Indholdsfortegnelse for 2021-08-25 i Mercury

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE eThekwini Municipality has tabled an ambitious R300 million security plan aimed at protecting the city’s residents, infrastructure and businesses in the event of future unrest. The plan, unveiled at the city’s executive committee meeting yesterday, is largely focused on the procurement of much-needed human resources and equipment. It looked at the shortcomings identified during last month’s unrest, where businesses throughout the city were looted and torched. The city’s latest security response detailed the resources needed to plug those gaps. From a human resources perspective, the plan called for the employment of more metro officers, officers trained to handle crowds, the need to increase in-house security, and the establishment of a reserve force that could be called up when needed. It spoke of the procurement of…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za THE National Treasury would have to borrow money and impose a special tax if it were forced to meet the agreement to increase public servants’ salaries, which it failed to honour last year. Jeremy Gauntlett SC QC, representing the National Treasury, yesterday told the Constitutional Court that the December 2020 judgment by the Labour Appeal Court (LAC) was correct when it declared the implementation of the final leg of the three-year wage agreement signed in 2018 unlawful and in contravention of the Constitution. The apex court heard oral arguments in the application for leave to appeal the LAC’s ruling by several labour unions. Gauntlett said if the court ruled in favour of the unions, the government would have to seek to implement measures to borrow money internationally…

| Harold Rosenberg TIMEO Danaos et dona ferentes – I fear the Greeks, even when bearing gifts. This is one of the more ringing phrases of Virgil’s Aeneid – the fall of Troy – but I’m always reluctant to repeat it in places like the Street Shelter for the Over-Forties because I’m not sure of my accent. I was taught Latin at school for six years by Irishmen. Yes, the fall of Troy. This followed a lengthy siege by the Greeks, who were there because of hi-jinks involving the lovely Helen of Troy, who was said to be descended from the gods. The Greeks grew weary with the siege and built a giant wooden horse on wheels as they left, as a gift to the people of Troy.…

GLEN CHRISTIE | Durban North IT HAS been a while since we all were subjected to the riots and looting. What is very interesting is that it has been nearly a month and there have been few arrests. Soon after the riots and looting, there were allegations that the SAPS and other powers-that-be had indicated that they had the names of those who allegedly started and provoked the mayhem. All those in power are silent about naming those involved. Only a few have been arrested for the crimes. Is this a reflection of the efficiency of our SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority in dealing with such people? The lack of action does not instil fear in those who are still planning actions in the name of radical…

Lisa Isaacs lisa.isaacs@inl.co.za More than 19 million Koo and Hugo canned products had been returned by consumers to Tiger Brands as of Monday. The company in July announced it would recall certain canned vegetable products, including baked beans, produced from May 1, 2019 to May 5, 2021 due to a number of defective cans supplied by a packaging supplier. The cans may have a defective side seam weld that could cause the can to leak. The financial impact of the recall was estimated at between R500 million and R650 million. “As at August 23, more than 19 million cans have been returned by consumers and customers. When the company announced the recall on July 26, Tiger Brands estimated the number of cans forming part of the recall to…

