Indholdsfortegnelse for 2021-06-02 i Mercury

The RAND LOST steam yesterday and retreated 4c to R13.76 against a softer dollar yesterday by 5pm as data showed that South Africa’s unemployment rate hit a new record 13-year high in the first quarter, having touched a near 2-year high of R13.69 earlier in the day. Risk appetite continued to bolster the local unit, despite a looming third wave of Covid-19 infections and level 2 lockdown restrictions. Bianca Botes, a director at Citadel Global, said the rand had shrugged off last week’s negative reviews by ratings agencies as it continued to strengthen on Monday and yesterday.The dollar softened yesterday, edging toward five-month lows. The dollar index was down 0.124 percent at 89.68, having risen as high as 90.447 on Friday, when a measure of US inflation closely watched…

THE SOUTH African Reserve Bank (SARB) plans to exit African Bank Holdings Limited (ABHL) and said yesterday that it had published a request for formal expressions of interest from both local and international parties. The time had come to review potential exit options and for ABHL to obtain a long-term sustainable shareholder or shareholders who were better aligned to the bank’s strategy and growth aspirations, the Reserve Bank said. The SARB acquired its 50 percent shareholding in ABHL in 2016 as part of the restructuring of African Bank Limited, renamed Residual Debt Services Limited, after it was placed under curatorship. “As a shareholder, the SARB provided a capital injection to assist in financing ABHL’s operations. It was never the intention of the SARB to hold this equity stake indefinitely,…

Paris: Laurent Veyet’s tasting menu is not for the faint-hearted, but may point to the future of feeding a booming world population – there is a prawn salad with yellow mealworm, crunchy insects on a bed of vegetables and chocolate-coated grasshoppers. Veyet’s ornate dishes are winning approving nods. The Parisian chef, preparing a serving of pasta made with mealworm flour and sauteed insect larvae, said: “There are some really interesting flavours.” The European Food Safety Agency in January declared the mealworm fit for human consumption. The agency has fielded many more applications for insect-based food products, including crickets and locusts. Mealworm, and insects more generally, could offer a sustainable food source for the future. Dining with his two daughters, Soheil Ayari gave his endorsement: “Honestly, the tastes are very similar…

FAROUK ARAIE Benoni THE country shares the grief of the passing of ANC stalwart, Ismail Coovadia. While words can never fully express how much someone means to us, language can still provide comfort, solace, hope and even inspiration following the death of a person who did so much for so many over such a long time. Ismail was an icon of the times. His dedicated long life and monumental contributions to the country reaffirm our faith in humanity that the streams of unending assistance to the destitute and helpless have not dried up. Nobody can forget this examplar of utmost devotion to all the tasks that he undertook on a scale that defies description. His entire life was a fabric of compassion, the main strands of which was helping and…

THABISI HOEANE Pretoria IT IS now very clear: Africans are still long way from understanding what democracy means. That the Pan African Parliament (PAP) – a continental body composed of MPs from member states, from ruling parties and opposition – can shamelessly behave the way in which they did this past week is more evidence of this. If our national representatives can be behave in this manner then indeed we are in deep trouble. How do I convince my students that I am teaching them anything viable and necessary when I implore them that African unity is something to take seriously when such boorish behaviour is being displayed by our so-called leaders? How sad, that these so-called representatives can be seen fighting over a ballot box and disrupting…

Sibusiso Mboto Sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za The Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform has dismissed suggestions that it should enlist the assistance of the police or even the army in order to enforce the movement ban on livestock. Since new broke of the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Mtubatuba in northern KwaZulu-Natal a few days ago, there have been calls for Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Thoko Didiza to take drastic measures to ensure compliance in the affected districts of King Cetshwayo and uMkhanyakude. DA spokesperson on agriculture, land reform and rural development Noko Masipa said the minister should unlock bio-security funds to help fight the outbreak that has the Red Meat Producers Organisation concerned about meat production and supply. “Where necessary, the minister must engage…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za More than 163 000 people over the age of 60 have been vaccinated in 97 vaccination sites across KwaZulu-Natal. This was revealed by the KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala yesterday during his unannounced visit to the Inkosi Mzondeni Community Hall at KwaMsane, Mtubatuba. Zikalala was accompanied by KZN provincial Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane and Mtubatuba mayor Thobelani Ncamphalala. According to Zikalala, no fewer than 120 589 health workers have been vaccinated in the public and private sectors. He said more vaccination sites were being added incrementally, as more vaccine doses become available. He said he was satisfied with the rate of vaccinations in the province and called on more senior citizens to register to be vaccinated. “The province of KZN has emerged as one of the leading provinces…

