Indholdsfortegnelse for 2021-06-25 i Mercury

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za GROWTHPOINT Properties was in a strong financial position despite continuing uncertainty in the economy, pressures on net operating income in the South African portfolio and the knock-on effect on property valuations. The group said yesterday in a nine-month trading update to March 31 that the focus remained to reinforce the balance sheet, which would en- able it to pursue internationalisation, optimise the local portfolio, and generate new income streams from funds management and third-party trading and development. The R4.3 billion of equity raised last November, R577 million proceeds from the December 2020 Distribution Reinvestment Plan, R827m retained for the 2020 year and R499m retained from the first half of financial 2021, had all bolstered the balance sheet, the group’s management said. Loan to value was 40.7…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za STEFANUTTI Stocks planned to sell its 49 percent stake in Al Tayer Stocks (ATS) to Investment Trading Group LLC for R87.3 million as part of its broader restructuring plan to sell non-core assets, the local construction group said in a statement yesterday. The aim of the restructuring is to create an optimal capital structure and access to liquidity to position Stefanutti Stocks for long-term growth. ATS is a building and interior fit-out contracting company, offering services across all industries, delivering projects in the interior fit-out and design and building sectors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The business had grown significantly since being formed in 1998, undertaking interior fit-out projects in retail, corporate training centres, hotels, healthcare facilities, luxury villas, warehouses and industrial units. ATS also…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za South African A-listers and fashionistas gathered at the Inanda Club in Sandton this past weekend to witness the 2021 Cell C Inanda Africa Cup. The Cell C Inanda Africa Cup is a unique knockout polo championship, not only for horse racing lovers, but those who fancy fine things. This year’s tournament was hosted by the multi-talented actress, producer, award-winning radio host, social media personality and philanthropist Bridget Masinga. The SA FM presenter donned a blue satin suit by K Moraba Collective. Meanwhile, multi-award-winning content creator Mihlali Ndamase looked exquisite in a Ryan Keys number. Reality TV star Ayanda Ncwane, known for serving the hottest looks on the Real Housewives Of Durban, came through for the tournament. She looked flamboyant in a white dress by Tomi R and…

Vernon Mchunu AS THE number of top resignations from the troubled Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) rose this week, the council has been instructed to halt disciplinary action against three suspended senior executives, The Mercury has learned. In the strongest indication yet that an independent assessor was on the verge of being appointed to the university, Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande has written to the council’s chairperson, Morailane Morailane, and outlined the scope of the assessment. In the letter, shown to The Mercury, Nzimande instructed Morailane to halt the disciplinary processes, saying this would allow the assessment to “look at allegations and counter-allegations” that had been made by executive management and some council members against each other. It has also emerged that pressure is piling up,…

Wading through a moonlit pond on Australia’s east coast talking to frogs makes Michael Mahony feel like a kid again. The 70-year-old biology professor and conservationist at Australia’s University of Newcastle has mastered imitating and understanding the shrills, croaks and whistles of frogs. “Sometimes you forget to work because ... you just want to talk to the frogs for a while and it’s sort of good fun,” Mahony told Reuters from a pond in Cooranbong, New South Wales. He is thrilled every time they call back, but fears frogs are increasingly at risk of going silent. Australia has about 240 frog species, but around 30% of them are threatened by climate change, water pollution, habitat loss and the chytrid fungus. Mahony said globally, frogs were the most threatened of all…

EBRAHIM ESSA Durban NOT too long ago, returning visitors from Britain would describe how cold and clinical their English relatives were, especially when hearing knocking at their doors. Sounds at the door from excited brothers, sisters, cousins from abroad, that strangely were not really reciprocated by the local hosts but instead visitors would be asked to “take a seat and make yourself comfortable”, whilst the householders continued being mesmerised by the soap opera on their box. Now, this “fixed-focus” phenomenon has reached our shores by a supersonic speed, where even once-holier-than-thou housewives and once “I-am-your-Lord-house husbands” are found either stone-dead, or more likely mesmerised by some circular episode of a romantic or violent or dramatic episode they swear is absolutely original and have never been seen on screen before! “Shhhh!…

