Indholdsfortegnelse for 2021-12-03 i Mercury

siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za South African Airways (SAA) has resolved to sell its subsidiary Mango Airline and divest from the low-cost carrier as part of its restructuring, but the decision has angered some workers unions. This comes after a majority of Mango creditors yesterday voted in favour of the amended proposed business rescue plan for the low-cost airline. About 84 percent of creditors voted in favour of the proposed plan by the business rescue practitioner (BRP) Sipho Sono. According to the amended plan, SAA will withdraw from Mango and sell 100 percent of its shares to private investors. The State-owned carrier will now begin a process of finding an investor for Mango with the hope that one will be found by March 2022. Last month, SAA adjourned a meeting…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za IN AN effort to stave off the collapse of its electricity infrastructure, the embattled Msunduzi Municipality has resolved to make the unit independent and ring-fence the money generated through the sale of electricity for maintenance. The move is partly aimed at ensuring a more stable supply of electricity. Supply has been unreliable in the recent past, with frequent and long outages. Municipal manager Madoda Khathide revealed the plans during a council meeting this week. He told The Mercury yesterday that the change would not be immediate, but would have serious implications going forward. He said that a resolution was taken in February 2021 by council to establish a separate business unit. An organogram was approved in June 2021 for the electricity business unit. The revelations come after…

Five fossil footprints left in volcanic ash 3.66 million years ago in Tanzania are giving scientists new insight on a landmark in human evolution - upright walking – while showing that its origins are more complicated than previously known. Researchers said a thorough new examination of the tracks, nearly half a century after their initial discovery, has shown that they were made not by a bear, as once believed, but by a hominin – in other words, a species in the human lineage – and possibly a previously unknown one. They display a curious gait, adding to the mystery. Bipedalism – walking on two feet – is a hallmark of humankind, but scientists are still putting together the puzzle pieces. The trackway was found in 1976 at a site called…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West My open letter is directed to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Mr Lesetja Kganyago. Surely, Mr President and Governor Kganyago, there’s merit in the case of South Africa reducing the fuel levy and VAT on fuel? “I appeal to you, sirs. Don’t rob the poorest of the poor of what Christmas cheer they could afford. A reduction in the fuel levy and VAT would have a positive effect vis-a-vis food security and access to cheaper food justice. Reconsider, please. The Bill of Rights in our Constitution compels you not to sit on your hands while the ship of state is heading towards a waterfall.…

Chronic anxiety: You worry and you don’t know why. The unsettled feelings are general and floating, apparently not connected to anything specific. You worry even when things are going well. There are times when you worry about having nothing to worry about. You worry as a way of life. When people tell you they are not in a state of constant concern, you think they are in denial. You worry about everyone you love and regard the amount of worry as proportional to the depth of your love. For you, love and worry are inseparable. They are the same thing. The rumbling feeling of anxiety feels like it is deep inside you and has lived in you for as long as you can remember. There are times you think you…

DR THABISIS HOEANE | Pretoria THE recent decision by the Pretoria High Court ruling that a quota imposed on the buying of duty-free liquor by foreign missions in SA should be scrapped is very disturbing. The reasoning was based on some technical matters of law. But the effect of this decision is that it is inadvertently going to promote criminal behaviour among some members of the diplomatic corps resident in South Africa. There is evidence to the effect that diplomats from Lesotho and Zimbabwe were deported this year after they were found to be buying this duty-free liquor and selling it locally. One is even reputed to have bought liquor worth R36 million in a period of 3 months. Now which embassy/mission, let alone an individual can consume…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) is facing a budget shortfall of about R10 billion for the next academic year, a situation that the Higher Education Department partly attributes to budget reductions. Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Blade Nzimande revealed in a written reply in Parliament that the department was scrambling to avert a shortfall in the NSFAS budget. “A shortfall on the NSFAS budget is still anticipated for the 2022/23 financial year and engagement is ongoing within the government budget processes in relation to this matter,” said Nzimande. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana allocated R56.8bn to fee-free higher education and training for the next academic year. This was an increase from the R44.7bn of the current financial year. Godongwana delivered the medium-term budget policy…

