Indholdsfortegnelse for 2021-06-18 i Mercury

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za LOAN loss provisioning is expected to fall among the biggest banks in South Africa, Kenya and Morocco, but will remain above long-term averages over the next 12 months, Moody’s Investors Service said yesterday. “The drop will boost net profits at these banks, given their solid pre-provision income,” the global credit rating agency said. South African and Kenyan banks were prudent in recognising forward-looking provisions, as required under IFRS 9 rules. Some South African banks took additional provisions to reflect expectations of weak economic conditions, Moody’s said in a report on the 15 biggest banks in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Morocco. “Problem loans have soared at African banks, as the pandemic brought widespread economic disruption. While comparison across systems is imperfect, financial reports show non-performing loans (NPLs)…

Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s founding president, who led his country for 27 years and championed Africa’s struggles against apartheid and HIV/Aids, has died at the age of 97. “KK”, as he was popularly known, was being treated for pneumonia at the Maina Soko Medical Centre, a military hospital in Lusaka. “On behalf of the nation, I pray that the entire Kaunda family is comforted as we mourn our first president and true African icon,” President Edgar Lungu said in a message on his Facebook page. Authorities declared 21 days of mourning for the liberation hero who ruled from 1964, after the country won independence from Britain, until 1991. Although Zambia’s copper-based economy fared badly under his stewardship, Kaunda will be remembered more for his role as an anti-colonial fighter who stood…

JOHN GARDENER | Howick FOR three-consecutive days, at the time of this writing (June 16), I had consulted the Eskom website for an indication about whether load shedding would blight our days. And, for three-consecutive days, the notice has announced that “we are currently load shedding in Stage 3, due to…” blah, blah, blah. Whereas, in reality, we have been spared the rod. Which suggests that, aside from the criminal neglect of our generating equipment for the past decade or so, Eskom is equally complacent in correctly informing the public about the state of play. Surely to goodness, and even in that haven of sheltered employment for the intellectually challenged, there must be somebody whose job it is to ensure the accuracy of such announcements? Or am I…

VISVIN REDDY African Democratic Change (ADeC) THE recent decision by the eThekwini Municipality to increase tariffs, is a smack in the face for residents who are paying exorbitant amounts every month for services like water, electricity, sewage removals and councillors’ salaries. Unlike Joburg where R400 million has been put back into the hands of residents who have suffered the consequences of the Covid-19 lockdown, Durban councillors forged ahead with passing these insensitive increases. African Democratic Change (ADeC) condemns, in the strongest terms, the draconian municipal tariffs paid by Durban residents. The impact of the pandemic and lockdown has meant thousands lost their jobs. In the current economic climate any decision to increase tariffs must be resisted. Municipal tariffs are used to supplement the city budget. This means we contribute to…

A SEE-THROUGH “Sky Pool” set between two London skyscrapers more than 40m in the air is making a splash online since the BBC posted a video about it. The Sky Pool at the Embassy Gardens apartments is the world’s largest floating acrylic pool – 24m long, 14m of which are suspended in mid-air. Residents can swim from one side to the other and see the street 10 storeys below. While many people thought the Sky Pool awesome, a lot of Twitter responses suggested a fear of heights combined with a fear of drowning, to the tune of Hell, no! Some examples: ◆“So...yeah...this is a big NO for me.” ◆“Not Enough Money IN THE WORLD.” ◆“Of course I’d get in that pool... and sit right on the steps the whole time.”…

Jolene Marriah-Maharaj jolene.marriah@inl.co.za The winner of the R30 million Lotto in the April 14 draw has finally come forward. National Lottery Operator Ithuba said the winner, 73, purchased his winning ticket at the Builders Express in Midwater Centre Aerorand in Middelburg, Mpumalanga. The winner spent R80 on the winning ticket, using a manual selection method. He told Ithuba that he had been so busy that he had forgotten to check his ticket. “I want to enjoy my winnings with my family and close friends. My family and I have a lovely home and my wife recently purchased a new car, the winnings will go towards paying off all my debt and providing financial support to my extended family,” he said, adding that a “huge portion” would go towards uplifting…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE KWAZULU-Natal Department of Social Development is spending millions of rand on staff sitting at home on suspension, or who are absent from work due to other reasons. The department has spent close to R8 million on about 10 absent staff members, some of whom have not been at work for five years. Eight of the 10 suspended officials earn more than R80 000 a month, meaning they are at a senior level. This is according to information supplied in parliamentary replies by the department to the DA. The replies also showed that 130 officials took a total of 343 sick days during the past financial year. “Most shocking is the discovery that the department has forked out a staggering R7.4m on those who are suspended,” said…

