Indholdsfortegnelse for 2021-09-22 i Mercury

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za BATTLE LINES are drawn taut between the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and employer organisations after the union resolved to embark on a strike in a fortnight to press for demands in the metals and engineering sector for an 8 percent increase across the board for the first year, and a Consumer Price Index (CPI) + 2 percent improvement factor for the second and third years. Numsa’s national executive committee is meeting on Sunday to discuss the deadlock with all employer associations in engineering, namely the National Employers Association of South Africa, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (Seifsa), the SA Engineers and Founders Association and the chief executive of the Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council. This…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za REDEFINE Properties has approved a R200 million investment to expand its solar PV programme in the 2022 financial year to exceed the targets set in its first sustainability-linked bond issue, the group said in a presentation on its ESG (environment, social, governance) initiatives yesterday. ESG is becoming an increasingly more important factor in the management of listed groups as asset owners and key institutional investors have increasingly been advocating a greater emphasis on sustainability. Redefine, which has a diversified South Africa property portfolio worth R75.3 billion, issued a R1bn sustain- ability-linked bond in its 2021 financial year, the largest issued by an Reit in Africa, and the group said yesterday the intention was to further access sustainable finance markets beyond this issuance. On the renewable…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s GDP could contract again in the third quarter as July data indicated economic activity was shrinking, following a respectable rebound in the second quarter. The composite leading business cycle indicator, released by the SA Reserve Bank (SARB) yesterday, fell by 4.4 percent and 2.5 percent in June and July, respectively, after it reached a peak in May. The SARB said nine of the 10 available component time series decreased, while one increased. The largest detractors were decelerations in the six-month smoothed growth rate of job advertisement space, and in the number of new passenger vehicles sold, as activity virtually ground to a halt during civil unrest in July. The only positive contributor was the increase in the number of residential building plans approved…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za Radio presenter Anele Mdoda and actor Nico Panagio have been announced as the hosts for the Miss South Africa pageant finale. The event will take place on Saturday, October 16 at the Grand Arena, GrandWest in Cape Town, where one lady will take over from Shudufadzo Musida as Miss SA. The 947 presenter has been working with Miss SA as a judge since 2013. However, it will be her first time hosting the main event, while Panagio will be hosting the pageant for the second time. Asked about moving from the judging panel to the centre stage, Mdoda said: “It’s the Top 10 who are centre stage, I am merely a vehicle that moves the night along with an insight of where the finalists’ minds should be…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za HIGH levels of disillusionment, lack of policy clarity from political parties and a genuine mistrust of leadership by the electorate makes the 2021 local government elections the messiest and most unpredictable election in the country’s history. This is the view of political analysts as parties continued on the campaign trail this week, drumming up support ahead of the elections set for November 1. The elections, which are now 39 days away, are likely to see the smaller parties and independent candidates emerging as kingmakers in many smaller councils. According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), KwaZulu-Natal registered nearly a 100 000 new voters during the voter registration weekend, making it the province with the highest number of new voters. KZN had 99 739 new voters…

From the dog with the longest ears to the world’s tallest teenager, Guinness World Records reveals its latest record breakers in the 2022 edition. The annual publication, out tomorrow, features an array of records and feats, including the fastest walking on hands and the most skips over a person’s own hair in 30 seconds. Briton Bethany Lodge, a gymnast since a young age, scored the titles of fastest 100 metre forward rolls – in 42.64 seconds – and the most backwards somersault burpees by a female in 30 seconds – five. “It feels incredible to achieve a Guinness World Record title. It’s something I never even considered doing. I always used to get the books when I was little and read through them and just look at all the incredible…

ISSAC SILEKU | DA Member of the NCOP July 13, 2021 will stand out to me as the day when South Africans were left breathless by the unpreparedness of our security cluster, especially the SAPS, in the face of the worst politically-driven protests and violence since democratisation. Sadly, it was not the first sign of a police service that was inept. We cannot wait for the SAPS’s next failure, and need to take pre-emptive actions such as extending competent provinces the mandate to include the SAPS. As we know, the face of crime differs from province to province, and not every province has the face of the ANC – it is within this that we find the solution. The solution to these problems is to extend to competent…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof She’s at it again, spinning her yarn on education. But it’s not her annual matric magic show where she dazzles the nation with her outstanding matric results. This time she prepares the nation, bemoaning the disastrous effect the pandemic has had on education. With a straight face she claims that all the advances her department has made in education over the past 20 years has been wiped out by the virus. How terrible! But can you believe this woman, how she tries to pull the wool over our eyes? What advances has her department made in all these years? The schools have plunged down the abyss and have become rich breeding grounds for all sorts of undesirable, anti-social, criminal activity. They represent a microcosm…