Zama Ngcoya and Jolene Marriah-Maharaj FOUR people died and three were critically injured in a multiple vehicle crash on the R74 in Greytown yesterday. Robert Mckenzie, of KZN Emergency Medical Services, said a mother and her child were among those who were killed. “Earlier today (yesterday) there was a serious crash in Greytown, where a truck and other vehicles were involved in a collision. Four people sustained fatal injuries, including a mother and her child,” said Mckenzie. He said that paramedics treated three people at the scene for critical injuries before transporting them to a hospital for further medical care. McKenzie added the cause of the crash was being investigated. “Culpable homicide is being investigated by Greytown SAPS. “It is alleged that today at 11.00 a truck collided into…

Jolene Marriah-Maharaj jolene.marriah@inl.co.za KwaZulu-Natal police issued a cautionary warning yesterday after 65 cases of tender fraud scams were recently reported. According to provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbele, a trend has been detected where fraudsters would make contact with small business owners and mislead them into believing that they had been awarded tenders from government departments. “Fraudulent letterheads and email addresses are used to request these businesses to supply a specific product or unusual product. “To source the products, the small business owners would search on the internet and identify a specific supplier who is also part of the scam. After paying an amount of cash to the alleged supplier to order the items, the victims realised that they were scammed. “Recently, 65 (such) cases were reported,” Mbele said. “In…

ALL eyes are on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) and Cricket South Africa (CSA), which are expected to take a decision on the Indian cricket tour of South Africa this festive season. It is said that officials from both administrative bodies are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that India’s proposed tour goes ahead. But fears remain about the rising number of infections of new Covid-19 variant Omicron around the globe, especially in South Africa. CSA has provided assurances that its bio-secure environments are as safe as any in the world. It also has the support of the national government – which just a few months ago was threatening to take the game out of its hands – that CSA can adequately host Virat Kohli’s team…

The African Union’s health watchdog yesterday appealed for calm over Omicron, the new, heavily mutated Covid-19 variant which has prompted many governments to impose new restrictions. The new variant was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by South Africa a week ago, and has quickly showed up across continents, deepening fears of another deadly wave of infections and signalling that the nearly two- year battle against the pandemic is not over. But John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), urged moderation. “We are very concerned but are not worried that the situation cannot be managed,” he told a press briefing. “There is no need to panic. We are not defenceless.” Announced a week ago, the new variant has already seen some…

CHONBURI: A three-month-old baby elephant was recovering in Thailand yesterday following life-saving treatment after being shot several times and caught in a hunter’s trap. The elephant, whom rescuers have named “Fahsai”, meaning “clear sky”, was found on Sunday. “We managed to extract a large fragment of a bullet, followed by two smaller pieces,” said a veterinarian. Fahsai will have to be tended to until she is strong enough to undergo surgery to extract remaining bullet fragments. She will be given milk from other mother elephants at the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Chonburi province before a foster-mother elephant is found to adopt her.…

WE are almost at the end of the 2021 year. It has been a rough one so let’s focus on some quality fishing to cap off the year. Let the festive season begin … The summer heat is here and so is the open season for shad. There are plenty of fish around for the fishermen after edibles and inedibles. The North Coast has been hot! This heat plus a flat sea and a few days of north-east wind will produce some back-breaking fish. Mackerel and redeye sardines are your best baits to use for 99% of the summer inedibles. Make sure your knots are right and that your tackle can handle the fish you are targeting. Most of the North Coast has been producing fish but the deep-water points…