EDWARD WEST edward.west@inl.co.za South Africa’s sovereign debt costs rose immediately through the civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last month as the buyers of South Africa’s bonds demanded higher interest rates for the additional risk. This was said by the National Treasury deputy director-general for economic policy Duncan Pieterse yesterday in a presentation to Parliament’s select committee on finance. He said that while the interest rates on South Africa’s long-term bonds had reduced slightly since then, the unrest would undoubtedly have an effect on how much the government pays on interest in future, its fiscal stance, and how it spends the funds that are available to it. He said the interest rate on South Africa’s 10-year bonds stood at 9.06 percent on July 9, but this rose to 9.16…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za DIS-CHEM’S founding Saltzman family yesterday announced three major transactions that will substantially reduce their control of the pharmaceutical store chain. The group said the family planned to sell 7.5 percent of their shareholding in the group through its investment vehicle Ivlyn Local Investment Holdings, via an accelerated bookbuild. The divestment involved the sale of 64.51 million Dis-Chem shares. In addition to the bookbuild, family said it would sell up to 32.25 million Dis-Chem shares, representing 3.75 percent of the share capital, to a select number of senior executives. Included in this group was chief financial officer Rui Morais, who had also been approved by the nomination committee as successor to chief executive Ivan Saltzman. The management retention scheme would be vendor-financed by the family at no…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za The humble pea. Many look at it as nothing more than “steak decoration”. But they are wrong! Green peas provide amazing health benefits. One of the first cultivated foods, peas date back thousands of years to Central Asia and the Middle East. As a staple food, the pea enjoys storied fame from nursery rhymes and fairy tales to global cuisines. This legume is literally pea-sized and packed with powerful nutrients. Health benefits of peas: May help manage blood sugar and diabetes. Health experts say green peas contain complex carbohydrates that are good for managing blood sugar levels. Peas are rich in starch and fibre, and have a low glycemic index that help release the sugar into the blood slowly. Low GI foods are beneficial in the…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za SIX ANC councillors implicated in the multimillion-rand Durban Solid Waste corruption saga were among the casualties in the eThekwini Municipality’s list of candidates for council in the upcoming local government elections. While there remains uncertainty about whether the polls will be held this year, the ANC appears to have moved swiftly to remove tainted individuals as it attempts to present a clean image that will appeal to the electorate. Thembelihle de Lange, Nomthandazo Shabalala, Sduduzo Khuzwayo, Mondli Mthembu, Mthokozisi Nonjiyeza and Bhekokwakhe Phewa were excluded from the list following recommendations from the Party List Committee chaired by Cyril Xaba. According to the report, the continued retention of such members on the ANC candidates’ list posed a risk of bringing the ruling party into disrepute. In reference to…

A bunker built by German troops in northern France during World War II has been restored and refitted as an underground guesthouse. The northern coast is still strewn with fortifications left by the German army, which built up a so-called Atlantic Wall to try to fend off Allied forces. In Saint-Pabu, on the Breton coast, concrete bunkers are half-buried along the sandy beaches in an area that once operated as a radar station. Serge Colliou bought up a plot of land around one of them and spent 18 months digging out and renovating the 400-square-metre structure, turning it into rental for up to eight people, complete with bar and living room. “We adapted (the bunker) while preserving a certain feel,” Colliou said. “We wanted to give the building a second…

EBRAHIM ESSA | Durban I NEVER thought I would agree with your regular writer, Mr Duncan du Bois, insofar as his preview of US President Joe Biden and his comparative review of his first love, ex-president Donald Trump was signalled many lunar months ago. But let’s face it, Du Bois warned us about this president of the greatest country in the world, after Verulam in the North and Clairwood in the South. Just so that the new president could boast to the rest of the baby-class world that “See, see! We are the first country in the world to actually declare: ‘Right, you red-blooded sons and daughters of George Washington, Lincoln and John FK, stop lowering your gaze and dump those enslaving, demeaning anti-Covid, masks into the Atlantic…

MARY DE HAAS | Durban I MUST confess to Malcom Cobb and your readers that I did not read the 138 pages of the Firearms Amendment Bill (The Mercury, August 16), but wasted my time reading 60 pages of the original Act. As I was about to look at the amended bill in detail, the arrest of Jacob Zuma happened and, since then, most of my time has been spent working flat-out on collecting and trying to verify information. As the deadline for comment approached, I opened the PDF document I had saved, which had 2021 in its name, had a quick read, and wondered what the fuss was about. I am glad that I voiced my bewilderment publicly, as I now understand. I see that Sections 13 and 14…