When I received the news of Jolidee Matongo’s passing, I broke down and cried. I can’t imagine what his closest friends and family must be going through, to lose someone who was so full of life and an outstanding generosity of spirit. A man not apologetic for his Zimbabwean roots, he knew that the future of all of us here in the South is intricately linked to all those in the hinterland of our mother continent. Similarly, his charity began here in the city where the coalition-government tensions have turned colleagues into enemies. Jolidee, even in the few weeks he was mayor, did not display arrogance. If anything, he had already set a tone of collaborative governance that places the people of this city first. Our friendship started in council…

The Australian government has completed the first comprehensive assessment of sharks, rays and ghost sharks, revealing that the nation’s waters are home to more than a quarter of all the world’s shark species, but 22% face some level of risk of extinction. The Action Plan for Australian Sharks and Rays was published yesterday by the National Environmental Science Program Marine Biodiversity Hub, a government organisation that funds marine conservation research. Lead author Dr Peter Kyne said current rates of shark population decline puts many species on the brink of extinction and in dire need of conservation action. “Around Australia, many of our threatened sharks and rays are not commercially important so these are largely ‘out of sight, out of mind’, but they require protection at national, state and territory levels,”…

Authorities in Sudan thwarted a coup attempt at dawn yesterday, officials announced on state media. A statement from the prime minister’s office said those involved had been arrested, though the coup plotters were not identified. Hamza Baloul, minister of culture and spokesperson for the government, described those behind the attempt as “remnants of the past regime.” Sudan was led for 30 years by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, before massive demonstrations led to his ousting in 2019. Baloul said on Sudanese state TV that the government would keep people updated on “the failed coup attempt that is trying to turn back the hands of time.” “We assure the Sudanese people that the situation is under total control,” he said. “The leaders of the coup attempt have been detained, including military personnel…

MOSCOW: Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev described the AUKUS alliance of Australia, the UK and the US as another military bloc directed against Russia and China, also emphasising that this “venture” puts the entire Asian security architecture at risk. In an interview with Russia’s Argumenty i Fakty newspaper, Patrushev said: “A short while ago, a new military bloc was formed in the region, the US-UK-Australian AUKUS … Remarkably, the Americans squeezed their French partners out, grabbing a profitable deal for construction of nuclear submarines for Canberra. “Apparently, Atlantic solidarity has a price.”…

Lutho Pasiya lutho.pasiya@inl.co.za Biltong, Ultra Mel custard, and Lay’s potato chips – these are just a few surprising foods South Africans say they love – that are most closely tied to their heritage. Through a consumer survey, respondents were asked to identify products they see as quintessentially South African, and most of the respondents connected these products to their heritage. A study, conducted by Game stores, found that most South Africans are using food, beauty and household products that tie back to their experiences as children. The reasons for using these products versus newer ones were multi-faceted and often hard for respondents to articulate – usually linking back to a connection to their roots and their childhood experiences. Most respondents agreed that the traditional braai is how they enjoy celebrating…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za | Additional Reporting Mercury Reporter FORMER president Jacob Zuma yesterday scored a minor victory when arguments about making his medical records available to the presiding judge, to determine whether he was medically unfit to come to court, were temporarily put on the back-burner. Zuma was not in court yesterday and his advocate, Dali Mpofu SC, said that Zuma had stayed in Gauteng based on the advice of his doctors. When the matter was called up, the State, represented by advocate Wim Trengove SC, told the court that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had issued and served subpoenas on a number of witnesses for the medical records relevant to Zuma’s state of health and fitness to stand trial. But Mpofu objected to the records being handed over, and…