DUNCAN DU BOIS Bluff THE decision of the ANC to impose a new tariff structure for renewable energy use on those whose electricity needs have diminished, beggars belief because it removes the incentive to become less reliant on Eskom (The Mercury, June 24). The excuse that the metro would lose R1 billion in revenue is not only upside-down economics but also masks the reality that, like water losses, the cost of electricity theft has to be recouped from those who pay. If less electricity is being used as a result of reliance on solar power, then the municipality should buy less from Eskom. Surely, that is basic economics? But such logic does not fly with the socialist ANC. It is well-known that the sale of electricity is a major…

DURBAN residents are being urged to reduce their water consumption over the next week while work is carried out to repair a leak to an aqueduct that receives water from the Nagle Dam. Shami Harichunder, the spokesperson for Umgeni Water – a bulk water supplier to the eThekwini Municipality – said that last Saturday a leak was detected on Aqueduct 4 in the vicinity of the Clermont township, Durban. Harichunder said that Aqueduct 4 and three other aqueducts in this system – 1, 2 and 3 – convey water from Nagle Dam to Durban Heights Water Treatment Works for treatment and supply as potable water to eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. He said the pipeline was isolated immediately and water in it diverted to Aqueduct 3. “The decision to temporarily stop use…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za EMPLOYEES in the eThekwini’s Municipality’s Water Unit who are negligent in their duties, thereby causing the city to suffer water losses, could face criminal and disciplinary action. The city’s audit committee highlighted water losses as a concern, warning that there was no appropriate “consequence management” against those who were grossly negligent. While city management was scheduled to provide a response to the issues facing the Water Unit next month, acting city manager Sipho Cele told The Mercury that the identified shortcomings were being attended to. The chairperson of the audit committee, Nala Mhlongo, in his report this week, said that water losses remained high despite a number of initiatives being in place. The municipality recently faced extensive water outages. It announced on Wednesday that it was imposing…

Aurélien Lechevallier The article, “West pushing law for Jews and another for Muslims” (June 3) refers. There is no doubt that any debate around the issues of colonialism and religion will always be complex, and often it explores aspects that France will always strive to learn, listen and understand more about. However, in order to have a constructive debate, it is always better to discuss objective facts rather than resorting to insults or the misrepresentation of information, in an attempt to offer a convincing counter argument, even when disagreeing with someone’s ideas, or the French government’s positions in this matter. France’s colonial past is not something we look away from, with French President Emmanuel Macron describing elements of this dark part of history as “crimes against humanity”. And apart from…

Hundreds of fire and rescue workers scoured through tons of rubble yesterday after a 12-storey oceanfront residential building partially collapsed in southern Florida, with at least one person dead and 51 still unaccounted for, officials said. Sally Heyman, a Miami-Dade County Commissioner, said officials had been unable to make contact with 51 people who “supposedly” live in the building, home to a mix of people including families and part-time “snow birds” who spend the winter months in Florida. “We have 51 people that were assumed to have been there, but you don’t know between vacations or anything else, so we’re still waiting,” Heyman told CNN. “The hope is still there, but it’s waning.” A fire official said 35 people were rescued from the building in Surfside, a seaside enclave of…

The senior Greek Orthodox priests reached a verdict: a 37-year-old priest, who was arrested years earlier for allegedly hiding cocaine under his religious garb, should be defrocked. But as the members of the religious court informed the priest of their decision, he suddenly stood up, pulled out two bottles of acid and lunged at the panel, allegedly dousing them in caustic liquid, local news reported. “My first thought was that it was holy water,” one of the bishops said, according to Greek newspaper Ta Nea. “I quickly realised what was flying … it was a caustic liquid.” Police say seven priests, two lawyers, one guard and one secretary were injured in the attack. Law enforcement has not formally identified the priest. Police captured the priest before he could escape. They…