MORE than 1 000 suspects were arrested for various crimes by police in KwaZulu-Natal in the span of a week. The arrests took place across the province from August 16 to 22. The 1 149 suspects were arrested for various crimes including murder, attempted murder, robberies, fraud, rape, possession of firearms, possession of drugs and possession of stolen property. Provincial police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said teams consisting of police officers and other law enforcement agencies had been deployed across the province and they had worked tirelessly to maintain peace and stability in the province. “Police arrested 13 persons for murder; 16 for attempted murder; 47 for robberies; 37 for rape; 230 for assaults; 30 for burglary; 44 for malicious damage to property; 34 for theft; 124 for…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za The Msunduzi Association of Residents, Ratepayers and Civics is opposing the city’s proposed R9-million sponsorship deal with Maritzburg United Football Club. The group has threatened legal action against the embattled Msunduzi Municipality should the executive and council go ahead and approve the funding. Furthermore, the association has also written to the municipal manager, Madoda Khathide, KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Sipho Hlomuka, and the National Treasury’s Jan Hattingh to express their disapproval of the proposal. The group’s chairperson, Anthony Waldhausen, said that they understood that the matter was going to be discussed at today’s council meeting. Waldhausen said that they had previously written to the mayor, Mzimkhulu Thebolla, in January this year, after they received reports that the municipality was considering sponsoring the…

The murder of Babita Deokaran, a whistle-blower on irregularities in the purchasing of personal protective equipment (PPE) in Gauteng, has raised questions about the failure of law enforcement agencies to protect corruption-busters. Deokaran, the Gauteng Department of Health’s chief director for financial accounting, was shot outside her home in Johannesburg on Monday shortly after dropping off her child at school. She died in hospital. “The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) is at a loss for words at this brutal and tragic passing. Ms Babita Deokaran was an invaluable member of the Gauteng Health team; she rose up the ranks in the public service in the last three decades after she joined as an accounting clerk. She went on to become chief director: financial accounting at the GDoH and at times…

Country is surrounded by forces of corrupt private and corporate interests FRIENDS keep asking me to sign petitions urging President Cyril Ramaphosa to change his mind about swopping Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula with Thandi Modise as Speaker of the National Assembly and the defence minister in the Cabinet. They all agree that the ANC has a right to deploy its elected representatives to any office but this, they say, is not the time or the manner to do so: the president has no business in swopping a head of the legislative body with a member of the executive, the doctrine of separation of powers has been violated, and the constitutional gains of the past 20 years to separate the party from the state are in jeopardy. I have not signed any of…

The UN human rights chief said yesterday she had received credible reports of serious violations committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including “summary executions” of civilians and Afghan security forces who had surrendered. Michelle Bachelet gave no details of the killings in her speech to the Human Rights Council, but urged the Geneva forum to set up a mechanism to monitor Taliban actions. The Taliban treatment of women and girls would be “a fundamental red line”, she told the council’s emergency session, held at the request of Pakistan and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. Afghanistan’s diverse ethnic and religious minorities were also at risk of violence and repression, she said, citing reports of killings and targeted attacks in recent months. Independent UN rights experts said many were in hiding as…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za THE Public Investment Corporation (PIC) is distancing itself from being the stumbling block that led to the suspension of alternative stock exchange ZAR X. In a statement yesterday, the PIC, which holds a 24.14 percent stake on behalf of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), said there are no protracted internal issues and governance processes within the PIC. “The PIC subjects investment proposals, including reinvestment proposals, to a thorough investment process for the benefit of clients on whose behalf it invests,” it said. This followed the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) this week suspending the exchange licence of ZAR X, for its non-compliance with the Financial Markets Act (FMA) and FMA regulations relating to an exchange’s liquidity and capital adequacy requirements. The suspension remains effective until…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE NATIONAL Treasury has rejected a number of proposals in the Pension Fund Amendment Bill 2020 that could allow workers to access a portion of their retirement savings immediately. Parliament yesterday presented a collective of written submissions made by political parties, retirement funds, trade unions, civil society groups and the Treasury on the bill. Presenting a summary of the submissions to the standing committee on finance, Parliament’s legal adviser, Noluthando Ntlokwana, said the retirement funds industry was against the bill. However, Ntlokwana said there was general sympathy towards the objectives of the bill of providing relief to those members of pension funds who were in financial difficulties because of the Covid-9 pandemic. “Cosatu and Fedusa support the provision for pension funds to be utilised as surety for…