Jolene Marriah-Maharaj jolene.marriah@inl.co.za Two people and their pet dog were killed in a horror head-on collision on Kassier Road in Hillcrest on Wednesday afternoon. According to Garrith Jamieson, an advanced life support paramedic, KZN VIP Medical Paramedics together with Meditech ER arrived on the scene to find total carnage. “A light motor vehicle and horse and trailer truck carrying horses had collided head on. “Two people from the vehicle, both females believed to be in their thirties, and a dog sustained fatal injuries.” Jamieson said the truck driver sustained moderate injuries and was stabilised on the scene. “The horses from the truck were uninjured in the accident and were taken back to the stables.” KZN police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed cases of culpable homicide were being investigated by…

MUCH like last year, this year has had its fair share of challenges but, so far, it has been a lot better than last year for sports fanatics. There was pandemonium last year as sports bodies and teams suffered massive financial losses as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The fact that fans were not allowed at games was a financial frustration for teams and federations and detracted from the experience of watching sport live. Let’s face it, many of the games that have been held behind closed doors over the past year seemed like more training ground exhibitions than major contests. The world has a long way to go in terms of reducing the spread of the pandemic. It will probably take several years before we can return…

At least a dozen people have been killed in Bhutan and Nepal and several others are missing as torrential monsoon rains hit the region, triggering landslides and inundating homes, officials said yesterday. The annual monsoon season is crucial to replenish water supplies across South Asia, but it also causes death and destruction. Ten collectors of cordyceps – a fungus valued for its alleged aphrodisiac properties – died when their remote mountain camp north of Bhutan’s capital Thimpu was washed away. Five others were injured and were in a stable condition. Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering said a rescue team had been sent to the site. In Nepal, the bodies of two Chinese workers were recovered yesterday from Sindhupalchok near the capital Kathmandu, taking the total death toll from floods in…

Northern Ireland’s power-sharing executive was restored with the instalment of a First Minister and Deputy First Minister, resolving a stand-off that threatened to derail the government at a critical time after Brexit. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) nominated Paul Givan as First Minister and Sinn Fein nominated Michelle O’Neill as Deputy First Minister yesterday, ending a dispute over giving more weight to the Irish language in the region. The breakthrough came after the UK said it would push laws on Irish language and identity through Parliament in Westminster if Northern Ireland’s Assembly didn’t do so by the end of September. Tensions are running high over the UK’s divorce deal with the EU, which left Northern Ireland in a hybrid position inside the bloc’s customs union and Britain’s internal market. The…

MIKE GREENAWAY mike.greenaway@inl.co.za A QUIRK of the Currie Cup is that the Sharks invariably draw Griquas in the first round and then have a heck of a time seeing off the tough diamond fielders. In fact, Sean Everitt’s first game in charge of the Sharks, in mid-2019, was a debut he would care to forget given the Kimberley team won at Jonsson Kings Park. “I don’t know who does the fixtures at SA Rugby but we have had the same fixture first up since 2013 … ” Everitt laughed at a media conference yesterday at which he named a formidable team for tomorrow’s visit to the diamond fields. “Griquas will pose a big challenge — it is a Currie Cup with no Springbok players but that does mean exciting opportunities…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za TRADE expectations for the next six months in South Africa have remained positive in spite of sentiment among businesses dipping in May as the possibility of stricter lockdown restrictions was fast becoming a reality. The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) said yesterday that trade conditions declined again in May as uncertainties weighed heavily on almost all elements of trade. Sacci said that its Trade Activity Index (TAI) declined to 36 points in May after improving to 49 points in April. It said the industry experienced lower sales volumes and less new orders, disrupted supplier deliveries, and higher sales prices during the month. Sacci said that fewer backlogs on orders, improved inventory levels and a smaller rise but still high input costs were…