Minneapolis: Former policeman Derek Chauvin faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced today for the murder of African American George Floyd, a killing that sparked America’s biggest demonstrations for racial justice in decades. Minnesota law provides for a minimum sentence of 12.5 years for the white, 45-year-old killer, who has been behind bars since being convicted on three counts of murder and manslaughter two months ago. But Judge Peter Cahill, who will hand down the sentence at 1.30pm local time in a Minneapolis court, identified four aggravating circumstances that could signal a much stronger sentence for Chauvin.…

Sandile Mchunu sandile.mchunu@inl.co.za STEINHOFF International subsidiary Pepco Group yesterday reported a double-digit growth in half-year earnings despite the impact of Covid-19 across the geographies in which it operates. The fast-growing pan-European discount retailer reported a 16.8 percent increase in underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation to €324 million (R5.5 billion) for the six months to end March, attri- buted to continued revenue growth, gross margin expansion and effective cost management. However, the Pepco Group felt the impact of Covid-19 as lockdown measures and trading restrictions impacted the business across Europe, with store closures reducing consumer footfall. Pepco, a non-essential retailer, lost 19 percent of its trading weeks during the period as result of the store closures, which included extended store closures in Poland and the…

Viwe Ndongeni-Ntlebi viwe.ndongeni@inl.co.za Tea has been used for thousands of years as a beverage of choice, not just in winter but throughout the year. In recent years, tea lovers have increased because of the health benefits such as helping with certain ailments or wanting to reduce their caffeine intake. Here’s a look at key tea trends that are happening right now. 1. Rooting for health The health benefits of ginger are widely known, and fresh ginger has often been brewed with tea to boost the health benefits. However, with the cost of ginger rising, many are turning to ginger flavoured teas. 2. More South Africans go green As one of the fastest growing teas on the South African market at the moment, green tea is enjoying its time in the…

Simon Cowell is reportedly planning to invest R9.9 million in diet alcoholic drinks brand Skinny Lager. The music mogul has overhauled his lifestyle in recent years, and one of the changes he’s made is to opt to drink SkinnyBrands Premium Lager whenever he fancies a tipple. And Cowell has become such an “absolute devotee” to the drinks, which have just 89 calories per bottle, he’s decided to invest in the company as he’s sure other people will be just as impressed. A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “He drinks two of them a night and after some thought knew he wanted to get involved. “Cowell is now planning on investing £500000 (R9.9m) in the company and believes Skinny Lager can become a mainstream drink in the UK.”…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE ANC was yesterday accused of failing to give its suspended secretary-general Ace Magashule a hearing before taking action against him last month for his refusal to step aside. Magashule’s senior counsel, Dali Mpofu, told the full bench of the South Gauteng High Court – Judges Jody Kollapen, Sharise Weiner and Edwin Molahlehi – the governing party did not adhere to the audi alteram partem (hear the other side) rule with his client. According to Mpofu, the principle came with the legitimate expectation that one will be listened to. He also accused the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) of unlawfully doctoring the resolution taken at the governing party’s national conference in 2017 and giving Magashule 30 days to step aside. This was after Magashule was charged with…

“SHARP edged” is more desirable than being “balanced” or “well rounded.” Put yourself out there! Adventure and risk are necessary to foster desired growth. All growth requires some loss! “Safety” or risk avoidance and the need for consensus, so no one feels left out, can get in the way of discovery and growth. You will never change the world without suffering some loss or without offending someone. Being “nice” can get in the way of being helpful and honest. You can always be loving but you cannot always be nice. A “closed door” sometimes means you have to break the door down. Without persistence you will change nothing. Generosity is evidence of divine intervention. Giving is better than receiving. Anxiety seldom gives birth to great ideas. You want to accomplish…