FAROUK ARAIE | Johannesburg EVERY US president over the past 80 years intervened in the affairs of sovereign nations, and shamefully retreated when their global strategies misfired. The debacle and quagmire in Afghanistan was a monumental tactical and strategic blunder by the architects of the US military complex, a shadowy organisation, a government within a government, that formulates strategies for perpetual war across the planet. It was their ill-devised quest for supremacy that gave birth to a plethora of guerrilla groups. It is a historical fact that the invasion of Iraq led to the birth of Isis. There would have been peace today, had the west left Saddam and Gaddafi in power. The current mayhem and bloodshed across the Middle East had its origins in the political administration…

DAVID CARTWRIGHT | Hillcrest RECENT opinions aired in The Mercury, seemingly giving divisive comment about climate change, are interesting, if nothing else. What is it that has Homo Not-so- Sapiens scurrying about frantically, bewailing the imminent demise of his habitat? The planet we call home is evolving yet again, and further, causing panic and alarm. Forgive the realist in me denying, emphatically, that we are materially instrumental in accelerating the arrival of mankind’s extinction. We have no control whatsoever over the greater scheme which plots and drives our destiny. Mankind is powerless, and is neither the cause nor the cure. Just one question screams out for a simple answer: Exactly who, and by what means and measure, benefits from so-called carbon tax? I’m curious to know who all…

BEFORE you go to therapy for your marriage, general state of unhappiness or your lack of motivation, there are a few things you may want to ponder: The therapist you choose is another person, just like you. They are no miracle worker. If there are going to be any miracles as a result of your work together, they will all come from you. If you are focused on the therapist’s success as a person (to see if you can trust them), want to know about their children and how good they are (to see if they can help you with your children) or want to know about their relationships (to know if the therapist can help you with yours), don’t bother. You are not ready to get any help…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it is monitoring the risks of possible conflict of interest that might arise from requests by its officials wanting to do work outside their remunerative employment. This emerged in the NPA’s annual report for the 2020/21 financial year that was tabled in Parliament recently. In the report, the NPA said all its senior management staff and 98.3% of non-senior management staff filed financial disclosures. However, the prosecuting body said there was a significant increase in the number of remunerative work applications received, in line with the poor economic outlook, which was compounded by the fact that there was no salary increase. “The possible conflict of interest that could arise as a result of the work performed outside of the NPA is…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za A UNIVERSITY of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) student was found dead in his room at a residence on Monday. UKZN said the student had attended the Pietermaritzburg campus and was staying at the William O’Brien residence. UKZN-PMB EFF Student Command chairperson Menzi Ngcobo said Philasande Kubheka was a second-year student studying towards a Bachelor of Social Science in politics and philosophy. Ngcobo said he had been told that Kubheka had called his family and notified them that he was not feeling well last week. The family were not able to reach him on the phone, and on Monday Kubheka’s body was found in his room. “They went in and found him in bed. They tried to wake him up, but noticed that he was not moving. They called an…

Dr ZHU Ming SINCE the beginning of this month, the US is finally beginning to provide its donation of Covid-19 vaccines to South Africa and other African nations. Acting US ambassador to South Africa, Todd Haskell, said that was part of President Joe Biden’s promise to give 500 million vaccines to the world by the end of next year. As of June 21, the US announced its plans to distribute the first 80 million Covid-19 vaccine doses donated by the US from its domestic supply to support global Covid-19 vaccination efforts. Of the 80 million doses, the US has allocated 15 million for African countries, selected in co-ordination with the AU. Additional doses will be allocated to Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, etc. The charitable behaviour deserves applause. But it…

Lusaka: Zambia’s newly elected president, Hakainde Hichilema, yesterday promised to rebuild the ailing economy and alleviate poverty as he was sworn in following an election hailed as a milestone for African opposition movements. “We will grow our economy so we can lift more people out of poverty than ever before,” 59-year-old Hichilema told thousands of jubilant supporters – sporting the red and yellow colours of his United Party for National Development – in the Heroes Stadium in Lusaka. Hichilema also vowed to restore respect for human rights and liberties that had been eroded under his predecessor. In his sixth bid for the presidency, Hichilema defeated the incumbent Edgar Lungu, 64, by almost one million votes – a landslide spurred by economic hardship and restricted freedoms under the previous regime. The…