Nonhlanhla Nozizwe Hlatshwayo nozizwe.hlatshwayo@inl.co.za A Driving Licence Testing Centre has been reopened in Mtubatuba in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Reopening the centre yesterdaywas KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala was accompanied by MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Neliswa Peggy Nkonyeni, and Mtubatuba Local Municipality mayor Thobelani Ncamphalala. Mtubatuba municipal manager Siyabonga Ntuli said they were pleased the centre had reopened. “The centre was closed in 2017 in the hope of renovating it and making it bigger to efficiently serve the community. Through the financial help of the provincial government, we were able to renovate the centre,” he said. Ntuli said the new centre had digital technology to curb corruption. “The system is able to track the applicant from the time they apply for their learner’s licence right to the day they go…

IN recent months, it emerged that motorists travelling on major highways in Gauteng have been under siege from criminal gangs who lay spikes on the roads, causing tyre punctures and accidents, before robbing motorists of their belongings. They even dropped sharp objects on the windscreens from overhead bridges. Sello Kgasi, 58, was ambushed and shot dead by two men, who allegedly laid the spikes, after he got out of his car to change the tyre on the road between Rosslyn and Brits in North West. His passengers were robbed of their belongings. Two police officers from the Boschkop Police Station were also attacked by the same criminals, one killed and the other injured, while on patrol on the N4. Rattled motorists resorted to recording and circulating messages on social media…

Gunmen opened fire at a car carrying a Ugandan government minister in an attempted assassination yesterday, wounding the former army commander and killing his daughter and driver, the military and local media said. Four attackers on motorcycles sprayed bullets at a four-wheel drive vehicle carrying General Katumba Wamala, the minister of works and transport, in the Kampala suburb of Kisasi, local television station NBS reported. President Yoweri Museveni condemned the attack, blaming it on criminals, terrorists and “pigs who do not value life”. In a Twitter post, he said that authorities already had clues in the case, and the criminals responsible would be defeated. Images circulating on social media showed Wamala with his mouth open, in apparent distress beside the car and his light-coloured trousers splattered with blood. Police investigators…

Rome: Italians reacted with dismay yesterday at the release from prison of an infamous mafia boss who assassinated Italy’s most famous prosecutor and dissolved a boy’s body in acid, among other crimes. Giovanni Brusca, 64, was released this week from Rome’s Rebibbia prison after serving a 25-year sentence, during which he became a State witness. He will now serve four years of probation. Brusca was a key figure within the Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian mafia group. He detonated the bomb that killed Giovanni Falcone, a magistrate who dedicated his career to overthrowing the mafia, in 1992. | AFP…

HERMAN GIBBS herman.gibbs@gmail.com STRIFE levels will be at boiling point in the ranks of Orlando Pirates ahead of their penultimate Premiership match against Baroka FC at Peter Mokaba Stadium tonight. Pirates supporters, although outnumbered by Kaizer Chiefs fans, are traditionally far more boisterous. They would have looked on with envy when Gavin Hunt was axed. After all, they called for coach Josef Zinnbauer to be given the boot long before their counterparts were calling for Hunt's head. Come match day, as is usually the case, Pirates fans will take to social media in their numbers and remind all and sundry that their beloved team should be strong contenders for next season's Caf Champions League. Others will say that Pirates should still be campaigning in Africa, rather than count among the…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za PARLIAMENT has resolved to institute an inquiry into allegations of corruption, fraud and maladministration at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), which the development finance institution has denied. However, the DBSA yesterday failed to convince the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) that various loans amounting to R426 million to Cranbrook Property Projects were above board. Scopa chairperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said the committee would rope in the office of the auditor-general and the Special Investigating Unit in this matter. Hlengwa said that the responses and explanations from the DBSA did not assist the committee with the information it required. “Scopa will now start the process of instituting an inquiry into the DBSA,” Hengwa said. “The committee will consult Parliament Legal Services on the process to…