JOHN GARDENER | Howick IT IS impossible to listen to the radio or watch television these days without being inundated by ads from insurance companies whose sole priority seems to be offering premiums lower than those of the opposition. Indeed, some go so far as to offer cash payments ranging from R500 to R1 500 if they cannot beat your premium and/or if you have been with the same insurer, claim free, for three years. And as if that was not enough, potential customers are lured with the promise “We will pay all your premiums back. Yes, that’s right. All your premiums back!” I spent 38 years being battered, beaten and bruised in the never dull field of insurance claims and somehow managed to emerge with my dignity,…

I KEEP on reading that people are still bragging about our judiciary and that it is one of the few institutions that functions well. I beg to differ. Looking at the Zuma corruption trial, the delays and postponements with frivolous excuses, his non appearance when he is due; it has turned into a three-ring grand circus. He has appointed himself as judge, jury and executioner in his own cases and dictates terms and conditions to judges even of the Constitutional Court who have been paralysed and can’t come up with any decision after so many months. I am shocked to see this august institution dragged to Zuma’s level of depravity corruption and perversion. The same people who came to power on the promise that they will fight corruption have been…

The SOUTHERN African Development Community (SADC) has called for ongoing humanitarian support for Mozambicans who have been devastated by the terrorist attacks in that country’s Cabo Delgado province. “The summit urged member states in collaboration with humanitarian agencies to continue providing humanitarian support to the population affected by the terrorist attacks, in Cabo Delgado including the internally displaced people,” read the statement in part. Islamic state-backed terrorists launched an attack on the town of Palma in the northern province of Cabo Delgado on March 24, killing at least 12 people – including a South African and a Zimbabwean, more than 100 00 people fled the area for safety. A SADC troika summit of the heads of state and government on April 8, resolved to deploy a technical team to Mozambique,…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za THE City of uMhlathuze has urged Eskom to restore power in areas in eSikhawini, near Richards Bay with immediate effect and deal with illegal connections later. This comes after angry residents embarked on violent protests after experiencing ongoing power outages due to illegal connections. The community has been protesting since Monday, blockading the roads with burning tyres and rubble. Electricity transformers and network signal towers were torched. Public transport was also affected, with commuters left stranded and without transport to work and school. Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele confirmed the incident and said roads were blocked yesterday. She said the police were at the scene to monitor and stabilise the situation. Eskom spokesperson, Stefanie Jansen van Rensburg said the extent of illegal and unsafe electricity-related activities uncovered…

Mark Keohane AN anniversary day, as big as winning the Rugby World Cup, must be acknowledged and celebrated and revisited every time and, on this day (June 24) 26 years ago, I was about to settle into my seat at Ellis Park in Joburg to soak up the atmosphere of what was to be such a significant day in the history of rugby in this country. It was the day I experienced a predominantly white South African rugby crowd chant the name “Nelson” in honour of the late president Nelson Mandela, when he walked out onto the field wearing Francois Pienaar’s No 6 Springboks jersey. It is a day I will never forget in my rugby writing and sport writing career. There have been subsequent World Cup triumphs, in 2007…

At least 64 people were killed and 180 were injured in an air strike on a market in Ethiopia’s war-torn northern Tigray region, a local health officer said yesterday, as the army denied targeting civilians. Details of the bloody attack on Togoga town, 30km north-west of the regional capital Mekele, on Tuesday were slow to emerge partly because soldiers initially blocked emergency workers from accessing the area. By yesterday, hospitals in Mekele were treating at least 73 people, including young children. Victims suffered shrapnel wounds and burns, and in some cases doctors were forced to perform amputations to save lives. The Ethiopian military admitted carrying out the attack but said it targeted rebel fighters, not civilians. The health officer told AFP at least 64 people had died. “The air strike…