Chrissy Teigen has got a new tattoo drawn on her arm by her daughter Luna. The 35-year-old model’s five-year-old girl Luna, whom she had with her husband John Legend, drew the cartoon butterfly on her mother’s body, and now she’s turned it into a permanent inking. Writing on Instagram after her daughter's preschool graduation, she wrote, as well as discussing the tattoo and responding to her critics, Chrissy – who also has three-year-old son Miles with her man – admitted she “sobbed” as her daughter and her preschool class had their graduation ceremony. She said: “I sobbed from beginning to end, breaking for laughter only when John’s commencement speech welcomed them to the workforce and listed the 5 p’s as pizza, peanut butter, petey, penny and parents. “I sobbed because…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West A LEARNED friend asked me, in response to what I posted online, whether the 1976 generation of youth succeeded in the trajectory of change and reform that was heroically started by them, 45 years on? My response follows at the tail end of this brief. As Salaamu Alaikum warakmatulahi wa barkatahu. A shout out of peace and blessings to all. I pray that everyone precious to this brave nation is doing well by the grace and with the assistance of Allah. We are back on level 3 which calls for more sacrifices to be made. Remember the sacrifices made 45 years ago on June 16, 1976, by a generation that became gatvol about the level of complacency on the part of its…

When 80-year-old Xavier Bouget goes for a ride on his bicycle, tinkers in his workshop, waters his garden or sits down to eat a biscuit, he has a constant companion: a white female pigeon called Blanchon. Bouget, a retiree from the north-west French region of Brittany, befriended the bird when it was a chick and now it tags along with him everywhere, sitting on his shoulder or walking along beside him. “There’s a desire to be together, because it feels good,” said Bouget, who before retirement worked in the building supplies trade. The pair first met when Bouget was out near his home and saw a tiny pigeon fall to the ground as it tried to escape from a cat. Bouget later mentioned what he saw to his wife. She…

JEAN MICHEL BOUVIER Bryanston DID President Cyril Ramaphosa even think when he started pontificating at the G7 meeting and pushing the idea of “voiding global pattern production” (vaccine waiver) of the vaccines worldwide? Since producing the shots is a very complex, complicated and multifaceted process and requires top quality control, scientists have to produce them under the most strict conditions. African manufacturing facilities are not the best in the world and when we saw the mess from the top Johnson & Johnson facility in Baltimore in the US we now have to have our stock of two million vaccines stored in the Aspen Gqeberha factory destroyed. Ramaphosa also wants vaccines to be produced not only in South Africa but the rest of Africa. This is at best laughable and at…

Kenyan wildlife conservationist Dr Paula Kahumbu has been awarded the Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year award for her work in the protection of elephants. A statement released by National Geographic said Kahumbu, who is the CEO of WildlifeDirect, leads the Hands Off Our Elephants campaign with Kenya’s First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta, and received a special commendation from the UN for her role in creating awareness around the crisis facing the elephant population in the country. “Each year, the National Geographic Society recognises trailblazers whose commitment to innovation and excellence are making astonishing contributions in the fields of science, conservation, education, technology and storytelling,” it said. “This year’s award recipients have defined some of the critical challenges of our time, driven new knowledge, advanced cutting-edge solutions and inspired transformative…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za HIGHER Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande said his department had no plans to hire Cuban nationals despite that country entering into a bilateral agreement with South Africa. Nzimande made the statement when responding to a question from DA MP Nazley Khan Sharif, who asked whether the department had concluded any work exchange and/or employment agreements with any Cuban entity since 2010/11. The question was posed after the Department of Water and Sanitation, in April, announced that Cuban engineers had been seconded to the country to assist the government’s efforts in water delivery and related services for three years. The move drew flak from organisations such as AfriForum and Solidarity, with the latter taking the department to court – only to later withdraw its legal action. In…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za COMMUNITY protests were having a negative impact on the operations of the freight industry as protesters often express their anger by burning trucks. The Road Freight Association (RFA) was commenting after a truck was torched on Wednesday afternoon as disgruntled residents at Harrismith in the Free State intensified their violent protest. According to media reports, protesting residents from Intabazwe are demanding that their area no longer falls under the Maluti-A-Phofung Municipality, saying this state of affairs has led to their area lagging behind in service delivery. The community is also demanding that President Cyril Ramaphosa visit the area to listen to their grievances. RFA chief executive Gavin Kelly said they were concerned about the unrest, saying they condemned such attacks on the transport sector. Kelly said…