DR MURTHI SOOBOO | Centurion THE election of Cyril Ramaphosa as president of the ANC by the closest of margins in December 2017 has culminated in a new trajectory from the Zuma-led years. For many South Africans, who hoped for better years since democracy, this became a beacon of hope. We have all been well-acquainted with the failures of government at various levels. The common thread in all these failures is the appointment of incompetent persons – which ties in with cadre deployment – corruption and the arrogance that have crept in during their years of governing. Ramaphosa’s election to power unveiled the tyranny prevalent within the higher echelons of power in the ANC, especially the NEC, during the Zuma era. Ramaphosa has, at best, tried to…

LENORE FADDELL | Claremont THE editorial column in which JP Smit was criticised for not at least trying to pronounce someone’s surname refers (The Mercury, September 16). In my experience, the pronunciation of a surname to the satisfaction of the person requiring it, is not always possible. Few South Africans can adequately pronounce the surnames of all the different languages. I have found that sometimes the insistence on someone getting the pronunciation right, is used as a means of humiliating the person who is trying but cannot succeed. Inclusivity would not demand it or consider it disrespectful if a person was not brave enough to attempt it in a public setting. Instead of being critical, should we not all be understanding of each other’s lack of ability in…

HEY, the Duke of Edinburgh was even more of a wag than we supposed. Among his favourite tricks was to get one of his grandchildren to hold in both hands a tube of mustard from which the lid had been removed. The Duke would then squish both hands together so that the mustard would squirt on to the ceiling. Her Majesty the Queen would not be amused (much as her great-great-grandmother Victoria often was not amused). “He used to get in a lot of trouble from my grandmother,” Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, recalls, in a BBC documentary to be aired today. Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers features all four of the queen and Prince Philip’s children, along with their adult grandchildren and members of the duke’s long-serving staff.…

Siyavuya Mzantsi siyavuya.mzantsi@inl.co.za A TEAM of scientists will advise the South African and British governments on the Beta variant of the novel corona- virus in an attempt to have South Africa removed from the UK’s Covid-19 travel red list. This was said by Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on Monday when she was addressing the African Travel and Tourism Summit. Being on the red list means South Africans visiting the UK, even if vaccinated against the coronavirus, and British or Irish nationals returning from South Africa have to endure a costly 10-day quarantine at their own expense. At the weekend, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) said the UK’s decision to retain the country on the red list was shocking considering South Africa’s progress in combating the pandemic,…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za There was a heated exchange of words between eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda and DA councillor Nicole Graham during an Exco meeting yesterday over the violence that occurred in Phoenix amid the unrest and looting in KwaZulu-Natal in July. Several suspects have been charged with murder and other crimes in connection with the violence there. DA members yesterday called for the violence to be seen at this stage as a criminal matter, and not as racially charged. Kaunda took issue with this and so heated was the exchange between Kaunda and the DA members that they left the virtual Exco meeting before it was complete. Several people died and cars were damaged in the violence in Phoenix in which black people were racially profiled and accused of being…

Se-Anne Rall se-anne.koopman@inl.co.za The Department of Health (DoH) in KwaZulu-Natal is investigating the circumstances surrounding a Chatsworth woman’s death after her husband alleged that she was neglected by staff at a local hospital. The family further alleged that they were not duly informed of the woman’s death, despite calling the hospital for regular updates on her condition. Tasha Soobramoney died at the Clairwood Hospital and her husband, Oliver Basaviah, is demanding answers from hospital management and the DoH. Soobramoney was taken to hospital last month after having seizures. Basaviah said she had never had seizures before and her family had been concerned. Twenty-seven-year-old Soobramoney had a history of medical conditions, but had never had seizures. She was taken to RK Khan Hospital in Chatsworth and Basaviah said she seemed fine,…

What will be the best participatory process to deliver the most competent candidate? In Pretoria last week, I found everyone waiting for an announcement from Cape Town. In Cape Town, I found everyone electrified by an unexpectedly wide-open process to appoint the next chief justice. One thing, however, is clear: the next appointee will emerge out of a contest, and almost certainly of five, rather than two, contenders. That points to the deepest question underlying this pivotal South African judicial event: can a participatory appointment process deliver a competent candidate commanding the respect of the public? More precisely: can the Ramaphosa model of change through democratic consensus, of which his call for the public to nominate candidates is a prime example, produce the results our judiciary badly needs if it…