LOS ANGELES: Britney Spears has made clear how frustrated she is with the legal arrangement that has controlled her life for 13 years, but the singer will need patience before finding freedom. Legal experts say that wanting out of a court-appointed conservatorship is easier said than done. Spears, now 39, will have to convice the judge she is capable of managing her personal affairs and assets worth around $60 million, according to court documents. In emotional and angry remarks to the judge overseeing her case, Spears on Wednesday described the conservatorship as “abusive, stupid, embarrassing and demoralising”. The conservatorship began in 2008 when Spears suffered a mental health breakdown. The nature of her mental illness has never been disclosed. A year later she made a comeback, released new albums and…

MILAN: An Italian appeals court yesterday overturned jail sentences handed down to Nigerian Emeka Obi and Italian Gianluca Di Nardo for their part in a graft case involving Eni and Shell in Nigeria. In a decision taken behind closed doors but read out to reporters afterwards, the three judges quashed the convictions and said there was no case to answer. The prosecution itself had asked for the sentences to be overturned after a court in March acquitted the two energy groups in a long-running case revolving around the acquisition of a Nigerian oilfield for about $1.3 billion (about R18bn). The judges dismissed the charges.…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za The Finance Services Conduct Authority (FSCA) is considering declaring crypto assets a financial product, which will give it jurisdiction over these transactions following the latest scam Africrypt, where investors lost a staggering R54 billion. In the latest scam, South African cryptocurrency investment company AfriCrypt allegedly defrauded about $3.6bn in investor funds after the company claimed its trading system was “hacked”. About 69 000 bitcoins were stolen. Africrypt founders Ameer Cajee and his brother Raees Cajee allegedly transferred the funds from a South African account before fleeing to the UK. The FSCA said yesterday it was investigating whether a financial product or service was offered to the public, which would have required Africrypt to be registered with the authority, but at this stage it…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SOUTH African consumers will have to bear the brunt of higher prices for goods for a little longer as producer prices rose near a five-year high last month. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) yesterday showed that annual headline producer price inflation (PPI) jumped by 7.4 percent from a year earlier in May. This May producer inflation print followed a 6.7 percent rise in April and was slightly above market expectations of a 7.3 percent surge. StatsSA said this was the highest producer inflation rate since July 2016 when the rate was also 7.4 percent. The PPI was driven, as the prices of coke, petroleum, chemical, rubber and plastic products rose by 17.1 percent. Food, beverages and tobacco increased by 6.2…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za Vogue Japan pays homage to tennis player Naomi Osaka as she graces the cover of the glossy August issue. The multiple grand slam champion returned to social media this week to share the news with her 2.4 million followers on Instagram. Posting a picture of herself as Vogue’s cover girl, she said: “Hi guys. Popping out to post this @voguejapan cover, hope you’re all doing well and staying safe.” On the cover shot by Zoey Grossman, the 23-year-old is wearing a navy blue Louis Vuitton bra, orange pants and blue waist purse. The Japan-born athlete is excited to be headed to the Tokyo Olympics next month and says she can’t wait to play in front of her home fans. Before taking a social media break last month,…

Vernon Mchunu ACTION has been recommended against senior government officials in the wake of damning findings relating to a contract that never worked out despite a service provider having pocketed more than R23 million in payments. Financial recoveries should also be instituted since the contract for an electronic procurement system for KwaZulu-Natal government departments failed to yield the intended results, a forensic report has recommended. Dubbed the “e-procurement tool”, the programme was entered into between the Provincial Treasury (PT) and a company called Adapt IT, despite National Treasury (NT) regulations against this. The report, presented to the finance portfolio committee this week, shows that several failed attempts were made by the then PT head Simiso Magagula to bypass NT regulations that eventually saw Adapt IT paid R23.1m between the period…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za THE fight over the Zulu throne took another turn yesterday when Princess Thembi Zulu-Ndlovu traded blows with Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi once again. The latest spat within the royal court started when it emerged that King Misuzulu was set to meet with Princess Nombuso Zulu. It was not clear who initiated the meeting and royal sources told Independent Media that Princess Nombuso, one of the daughters of Queen Sibongile Dlamini who initiated the pending court battle before the skirmishes over the throne, was close to King Misuzulu. When Buthelezi and those on the side of King Misuzulu got wind of the meeting, they blocked it. That prompted Princess Thembi, senior sister of the late King Goodwill Zwelithini, to write a heated email to Buthelezi accusing him of blocking…