Andrew Novak The Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal abolished the death penalty in April, the most notable decision against capital punishment since the South African Constitutional Court found the penalty unconstitutional in 1995. The Malawian decision is significant because Malawi’s constitution specifically provides for the death penalty (in Article 16), unlike the unqualified right to life in the South African Constitution. The Malawian decision ended years of confusion over the status of the remaining 37 prisoners on death row. Nearly 15 years ago, the Malawi High Court abolished the mandatory death penalty for murder. It had found that an automatic death sentence did not sufficiently individualise sentencing and, therefore, was cruel and degrading punishment. But the ruling was not clearly retroactive. Many defendants were still appealing their mandatory death sentences…

The problem is that the subjects of money and entrepreneurship are not taught THANDISIZWE MGUDLWA ELVIS PRESLEY, “the king of rock ’n’ roll”, once drove into a petrol station to fuel one of his many cars. The petrol attendant who was going to service him was clearly blown away by the beautiful car Presley was driving. As he was pouring petrol into Presley’s car, eventually, the attendant couldn’t hold back, and found himself complimenting the king of rock ’n’ roll’s car. The man was reported to have remarked something to the effect: “Your car is beautiful sir.” Presley retorted: “Do you want it.” Confused and shocked, the man garnered enough strength to respond with a surprised voice, and said yes, to a once in a million years offer.…

Water scarcity and drought are set to wreak damage on a scale to rival the Covid-19 pandemic with risks growing rapidly as global temperatures rise, according to the UN. “Drought is on the verge of becoming the next pandemic and there is no vaccine to cure it,” Mami Mizutori, the UN’s special representative for disaster risk reduction, told an online press briefing ahead of the report’s release. Already, droughts have triggered economic losses of at least $124 billion (R1.7 trillion) and hit more than 1.5 billion people between 1998 and 2017, according to a UN report. But even these figures, it said, are “most likely gross under-estimates”. Global warming has now intensified droughts in southern Europe and western Africa, the UN report said with “some confidence”. And the number of…

SYDNEY: Websites of dozens of financial institutions and airlines in Australia and the US were briefly hit by an internet outage yesterday, after a second major blackout in little more than a week. The Australian outage, which also affected the country’s central bank, was caused by glitches on the servers of Akamai, an operator of content delivery network services used in speeding up the delivery of data-heavy content, videos and games to web pages. The outage disrupted services at many Australian banks, while the Reserve Bank of Australia had to drop its plan to buy long-dated government bonds because of technical difficulties. | Reuters…

THE shore-based angling scene has been on fire with the sardine netting action of late. Currently, the water temperature has gone up too high which has pushed the sardines out in to the cooler, deep water. Keep an eye on the water temperature and let us hope it comes down soon so that the main shoal will hit our beaches. The north coast has seen a lot of both edible and inedible fish being landed. The warm water is a bit of a problem as it puts the fish in a sulky mood. The best bet is to fish as early as possible and to focus your fishing effort on the days after the northeast wind has been blowing. The rockier areas up north have been the place to…

