EU this year approved the world’s first comprehensive rules to govern AI, especially powerful systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT after long, intense negotiations. The EU’s “AI Act” has tougher rules for general-purpose AI systems such as ChatGPT and takes a risk-based approach to the technology. Companies will have to comply by 2026, but rules covering AI models like ChatGPT will apply 12 months after the law comes in. | AFP…