WHAT is a “Dad Joke”? It’s the kind of joke your dad would tell and it’s so unfunny and corny that it becomes funny. The Poms went wild in a Dad Joke contest organised for Father’s Day last weekend by a supermarket chain. More than 2 700 gag-loving dads entered and stand-up comic Mark Watson judged, according to Sky News. Winner: Father-of-two Austin May, of Bedworth, Warwickshire. His gag: I once hired a limo but when it arrived, the guy driving it walked off. I said, “Excuse me? Are you not going to drive me?” The guy told me that the price didn’t include a driver … so I’d spent £400 on a limo and have nothing to chauffeur it! Yes, I guess that meets all the Dad Joke criteria.…

VISVIN REDDY | Chief activist of ADeC African Democratic Change (AdeC) has rejected the decision taken by councillors of eThekwini Municipality to impose a levy of R3/kl (R1.50/kl for water and R1.50/kl for sewage disposal) for water and sewage disposal for all paying residents of the city. The municipality hopes to raise R1 billion in the next 3 years to upgrade ageing infrastructure. Currently, most residents of eThekwini do not pay for services. The levy will come into effect on July 1, over and above the tariff increases already approved. ADeC has been protesting against the increases, calling on all political parties represented in the municipality to “put the people first”. We are in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic and millions have lost their jobs or have…

Jeremy Gordon Cape Town IN ZIMBABWE, where ivermectin has been made readily available, the hospital admissions and deaths from Covid-19 have been cut by over 70% according to Jackie Stone, a doctor working on the ground there. Ivermectin should be encouraged here and made more easily available. At present it needs a doctor’s prescription and it is not available off the shelf; it has to be made up by a compounding pharmacy. In Zimbabwe it is being dispensed by clinics, hospitals and doctors as soon as a patient gets symptoms. Saphra should give licences to importers and to local manufacturers to make it so it can be available off the shelf at pharmacies. The reason nobody has a licence to import or manufacture, I presume, is due to delays by Saphra…

Mercury Correspondent The wildfire that destroyed a number of UCT’s historic buildings, including some neighbouring properties and about 600 hectares of land within the Table Mountain National Park, was not started by homeless people, as was initially alleged. This is according to the SANParks following an investigation into the causes of the April fire. The investigation report has also ruled out natural causes such as rock falls or lightning strikes or an accidental/negligent incident such as an abandoned camping/cooking fire. The investigation report released yesterday provides evidence suggesting that the fire may have been started as a malicious act, said SANParks acting chief executive Dr Luthando Dziba. This evidence was being investigated by law enforcement agencies, said SANParks. Extensive damage occurred to the Rhodes Memorial restaurant, UCT and the historic…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za FORMER Bosasa boss Angelo Agrizzi yesterday told the Zondo Commission that he was no longer a racist after working very hard with the SA Human Rights Commission. Agrizzi seemed in high spirits during his testimony despite being connected to an oxygen tank after he suffered a heart attack in hospital last year. He was cross-examined by businessman Kevin Wakeford’s legal team. The Zondo Commission switched its focus to evidence related to Bosasa, now African Global Corporations, yesterday. Agrizzi conceded that he previously testified that he was a racist. But he now says that he had since sought help. “I was a racist and I am deeply sorry for that. I am no longer a racist. I learnt my lesson,” Agrizzi said. “There is no longer a racist…

KENNETH Kaunda was larger than life. He will forever remain one of this continent’s towering heroes, who served his people as a humble giant, and gave tangible support to liberation movements across southern Africa. He proved so committed to the liberation Struggle of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia that he allowed them to establish their headquarters in Zambia, which put his own people at risk given the violent retaliation and destabilisation campaign of the apartheid regime. Zapu and Zanu of Zimbabwe, and the ANC of South Africa, which based their Struggle headquarters in Lusaka, owe much to the solidarity of Kaunda with their common cause to rid the region of colonial domination and oppression. Kaunda had close personal relations with South African liberation leaders Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu and Chris…