SOUTH32’S shares were up 5.29 percent at midday yesterday after it announced that its divestment of its 100 percent share- holding in SA Coal Holdings (South African Energy Coal, SAEC) to Seriti Resources and two trusts for the benefit of employees and communities had been completed yesterday. The mining firm also issued a daily share buy-back notice. Seriti said yesterday that SAEC was renamed Seriti Power. It comprised the Khutala, Klipspruit and Middelburg Mines Services North and South mines, which provided coal to the Kendal and Duhva power stations, and export coal via the Richards Bay Coal Terminal. Seriti held a 90 percent interest in Seriti Power, while an Employee Trust and a Community Trust each held a 5 percent interest. Seriti chief executive Mike Teke…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za DELTA Property Fund said yesterday that it would approach the JSE to reinstate the trading of its shares following the reissue of its 2020 financial statements and the publication of interim results. This followed a six-month period to August 31 last year of significant changes for the group, including the appointment of new members to the board and the appointment of a new interim executive leadership team, as well as two independent forensic investigations into irregularities that resulted in the withdrawal and reissue of the financial statements for the year ended February 29 last year, said interim chief executive Bongi Masinga. The JSE suspended Delta’s shares on September 15 due to the withdrawal of the financial statements. Masinga said despite corporate governance challenges and the weak economy,…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za Superstitions – we’ve all heard some far-fetched mythical story about why we shouldn’t walk under ladders or eat while standing. Food has been the source of many folk stories and traditions throughout history, and is even behind some of our cooking habits to this day. They might seem a little silly, but here are six weird superstitions people actually believe about food. Never cut noodles Noodles, typically 25cm in length, symbolise long life, so cutting them suggests cutting life short. Always serve at least two bowls of rice A single bowl of rice is often put out as an offering for the dead, so at least two should be on every table among the living. Never seat 13 at the table The number 13 is considered unlucky…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za | Additional reporting by Vernon Mchunu African regional blocks are still fighting over the election of a president for the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) – a battle which appears to have no end. The chaos grew yesterday and the sitting had to be abruptly adjourned for more than four hours as the groupings were trying to find a solution to the impasse. At the core of the dispute was a call by the Southern African region to have a rotational system for the president, while the Western and Eastern groupings insist on voting. This prompted the South African delegation to the PAP to criticise MPs from two regions after the session descended into chaos on Monday over the rotation of the institution’s presidency. Yesterday, National Council of Provinces…

A FELLOW in India was briefly the owner of a flying dog. Gurav Sharma strapped helium balloons to his dog, named Dollar, and launched it into the air from atop a car, according to the BBC. Somebody on the second floor of a nearby building caught Dollar as he drifted by, then took him back to the ground. Sharma’s big mistake though was to video the flight and post it on a YouTube channel with more than four million viewers. There was a wave of outrage, an animal welfare organisation took up the case. Sharma has been arrested and charged with cruelty to an animal. Should he be found guilty, he will no doubt fit himself with helium balloons for appeals to the higher courts. Hollywood connections CHARLIZE Theron…

DHAYALAN MOODLEY Mobeni Heights IT IS time to vote with your head and not with your heart. We have entered a sensitive period, with concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic but the show (campaigning for the local government elections in October) must go on. The elections, scheduled for October, must not be postponed. It is time for a political contest, debate and alignment. We must not allow councillors for more than two terms. We as taxpayers must hold them accountable and take a no-nonsense approach. When we keep councillors in power for too long, they get into a comfort zone. Many people vote for a candidate because they are aligned with a party. We need to know the credentials of candidates and choose a party that will bring jobs that will…

KHOTSO MOLEKO Bloemfontein I do not understand why this evil called pornography receives no opposition in the same way that a few earthly-judged churches and pastors have become our breakfast, lunch and supper. I suppose the reason can only be the fact that many people support this problem, which destroys lives and changes both men and women into beasts of lust. I do not doubt that the prevalence of disgusting pornographic images, combined with unexamined sexual stimulants, violent movies and dramas is part of the reason for brutal rapes, assaults and killings in our societies. It encourages selfishness and human depravity. Pornography also destroys the natural relations between men and women.…