Paris: The US’s decision to lift restrictions on incoming travellers vaccinated against Covid-19 was met with a sigh of a relief by the global airline sector, which has been dealt a body blow by the pandemic. With transatlantic flights traditionally among the most lucrative for Europe’s biggest airlines, the Monday announcement was “formidable news” for a sector that has haemorrhaged tens of billions of euros over the past 18 months, Air France-KLM chief Benjamin Smith told AFP. For most of Europe’s flag carriers – such as Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa – the restrictions on long-haul routes across the Atlantic were particularly hard to swallow. Air France-KLM, for example, generates 40% of its sales from its North Atlantic services, and for Germany’s Lufthansa, the proportion is 50%. “Today’s news…

TOKYO: Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his family, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko, have completed the move to their new residence at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, more than two years after ascending to the throne, reports said yesterday. The royal family began the move on September 6, but transport of their personal belongings and space planning was completed on Monday. Naruhito was enthroned on May 1, 2019, after his father, Akihito, abdicated due to age and deteriorating health – the first to step down in 200 years.…

Los Llanos de Aridane: A new fissure emerged in the erupting volcano on Spain’s Canary Islands, belching out more lava and forcing another 500 people to flee, officials said yesterday. The Cumbre Vieja volcano has forced 6 000 people from their homes and destroyed around 100 properties since it erupted on Sunday. Emergency services said in a tweet late on Monday that “a new eruptive fissure has opened” and that the “population is being evacuated”. The volcano straddles a ridge in the south of La Palma, one of seven islands that make up the Atlantic archipelago which lies off the coast of Morocco.…

Thobile Mazibuko thobile.mazibuko@inl.co.za This Heritage Month, Nescafé Ricoffy has partnered with street artist Karabo Poppy to celebrate its 50th birthday. The brand has released a limited-edition heritage tin that celebrates 50 years of “South Africanness”. The tin was designed by Poppy. “I’m so honoured to have got to tell our country’s story of ‘beauty within diversity’ on a product that has been part of many a story time about my heritage between my father and I. “This limited-edition tin design was inspired by how much of our culture and heritage is shared through storytelling and encourages us to listen more to the stories of others around us too,” says Poppy. The brand has asked South Africans to co-create with them and share the words and phrases that celebrate the “South…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za DURBAN Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has challenged those objecting to the eThekwini Municipality’s controversial land release strategy that aims to allocate land to black people, to take their battle to the courts. Kaunda said the municipality was willing to defend its position on the Proactive Land Release strategy policy in court, saying this policy was necessary to uplift black communities and transform the country’s economy. The policy gives black people priority in purchasing land that has been identified by the city as excess land. Under the policy, the city would identify excess land that it would not use for development and would instead sell it to the designated group. The aim is to benefit black businesses and reduce the waiting time for businesses and organisations looking to acquire…

Shakirah Thebus shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za SURVIVORS of violent crimes, in particular sexual assault, have a right to obtain information related to the bail conditions of alleged perpetrators, but this is not readily made accessible to them. This was the focus of a webinar hosted by Ilitha Labantu with sister organisations during the launch of its bail conditions campaign yesterday. Ilitha Labantu senior legal adviser Natsai Chakapfava said the campaign was launched to educate women in particular of their rights because they are often victims of violent crimes. She said victims needed to know they could get a copy of the perpetrators’ bail conditions. “The minimum standards of services for victims of crime set by the Department of Justice advocates that victims should be informed of the outcomes of bail proceedings, any special…

PANDIT BASDEO BHAGIRATHI | Phoenix ONCE again, Heritage Day is upon us. What does it mean to us as individuals? What does it mean to us as a nation or even as humankind on Earth? When we think of heritage, we think of the financial wealth that our parents and elders leave for us at the time of their demise. But without disciplined usage, even that wealth could be depleted in no time, and instead of appreciation, all we may be left with could be regret and grief. But heritage could mean more than just wealth. It has a lot to do with the ethics and morals that our parents and elders have instilled in us, which could include respect, honesty, cleanliness, patience, forgiveness, absence of anger…