Disneyland Paris reopens, but Mickey won’t hug The Disneyland Paris theme park opened to visitors yesterday with Disney characters Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy on hand as usual for selfies with visitors but safety measures were in force to stop Covid-19 spreading. The park opened after being shuttered for nearly eight months during the pandemic. While cast members dressed as favourite Disney characters can greet visitors, according to the park’s revised rules, “close interactions, including hugs, will be temporarily suspended”. Visitors over the age of 6 are also required to wear masks. Nevertheless, visitors streaming through the gates at opening time were ecstatic to be there. Émeline N’Zalakanda, a 22-year-old student, said she visited several times a week before lockdown and has missed it. “There’s so much emotion, seeing…

PAT McKRILL | Camperdown Recent developments in our once relatively peaceful and productive country have led to changes in the thinking of our population, to the point where we merely look for excuses to justify our poverty, unemployment etc. Covid, corruption, yes, what else? Of course, racism. A contributing factor to this navel- gazing might be the dangerously powerful role that social media and our national newspapers and radio are playing in moulding our minds. What’s happening in our world has been happening since man stood upright and invented things, and solutions to problems have ultimately been achieved. Even if by war. But nowadays just about anything, even the colour of snow, can become a racist issue. We dig out even the most implausible reasons. We spout anti-white…

Your dad, on Father’s Day, probably wants very little from you. It’s likely he will be satisfied with a simple card, a brief note, and the words “thank you, I love you”. The real gift you’re offering to your dad on Father’s Day is if you are living well, loving deeply, using your skills, your talents for the good of all. That’s the gift he’s really looking for. He’s not looking for you to give him something; he wants you to give the world something. Offer the world about you your integrity, and you’re giving your dad a gift. Give to the poor, the lonely, comfort the mourning, put your arm around the shoulders of your own son or daughter, and you’re giving your dad an invaluable gift. Your dad…

ZELDA VENTER zelda.venter@inl.co.za IN A groundbreaking first step, the court has given the green light for claims to be lodged with the Road Accident Fund (RAF) for now without all documents. The decision will prevent millions of RAF claims from lapsing before claimants are able to submit all the documents, as required under a new directive. The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, has ordered the RAF to stop enforcing a practice directive issued and promulgated earlier this year stipulating the terms and conditions under which claims for compensation will be administered. Judge Norman Davis ruled that this was an interim order, which would remain in force until the matter returned to court for an order to review and finally set aside the practice directive and notice. The effect of the interim…

Sisonke Mlamla sisonke.mlamla@inl.co.za The Judicial Inspectorate Correctional Services (Jics) says it is devising plans to keep at-risk youth off the streets and out of correctional facilities where an increasing number of them are being held while awaiting trial. This after Jics issued statistics stating that as of May 31, there were 55 children in remand detention, 3 105 juveniles awaiting trial, 42 children sentenced and 1 503 juveniles sentenced. Jics spokesperson Emerantia Cupido said between 2019 and last year there were 2 058 sentenced juveniles and 3 724 remand juveniles, 65 sentenced children and 58 remand children. She said in the 2018/19 financial year, there were 6 120 juveniles and 182 children incarcerated. “If we cannot stop the underlying and complex causes of crime, we at Jics advocate…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za The Council for GeoScience has said seismic monitoring stations across the country and abroad did not pick up any signs of a tremor in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday. The council was commenting after several people posted on social media groups about experiencing a tremor in the early hours of yesterday. It was reported on social media that the seismic activity took place in areas within uMzinyathi District Municipality, and eThekwini district. Nomalanga Duma from Newlands East, Durban, said she heard a rumbling sound when she woke up yesterday morning just after 3am. “At first I thought it was a thunderstorm and I was so convinced that it was it. However, when I looked outside, I noticed that there was a clear sky. “In the morning, I noticed that many…

Se-Anne Rall se-anne.koopman@inl.co.za POLICE have arrested a 39-year-old man in connection with the murder of Anele Bhengu. Bhengu was a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and her death has been viewed as a hate crime. The suspect was arrested on the South Coast yesterday afternoon. Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbele, said officers received details about a suspect who had allegedly murdered a woman in KwaMakhutha. “The team went to Mlahlandlini area at Gcilima. Upon seeing the police officers, the suspect fled from his home into the nearby bushes,” Mbele said. She said the police gave chase and caught him in the bush. He was placed under arrest at Margate SAPS and transferred to KwaMakhutha SAPS for processing. He will be appearing in the Umbumbulu Magistrate’s Court soon. Bhengu’s body…