Same-sex couples married outside Namibia will have to wait until January next year to know whether their union is recognised. The high court in Windhoek reserved judgment in two cases in which President Hage Geingob’s government was sued to recognise same-sex marriages concluded in other countries. Namibian citizen Johann Potgieter and his South African husband Daniel Digashu, as well as German citizen Anita Seiler-Lilles and her Namibian wife are suing the government to give legal recognition to their marriages, concluded in South Africa in 2015 and in Germany in 2017 respectively. The cabinet was due to pronounce itself on the abolishment of the sodomy and unnatural sexual offences. The Law Reform Commission has directed the government to abolish the sodomy law, which it said was enforcing a culture of homophobia…

Se-Anne Rall se-anne.koopman@inl.co.za EXPERTS from the Durban University of Technology’s Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology (IWWT) believe that KwaZulu-Natal is already experiencing its third wave of Covid-19 infections. “According to recent clinical data, the number of active cases in KZN and the eThekwini Municipality began to rise steadily since April 20. However, we started observing the spike in viral loads in wastewater since March 30, almost three weeks before the actual clinically confirmed cases were reported,” said IWWT director, Professor Faizal Bux. “This indicates that wastewater based epidemiology may be used as a predictive tool for surges in Covid-19 infections and that frequent monitoring is required for future wave predictions,” Bux added. According to the team, led by Bux and assisted by Professor Sheena Kumari, the peak of the…

A man and woman have each been granted R5 000 bail by the Durban Magistrate’s Court after their appearance on fraud charges relating to fake discount holiday deals. Megasen Roland Chetty, aged 38, and Sarasvathi Belinda Pillay, 47, who are reportedly a couple, were arrested on Saturday morning. It is alleged that the two posed as travel agents and committed fraud over the course of a year, KwaZulu-Natal regional police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said in a statement. The police said the two were positively linked to 14 cases across the Chatsworth, Phoenix, Malvern, Town Hill, Tongaat and other areas, in which they would allegedly lure unsuspecting customers, promising to secure them domestic and international holidays at a discounted rate. In all, they allegedly defrauded their clients of around R900…

For many decades, human beings have become accustomed to water borne toilets where, one simple flick of a handle, eradicates problems of stench and excretion. It takes about 6 litres of water to flush down the filth with a very swift speed. One does not encounter the stench again but will re-live it when passing through burst manholes. It is unfortunate that the 6 litres of water used to flush down that faeces also goes down the sewage system. As our population grows so does the demand for water. As humans we will soon be left with a simple yet strange choice of whether we keep water for drinking or flushing down unwanted human waste. Before water borne systems, we used VIP toilets or what some would refer to as…

Japan’s medical establishment is becoming increasingly anxious about bringing together 78 000 people from 200 countries for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, while the country struggles to keep coronavirus infections under control and speed up vaccinations. Organisers had initially planned to have about 10 000 doctors, nurses and medical staff on standby for the Games, scheduled to start in less than two months, but have had to cut that number down to about 7 000 because they’ll be needed to handle ongoing outbreaks. Although Japan has seen one of the lowest infection rates among rich industrialised nations, it has been trying to bring under control a rise in infections since late last year. A third state of emergency was expanded and extended in Tokyo and other big cities, with limited…

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s economic collapse is likely to rank among the world’s worst financial crises since the mid-19th century, the World Bank said in a damning report released yesterday. The report predicts that Lebanon’s economy will shrink by close to 10% in 2021 and stresses there is “no clear turning point”. Lebanon defaulted on its debt last year, the currency lost around 85% of its value and poverty is devastating a country once seen as a beacon of prosperity. “The economic and financial crisis is likely to rank in the top 10 most severe crisis episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century,” the report said. | AFP…