IT’S taking me a little time to get used to the idea that both my sons are employed and earning their own money. I love it. For years, I have told them they can live with me, but I will not allow them to live off me. It seems, thus far at least, that trying to live off me will not be a problem. I’m just not used to the new arrangement. This is the first time in about 20 years I have not had to rush out and get school supplies for a project or go to the school to sign some form one of them forgot in his locker. It’s the first time in years I am not trying to sell team T-shirts to raise funds for soccer…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor has revealed that the AU will discuss the decision of the union’s commission chairperson to grant Israel observer status in the organisation. Pandor said the matter would come before the AU in a session in October. She said at the meeting of the AU they would push for the body to rescind the decision. South Africa and other countries had objected to the decision of AU commission chairperson Moussa Faki to grant Israel observer status in the continental body. Pandor, who was replying to a written parliamentary question from the EFF, said: “The government of the Republic of South Africa has formally lodged an objection to the unilateral decision by the chairperson of the AU commission to grant the state of Israel…

THIS could be a case study where by-laws may be reconsidered on using the roadside for “fruitful endeavours”. He gave himself the moniker “The Cabbage Bandit”, and now Joe “Djo” Nkuna is going to court to contest a fine the Tshwane Metro Police Department gave him for his roadside vegetable patch. On social media, Nkuna has described how he has “become a criminal”, was fined R1 500 and told to get rid of the cabbages, pumpkins and other vegetables growing on the corner outside his property in the northern Pretoria suburb of Theresa Park. “Let the court decide; maybe we can change this apartheid law,” he announced with reference to municipal by-laws that allow the planting of grass on the city’s verges, but not veggies. Nkuna said he started…

A German environmental group said yesterday it was suing car giants BMW and Daimler to force them to reduce emissions faster, following recent court victories for climate activists. Environmental Action Germany (DUH) has submitted applications to courts in Stuttgart and Munich, arguing that the carmakers need to set themselves more ambitious climate goals, including ending the sale of fossil-fuel cars by 2030. While the manufacturers have announced plans to transition away from petrol and diesel vehicles, the plaintiffs say their strategies are insufficient to meet global targets. The companies were “torpedoing climate protection and the Paris agreement with highly polluting vehicles”, DUH vice-president Barbara Metz charged. In early September, DUH and Greenpeace sent letters to the two carmakers, as well as Volkswagen and gas company Wintershall, asking them to…

Panama City: Panama has called for a German auction house to withdraw from sale seven pre-Columbian artifacts believed to be part of the Central American country’s heritage. The country’s foreign ministry said it had asked Munich-based Gerhard Hirsch Nachfolger to produce export permits for the pieces, set to go under the hammer. It had informed its German counterpart of its “disagreement with the sale of these objects, as they could be part of Panamanian historical heritage,” it said. Panama has also called on Germany to prevent the sale until experts determine their origin and the legal aspects.…

Rattled by the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, several neighbouring countries have joined hands to kickstart joint anti-terrorism military exercises to maintain regional stability and also check the readiness of their forces. While the Peace Mission-2021 multilateral exercise of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) member countries is being held at the Donguz training ground in the Orenburg region of South West Russia, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) member states have also announced a series of large-scale exercises on the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border. Meanwhile, in the faraway suburbs of Ulanbaatar, the annual joint Russian-Mongolian military exercise Selenga-2021 kicked off at the Doityn Am training ground yesterday. The CSTO members – Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan – announced last week that Exercise Search-2021, Echelon-2021, Interaction-2021 and Cobalt-2021 will be held according…

Morgan Bolton morgan.bolton@inl.co.za AS is the case with anything new, there are unquantifiable unknowns, undetermined parameters and undefined limits in understanding and comprehension. The Sharks, however, have a fairly solid idea of what to expect when the play Munster on Saturday (kick-off 8.35pm) in their opening match of the United Rugby Championship. “Munster have been very successful over the last number of years,” said Sharks attack coach Noel McNamara. “They’ve got a settled coaching team, obviously they have a South African coach in Johann van Graan. Stephen Larkham, Graham Rowntree and JP Ferreira have been there for the last couple of years. They have been really consistent. “They are a momentum team and when they get that momentum, they are very difficult to stop. “They are going to present a…