Indholdsfortegnelse for 2021-11-23 i Mercury

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa remained the destination for the most foreign direct investment (FDI) projects in 2020 in spite of the sharp fall in FDI in the continent due to the impact of the Covid-19. The EY Africa Attractiveness Report released yesterday showed that South Africa received the most projects in the continent in 2020, followed by Morocco and Nigeria. On a country basis, South Africa had the highest FDI score of 31.1 points, followed by Morocco at 17.7 points and Nigeria at 17.5 points. Though South Africa attracted more projects, Nigeria received the highest capital investment, with FDI valued at $6.6 billion (R103.7 bn) in 2020. The EY report showed that FDI in South Africa remained buoyant owing to the country’s diversified economy,…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons and NOMONDE ZONDI FORMER minister of defence and military veterans and current Speaker of the National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has exposed the lack of co-operation between police and her department during the July unrest. During her testimony before the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), Mapisa-Nqakula revealed that at the time of the crisis, KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi went on paternity leave. The “failed insurrection”, as President Cyril Ramaphosa referred to it, claimed the lives of 350 people and led to R50 billion in damages. The purpose of yesterday’s hearing was to look into the role played by law-enforcement agencies before, during and after the unrest. Mapisa-Nqakula further revealed that Mkhwanazi was disrespectful and reluctant to share information. She said she had much better co-operation with the…

An international team of engineers and technicians has finished assembling a next-generation satellite that will make the first global survey of the Earth’s surface water and study fine-scale ocean currents. The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission is scheduled for launch in November next year and the final set of tests on the spacecraft have started, according to a statement by Nasa. SWOT is a collaboration between Nasa and the French space agency Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), with contributions from the Canadian Space Agency and the UK Space Agency. The SUV-size satellite will collect data on the height of the Earth’s salt and fresh water – including oceans, lakes and rivers – enabling researchers to track the volume and location of water around the world. SWOT will help…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff The news that a small-craft harbour may be developed near the mouth of the Mzimkulu River at Port Shepstone (The Mercury, November 22) comes in the wake of a long history of attempts to revive shipping there. Between May 1880 and April 1902, river port shipping on the Mzimkulu took place. The research published in my book, Sugar and Settlers: A History of the Natal South Coast 1850-1910, shows that during that period some 766 voyages between Durban and the Mzimkulu took place. But the establishment of the rail link with Port Shepstone in 1901 rendered river shipping uneconomical. It had also become unreliable. Although dredging of the river mouth was carried out, nature in the form of wind, sea and silt increasingly…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West, SO I HAVE advanced 69 years and a few days. I am reading this post purportedly by Athol Williams, a whistle-blower who fled South Africa, ostensibly to save his life as government was not providing protection to such brave patriots. It is the truth. Remember the martyred Babita Deokaran, murdered for exposing fraud in the Department of Health in Gauteng? Her alleged killers have been arrested and, at this time, have applied for bail. I am going back to the 1970s, after the murder of Ahmed Timol and Steve Bantu Biko by the minions of apartheid. History attests to the truth. Read Jacques Pauw’s In The Heart Of The Whore about the banality of evil in our everyday life during those terrible…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za The South African Farmers Development Association said it was deeply concerned by recent farm attacks. This comes after a fourth farm attack in KwaZulu-Natal was reported in the past two weeks. In the latest incident, a 63-year-old farmer was stabbed on Trinity Farm, Boston, in the Midlands on November 17. Last week, Police Minister Bheki Cele released crime statistics for the second quarter of 2021, revealing that 15 murders occurred on farms and small-holdings between July and September this year in the country . South African Farmers Development Association’s executive chair- person Dr Siyabonga Madlala said it was deeply concerned by the recent attacks in the province. “The organisation considers this a serious issue and is concerned, especially since the perpetrators are never held accountable for their…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za A shop at the Workshop shopping centre in the Durban CBD was robbed by four men yesterday morning. Provincial police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said it was alleged that at 8am, four men, one of whom was armed, had entered a store at The Workshop. The suspects held up the staff and stole cellphones, she said. “While fleeing the scene on foot the suspects mistakenly shot at each other,” said Gwala. Gwala said all of the suspects were able to get away. Emer-G-Med spokesperson Kyle van Reenen said paramedics responded after reports of a shooting incident. “On arrival on the scene, paramedics found a large police presence and further information ascertained that a shooting incident occurred within the mall,” said Van Reenen. He said there were no…