Mark Keohane Gareth Bale botched a penalty attempt, the execution of which would have embarrassed an under eight, Germany lost at home in Munich to current world champions France and Italy scored six goals in their first two matches and Ronaldo equalled the tournament goal-scoring record at Euro 2020, but none of these moments rank when compared to Denmark’s Christian Eriksen’s near-death experience against Finland. Eriksen collapsed in the 42nd minute from a cardiac arrest and for 13 minutes, on-field doctors worked to bring him back to life. If you don’t follow football, this is a timeline of what happened on a day in which the soccer community bared its soul, even if the custodians of the tournament sold theirs to the corporate devil that is money. Eriksen is considered…

At least $250 million (about R3.5 billion) in UN humanitarian aid intended for refugees and poor communities in Lebanon has been lost to banks selling the local currency at highly unfavourable rates, a Thomson Reuters Foundation investigation has found. The losses – described in an internal UN document as “staggering” and confirmed by multiple sources – come as Lebanon grapples with its worst economic crisis, with more than half the population living under the poverty line, according to the World Bank. They stem from a plunge in the value of the Lebanese pound since the economy began to collapse in late 2019, sending prices soaring and forcing many Lebanese into poverty. The unfavourable exchange rates offered by Lebanese banks have hit Syrian and Palestinian refugees and poor Lebanese…

Hong Kong national security police conducted a fresh raid on anti-government newspaper Apple Daily yesterday, arresting five executives and carting off computers in the latest blow to the outspoken tabloid. The paper and its jailed owner Jimmy Lai have long been a thorn in Beijing’s side with unapologetic support for the financial hub’s anti-government movement. More than 500 officers conducted a dawn operation which authorities said was sparked by articles Apple Daily published “appealing for sanctions” against Hong Kong and China’s leaders. It is the first time the content of media reporting has sparked arrests under the national security law. In a message to readers, Apple Daily warned Hong Kong’s press freedoms were “hanging by a thread”, but vowed to “stand tall”. Hong Kong police said the five Apple…

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden signed a bill into law yesterday to make June 19 a federal holiday commemorating the end of the legal enslavement of black Americans. The bill, which was passed by the US House of Representatives on Wednesday after a unanimous vote in the Senate, marks the day in 1865 when a Union general informed a group of enslaved people in Texas that they were made free two years earlier by President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation during the Civil War. It is the 11th federal holiday, joining a list that includes Christmas, New Year’s Day, as well as days honouring presidents and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. | Reuters…

MIHLALI BALEKA EVERY player in the Kaizer Chiefs set-up understands the magnitude of playing in the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League. After all, Amakhosi have never been to this stage of the premier club continental competition and the current crop of players will be proud of that legacy, especially if they qualify for the final. This is the feeling that defender Daniel Cardoso shared as the Glamour Boys prepare to face Wydad Casablanca in the first leg of the CAF Champions League semi-finals tomorrow night. Cardoso is optimistic and believes the team is high on confidence at the moment. After a disappointing domestic campaign, Chiefs pulled off two back-to-back wins in the final two games of the season. Those victories were enough to guarantee them a top-eight spot…

HERMAN GIBBS herman.gibbs@gmail.com IT might be easier said than done, but Gauteng High Court Deputy Judge President Roland Sutherland is the one holding the keys to unlocking the impasse between the PSL and NFD club Royal AM. Earlier this week, the PSL requested Sutherland to deal with Royal AM's application for leave to appeal “as a matter of extreme urgency”. Sutherland will deal with the matter today, and hopefully, the outcome will be final and binding. The request follows Sutherland's confirmation of the Safa Arbitration Tribunal award handed down by Advocate Hilton Epstein. The consequence was that Sekhukhune United secured automatic promotion to the Premiership for next season. The KwaZulu-Natal based Royal AM were embittered with Sutherland's decision, and on Monday they successfully obtained an interdict from Judge AJ Nyathi…