THERE has long been a theory that discourse in the boardroom has a negative impact on the field. Cricket South Africa (CSA) have proved the argument correct once more. For all the months that the Members Council and Independent Board were at loggerheads, the Proteas men’s team was wilting out in the middle. But quite ironically after a rather successful annual general meeting and the implementation of a new CSA executive board made up of majority independent directors that will be headed by the highly-respected Lawson Naidoo, Dean Elgar and his men have turned the tables on the West Indies in St Lucia to secure their first Test series victory on foreign soil since 2017. It certainly is a positive step on the road to restoring the Proteas’ credibility on…

A Palestinian human rights activist died yesterday shortly after being arrested by Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces in the occupied West Bank, a provincial governor said. His family reported that he was beaten to death. Nizar Banat, 43, a PA critic from the flashpoint city of Hebron, was arrested in a dawn raid yesterday by Palestinian security forces, Hebron governor Jibrin al-Bakri said. “Following … a summons from the public prosecution to arrest citizen Nizar Khalil Muhammad Banat, a force from the security services arrested him at dawn,” Bakri said in a statement carried by the official Wafa news agency. No reason was given for his arrest. Banat’s family accused security forces of “hitting him on the head with wooden sticks and bits of iron” and “deliberately murdering” him, they…

CARACAS: Venezuela and Iran have agreed to further strengthen co-operation against “imperial aggression” targeting the two countries’ people, President Nicolas Maduro has announced after speaking with Iran’s president-elect. “I had a telephone conversation with Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President-Elect of the Islamic Republic of Iran. We agreed to strengthen our ties of brotherhood and co-operation to advance in the joint struggle against imperial aggression against our peoples,” Maduro tweeted, accompanying the tweet with photos of him speaking to Raisi on Wednesday. Raisi won Iran’s presidential elections last week.…

THE Proteas received a significant boost yesterday with captain Temba Bavuma expected to lead the Proteas in their five-match T20 series against world T20 champions the West Indies, which starts tomorrow in Grenada. Bavuma missed the 2-0 Test series victory over the West Indies that was played in a bio-secure environment in St Lucia with a middle finger dislocation. In a Cricket South Africa press briefing released yesterday, it was stated that Bavuma "is responding well" to treatment and is expected to take his place at the helm in the shortest format. It will be the first time that Bavuma will lead the Proteas since being appointed full-time captain of both the T20 and one-day international national teams. He missed the recent T20 international series against Pakistan, which…

IT was back-to-back no-shows from defiant NFD club Royal AM at Chatsworth Stadium yesterday, when they were fixtured to play Richards Bay. As a result, Richards Bay came away with three points from what would have been an all-NFD clash. The match officials went through the usual pre-game procedures before Limpopo referee Victor Hlungwani blew the game off and signalled the walk-over for Richards Bay. Earlier in the day, the PSL used its Twitter account to announce that the game was taking place. It confirmed that the PSL have not abandoned the contentious relegation/promotion playoffs, despite the ongoing court battles and Royal AM's refusal to play their first fixture a few days ago. It looks like the PSL have decided that by continuing with the playoffs, Royal AM…

EXCITING news, it’s The Kingfisher’s 25th birthday and to celebrate we are offering a massive discount of 25% on all products besides bait and items that are already on sale. The sale started yesterday and runs to Sunday, with daily lucky draws and give-aways. The North Coast has not had much in the form of reports. This is mainly due to the pull of the sardines. There have been some good inedibles hooked up north but most of these were on droned baits. The deeper drops have produced some very big fish. Those throwing baits have been mainly hooking the smaller inedibles and flatfish. Mackerel head and cutlets have been producing bites for those able to get the baits into the deeper water. The beachfront has also…