OUR ability to attain a competitive advantage in the global space economy requires the necessary resources, innovation, infrastructure, and most importantly, compliance with internationally accepted norms and frameworks that govern space activities. The International Astronautical Congress held in Dubai from October 25-29 convened space players representing governments and industry players from across the globe. South Africa participated under the leadership of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the SA National Space Agency, the entity responsible for the implementation of our national space programme. From government-led to commercially viable space activities generally, investing economic capital in space activities has traditionally been the role of governments across the globe, whether as the adopters, users, customers, or regulators of space activities. These activities have mainly been driven by the…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za THE ANC and IFP have accused each other of political treachery after several inaugural council sittings in KwaZulu-Natal, including that of eThekwini descended into chaos yesterday. The chaotic scenes including an alleged fist fight in Ladysmith came less than a week after the IFP announced that it would back the ANC where the ruling party had won but not secured an outright majority in return for the same favour. The only municipalities where the council meetings were incident-free was in Pietermaritzburg and Howick where the ANC and DA respectively had their mayors sworn in without any drama. UMhlathuze is set for another council sitting this morning after chaotic scenes, including a power failure, and an alleged invasion of council chambers by a crowd singing Struggle songs that…

HAPPINESS, fulfilment, forgiveness, having courage to live as fully as possible and other such powerful conditions or “states” are, by and large, inside jobs. By this I mean it is up to you. It is up to me. How we respond to the challenge to embody the wonderful “states” is within our grasp. It’s decisions, often very hard decisions, but decisions nonetheless. It is within your grasp to decide how happy you are, how fulfilled you are, and how much and to what degree you will be an agent of forgiveness when it comes to those who have hurt and mistreated you. Do I believe this? Not totally, but largely. These are inside jobs and it is within you that most of the work is done most of the time.…

JOHN KNOTTENBELT | Sherwood Please allow me to offer a studied overview of the “bone of contention” relating to the three plastic bags linked to Durban Solid Waste (DSW). The black bags: although in our area we have not had any problems regarding either the delivery (three-months’ supply), nor the generally timeous collection of these bags by our reliable DSW team, the quality of the bags has deteriorated abysmally. Over the years it has been plain to see that contracts have been awarded to suppliers who have vastly different abilities or no knowledge regarding ensuring the quality of the bags. The bags supplied over a decade ago I remember as strong and with proper serrations, enabling easy “tearing- off” from the roll of each bag. Since then, many…

| Mercury Correspondent Gauteng provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela yesterday commended the multidisciplinary task team established to crack down on kidnapping syndicates following the successful rescue of a man abducted in Hillbrow. “This comes after the arrest of six men between Saturday and today (yesterday) for a hijacking and kidnapping incident that occurred last week in Hillbrow,” said Gauteng SAPS spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello. One of the suspects, believed to be the mastermind behind several kidnapping incidents in and around Gauteng, had been out on bail for three other incidents of hijacking, kidnapping and extortion. “The province has been experiencing a surge in kidnapping incidents recently. Gauteng organised crime investigations and Hillbrow detectives teamed up with the national task team that investigates kidnappings for ransom in the search…

Mayibongwe Maqhina mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za The South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) has asked the public to make comments on the matrimonial property law. In a notice, the commission said it had published a supplementary issue paper on the Review of Aspects of Matrimonial Property Law, which replaced one that was published on August 28. “The revision is necessary in light of recent case law since the issue paper was published, as well as statutory and common law changes,” it said. The commission said there were new issues that have been added in the supplementary paper. These include religious marriages in light of recent case law and developments in single marriage statute and the inclusion of unmarried life partnerships. “While customary marriages were originally partly included, the commission has had to grapple…

THE National Department of Health should urgently finalise its investigation into the deaths of five children who allegedly died after eating noodles. Any delay is likely to put the lives of our children at risk. Last week, 9-year-old Thato and Keamogetswe Makofane, 13, died after allegedly eating instant noodles before school, while three Eastern Cape children perished, allegedly after eating noodles earlier this month. The department also announced that it was investigating an incident in Gauteng, but did not elaborate further. Department spokesperson Foster Mohale said the department had yet to confirm what had caused the children’s deaths. He added that the department was still waiting for laboratory results and toxicology reports. We respect the department’s decision to adopt a cautious approach when it comes to this matter. We also…

Marseille: On a tour of a fine-food trade show, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen admits that the start of campaigning for next year’s presidential election has given her indigestion. “It’s been Zemmour for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” she complained. Eric Zemmour, a media pundit and best-selling author whose rhetoric on Muslims and immigrants is more extreme than Le Pen’s, has made a dramatic entrance into French politics since September. “It’s been incredible. The way he has monopolised the media is absolutely extraordinary,” she said during a weekend trip to Marseille. For the first time in early October, polls showed Le Pen failing to qualify for the second round of next April’s polls, eclipsed by her new rival whose face was on TV screens and newspaper stands around the country.…