WASHINGTON: Nearly 14% of US President Joe Biden’s 1 500 federal agency appointees identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, he said yesterday in a proclamation marking the start of Pride Month celebrating the LGBTIQ+ community. A Democrat, Biden urged Congress to protect LGBTIQ+ people from discrimination by passing the Equality Act. Donald Trump, his Republican predecessor, did not officially recognise Pride Month during his four years in office. “There are many states in which LGBTIQ+ individuals still lack protections for fundamental rights and dignity in hospitals, schools, public accommodations, and other spaces,” Biden said. “We will not rest until full equality for LGBTIQ+ Americans is finally achieved and codified into law.” Biden cited what he called a tragic spike in violence against transgender people who face bullying and…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za AS much as some have critiqued the quality of football in the DStv Premiership this season, the relegation battle has been more exciting than the English Premier League’s. In England, West Brom, Fulham, and Sheffield United went down without much of a fight, so much so that fans knew who the relegated teams would be when 2021 started. In South Africa, with two league games remaining, no team has yet been officially relegated. Just seven points separate rock bottom Black Leopards from 12th place Maritzburg United, so there are still five teams that are in danger. For much of the season, Maritzburg United looked doomed for the drop. However, a Thabiso Kutumela-inspired resurgence has helped the Team of Choice to navigate away from the dreaded drop zone…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons Tarryn-Leigh.Solomons@iinl.co.za Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said the department was working with the national Health Department on the issue of teacher vaccinations. “There is a commitment to vaccinate as many teachers as possible, as soon as possible. We cannot confirm a date yet,” she said. Motshekga also noted that the effects of the 2020 academic year would be felt for the next 10 years. “We are doing everything in our power (to mitigate this).” Motshekga was briefing the portfolio committee on education on the status of school readiness amid the third wave. The briefing comes as some concerns were expressed about primary school and special needs pupils returning to full attendance next month amid the pandemic. Last week it was gazetted that pupils must return to school daily…

Prince Simakade Zulu’s name put forward as tensions continue to boil in the royal court Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za IN A NEW twist, Prince Simakade Zulu, the first-born son of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini, has thrown his hat in the ring in the bitter dispute over the contestation of the Zulu throne currently occupied by his half-brother, King Misuzulu KaZwelithini. Prince Simakade’s name has since been submitted to KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala’s office to be considered for the Zulu throne as tensions continue to boil in the royal court. On May 12, a few days after the burial of the late Zulu Queen Regent Mantfombi Dlamini-Zulu, Simakade asked Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi to read out a statement to the media in Durban, saying he was not after the throne and he…

YOU will hear people say money can’t buy happiness, and other tired clichés. It’s usually people who have neither money nor happiness who repeat such. I am not suggesting for a moment that money makes people happy but it is a lot nicer to be rich if you are set on being unhappy. Money won’t make an unhappy person happy, but the lack of it certainly doesn’t do much to enhance unhappiness. Happy people are happy, rich or poor. There’s not enough money on Earth to make unhappy people happy. Happiness does not have a price tag. It is not about the money. Become an expert in money and how it works. If you are good with money, you could put into motion something so powerful that people generations from…

JEAN MICHEL BOUVIER Bryanston I am appalled that even after what has happened between Israel and the Palestinians which the whole world witnessed, and the ensuing ceasefire, I keep on reading articles from all those Israel apologists, starting from the chief Rabbi of South Africa, to the SA Jewish Board of Deputies and some other individuals. I was thinking of responding to their fairy tales and their own version of the truth, as they have been disingenuous about their answers, with misrepresentations, waffle and thumb sucking, fiction and propaganda. But when last week I read that the UN adopted a new resolution on top of the 2 575 so far, since 1948, against Israel, but this time a far more serious one, as it entails to probe Israel’s war crimes…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za The fraud and money laundering trial of Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary has been postponed to November 1. The case was dealt with in their absence in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday. Prosecutor Alicia Roos told Judge Papi Masopa that this was pending ongoing extradition proceedings in Malawi. The case against the self-proclaimed prophet and Enlightened Christian Gathering royalty had been set down from Monday until June 18 following their arrest in February 2019. They are facing several charges of fraud and money laundering amounting to more than R15 million. The couple were at the time released on R100 000 bail each by the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court. Their case was transferred to the high court, but they sneaked out of the…

Kennedy Mudzuli kennedy.mudzuli@inl.co.za RETIRED former SANDF chief General Solly Shoke has pleaded with the private sector to keep up its assistance of the women and men in uniform. Shoke was speaking at an event this week which was organised to thank the sponsors of the Goodwill Parcel Project for deployed members of the SANDF at the Royal Elephant Hotel and Conference Centre. He said as the former head of the army he was grateful for the manner in which various companies had supported the project and the members for close to 20 years now. “There is nothing more encouraging when you are far away from home, busy with your national duties, than to know that there are people at home who appreciate what you do. “Our soldiers and their families…