Sihle Mavuso and Thami Magubane DRAMA, suspense, insults and threats of violence were the order of the day yesterday during the council sitting of the eThekwini Municipality to elect new leaders. The meeting was eventually suspended due to a power outage and after ANC supporters had stormed the venue. The power outage was fortuitous for the ANC as it looked like the party could suffer defeats if the position of mayor and deputy mayor came up for a vote. At first, the ANC appeared to have the upper hand when it was able to elect Thabani Nyawose as the speaker by notching 103 votes, meaning they got an extra 8 votes from other parties. However, once it became clear that the IFP had abstained from voting with the ANC despite…

I FIND myself at Midmar to watch a very much younger relative participate in the Super K event, in which they swim for a kilometre round a series of buoys – something that exhausts you just to think of it. When was I last at Midmar where, in my callow youth, I used to sail? The huge plane trees about the banks, the sweeping lawns tell me quite a time ago. In my day it was bare veld. The Midlands folk are there in their hundreds, picnicking and having a jolly time. I am introduced to a fellow named Lamb. He tells me his wife’s maiden name was Slaughter. A Lamb to the Slaughter – you couldn’t make it up. They’re a charming couple. Doctor’s orders AN ANCIENT doctor’s prescription…

HANIF A PATEL | Gujarat, India Indian Prime Minister Modi has taken the right step by announcing that he will repeal three contentious laws that are at the centre of a confrontation between the farmers and the government. Finally, farmers have compelled the government to bow down after the widespread agitation of 700 farmers. The decision to repeal the laws is a triumph of the power of the people in the Indian democracy. It can be dubbed a victory for the farmers who protested patiently against draconian laws which are against their interests, and adversely affecting producers and consumers. In spite of protests by overseas Indians who joined to support the farmers and several countries’ dignitaries who showed empathy towards Indian farmers’ plight, the problem remained unsolved. The…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za A director in the Department of Labour, who to his utter shock discovered that police records incorrectly reflected for several years that there was a criminal case pending against him, has succeeded in his first step to sue the SAPS for reputational damages. Vincent Luvhengo turned to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, after he had found out that his name was reflected on the Local Criminal Records Centre of the SAPS. Despite the fact that the records have meanwhile been set straight, Luvhengo said he had suffered damages. Judge Norman Davis said: “It is easy to imagine one’s dismay at finding out that, unbeknown to oneself, the records kept by the Local Criminal Records Centre of the SAPS indicate that one has either been found guilty of…

| Mercury Correspondents A Mozambican father and son – sharing the same name Alberto Ernesto Nharreluga – have been jailed for 14 years each in Mpumalanga for possession of rhino horn, corruption and possession of a shark fin. “The Middelburg Regional Court sentenced the father, aged 48, and his son, aged 27, to a total of 14 years’ imprisonment for National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act-related charges on Friday,” said Mpumalanga spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Captain Dineo Sekgotodi. The Nharreluga duo were arrested in April last year, while they were travelling on the N4 in Nelspruit. “They were stopped by the Middelburg Flying Squad members. Police searched their vehicle and recovered two rhino horns as well as shark fin,” Sekgotodi said. She said the duo…

Uncovering past hurtful truths can be painful, but will heal wounds in the long run NOW that Cape Town has elected a young, energetic mayor, it may be the right and opportune time to take stock of all the derogatory street and other names all over the city, and maybe the province, that still cause so much pain to so many citizens. Having embarked on sniffing out where these names are still there for all to see, my first encounter with such a name happened way back in 2015 when taking part in a 10km race not far from where I stay. This will be my fifth attempt in trying to bring this matter to the attention of the public and local authorities. The name of the street is Drie…

The problem of financial and bank payment systems in Afghanistan, which are currently “in disarray”, must be resolved quickly to minimise negative impacts on the population, according to a new situation report published by the UN Development Programme yesterday. “Afghanistan’s financial and bank payment systems are in disarray. The bank-run problem must be resolved quickly to improve Afghanistan’s limited production capacity and prevent the banking system from collapsing. “Furthermore, protecting, at a minimum, some of the commercial banking system is also critical to continue the humanitarian and other basic human needs programmes, supported by the UN, NGOs, and bilateral partners,” the report said. According to the document, in case of failure, the country will face far-reaching negative social and economic consequences. “The longer the delay in the full restoration…