The Malamulele Regional Court in Limpopo has sentenced two men, Enock Sibanda, 31, and Eckson Shirinda,28, to eight years in jail for poaching and related offences. Limpopo spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the Mozambican duo had pleaded not guilty to the raft of charges. “Although Sibanda and Shirinda pleaded not guilty, the State led evidence and they were convicted of trespassing in the Skukuza National Park, contravention of the Immigration Act, possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of ammunition, illegal hunting and killing of an elephant. Sibanda was also found guilty of possession of an illegal firearm,” said Malabi-Dzhangi. The two were arrested on November 14, 2018, inside the Kruger National Park by rangers. “The state prosecutor, Norman Makhubele, while arguing for a suitable sentence told…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo A R36-MILLION Disaster Management Centre commissioned by the Amajuba District Municipality is still incomplete, seven years after construction began. According to the municipality, the facility was meant to be completed in 2016. However, after more than seven years, the facility is not functional or anywhere near being fully operational. The municipality said they had experienced some challenges with the service provider that was appointed to do the work. The facility is based in Madadeni Section 1. Municipal spokesperson Sbonelo Cebekhulu said that after numerous engagements with them and consultation, it was discovered that the contractor was struggling to provide the required service, and the construction was sub-standard. Cebekhulu said this resulted in the termination of the contract, adding there were legal implications that delayed the re-advertisement of the…

Young people have a right to the best possible life and a brighter future Thandisizwe Mgudlwa AN OPPORTUNITY arises to simultaneously focus on the educational curriculum while introducing sport at schools where it is lacking or non-existent. School sport in South Africa is mostly dysfunctional in the townships and rural areas. As a health mechanism during this Covid-afflicted era, physical education has never been more necessary. Of course this applies to non-contact sports during the Covid-19 period. But sadly, in many areas and schools, sport is broken or does not exist at all. This cannot be. Not after 27 years since South Africa became a democracy. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. There’s something to work with here. For example, the Kay Motsepe Schools Cup that has been…

IRan believes that barriers to the revival of its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers are complicated but not insurmountable, a spokesperson said yesterday, denying that negotiations had stalled. The Islamic Republic and six powers have been negotiating in Vienna since April to work out steps for Tehran and Washington to take, respectively, on nuclear activities and sanctions, for the pact to resume. Two Western diplomats and an Iranian official said the talks would likely pause tomorrow for consultations in respective capitals, though it remained unclear if they would resume before Iran’s June 18 presidential election, in which a prominent hardliner is tipped to replace the pragmatist incumbent. “Negotiations have reached a stage where a few key issues need to be decided, and these issues require the proper attention, perfectionism…

SANA’A: Yemen’s Huthi rebels, who control most of the country’s north including the capital Sanaa, have been blocking international efforts to supply Covid-19 vaccines, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. The New York-based group accused Huthi leaders of suppressing information about both the dangers of Covid-19 and the prevalence of the disease. Yemen received 360 000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 31. However, the rebels’ failure to co-operate with the World Health Organization and the Yemeni government has prevented any vaccines from reaching the north, HRW said. | AFP…

Mihlali Baleka mihlali.baleka@inl.co.za THE winds of change have started blowing at Kaizer Chiefs, creating great euphoria ahead of the new season. But a perfect ending to the current season for the club could slightly heal the wounds of the past, and lay a consolidated foundation heading to the future. The appointment of Molefi Ntseki as the head of technical and youth academy may prove to be a master stroke by Chiefs. Since their establishment, Chiefs were known to have one of the best academies – not only structurally, but through the equipped personnel running the show as well. Ntseki is no stranger to the junior structures. In fact, that’s where he excelled as a coach at the South African Football Association (Safa) structures before climbing up the pecking order, and…

IT was interesting to hear Rassie Erasmus say last Friday that British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has “something up his sleeve” for their tour of South Africa starting next month. He was referring to the number of Scottish backs partnering with that nation’s head coach Gregor Townsend at the Lions, as well as loose forwards such as Sam Simmonds, Hamish Watson, Tom Curry and Justin Tipuric, who are all built like openside flanks and are quick across the ground. The surprise omission of more direct players such as England No 8 Billy Vunipola and Ireland’s CJ Stander suggests that Gatland wants to run the Springboks off their feet and slow their ball down at the rucks. It is clear that the tourists do not want to engage the…