Smiso Msomi smiso.msomi@inl.co.za BOTTOM of the log Swallows FC will entertain fellow strugglers Maritzburg United at the Dobsonville Stadium in Johannesburg tomorrow (3.30pm kick-off), hoping the ‘new coach bounce’ will come into effect following the club’s appointment of Dylan Kerr as their new head coach. The Dube Birds are in the basement of the league for the first time since their promotion back into top flight football and the recent dismissal of Brandon Truter and his technical team had thrown the club into disarray. Swallows have not been able to build on their impressive first season in the DStv Premiership. Despite being labelled the infamous ‘draw kings’ of the Premier Soccer League last season, the club still managed a respectable sixth place finish that qualified them for the MTN8 Cup.…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za TRANSPORT companies have launched an online petition to push for the pace of the flow of goods in and out of the Durban harbour to be sped up. Companies say they are experiencing extensive delays lasting up to 24 hours. Their anger is directed at Transnet National Port Authority’s booking system. While the system is meant to ease the flow of traffic, the transporters argue that it is erratic and unreliable. The system in which operators book a time for their trucks to come to the harbour has been in operation for more than a year. But the operators say that in the past few months it has proven to be a headache and has pushed many transport operators to the brink of financial ruin. By yesterday…

HELEN GIBSON | Hillcrest Here is my two-cents worth on the orange bag debate: I live in Hillcrest and also can’t remember when we last had a delivery of the bags. In Hillcrest we have a very efficient recycling depot run by Keep Hillcrest Beautiful which takes all recycling material apart from plastic. As I think recycling is more important than the incompetence of the municipality, I have found a source of orange bags at the local plastic store for about R30. My worry is where the bags of plastic actually end up, on the erratic occasions when they are collected. I hope it is not on the general landfill, because in this day and age, recycling is really important.…

DR BN NAIDOO | Durban In the US, 90% of the population over 16 are known to have antibodies (to the Covid-19 virus), according to the CDC. This is because the human immune system has evolved by producing anti-bodies against the virus, which does not survive more than three years. We know this from the Spanish flu of 1918, where the same precautions we use now (washing hands, isolating, masks and social distancing) were used, and without a vaccine, the virus was eradicated by 1920. However, 50 million had died compared with the five million in our pandemic. The reason is that air conditioners were only invented in the late 1920s. The coronavirus attempts to evolve by mutation (changing its genome). However, every time it mutates, its protein…

| Stephen King CARDIFF rugby players are said to be having panic attacks at being stranded in South Africa by the Covid-19 curse. Munster are also marooned. Surely the least our rugby authorities can do is fly them all to Durban to participate tomorrow in the annual Bok-Bok Derby in the Street Shelter for the Over-Forties? Enter them in the mixed event where the damsels drop on them out of the rafters. That’ll take their mind off the other stuff. Meanwhile, tonight it’s the Sharks against the Bulls. Rugby is so topsy-turvey these days, I’m not sure if it’s still the United Rugby Championship, early Currie Cup or maybe a friendly. But be sure, the gals of the Street Shelter will be standing by to supply knicker elastic for…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons tarryn-leigh.solomons@inl.co.za SOME members of Parliament’s standing committee on finance have objected to the Pension Funds Amendment Bill which seeks to allow the public to gain access to their funds guarantee loans. The bill was initiated by DA committee member Dion George last year with the aim of amending the act to allow pension fund members to use a portion of their fund before retirement as a guarantee for a loan. Section 19 of the Pension Funds Act enables pension fund members to access a loan, where the pension fund asset acts as security for such a loan, in order to obtain a home loan. However, the act does not permit pension fund members to obtain a loan for any other purpose. According to George, the outbreak of the…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za MADODA Khathide, the Msunduzi municipal manager, read the municipality’s new councillors the riot act this week, warning them about absenteeism and leaving council meetings early to honour other appointments, saying such behaviour devalued the worth of council work in the eyes of the public. Speaking during the first council meeting for the city’s new administration on Wednesday, Khathide said it was embarrassing to have to announce during a council meeting in front of members of the public that a councillor wanted to leave a meeting early because they had a doctor’s appointment. He was briefing the “new” council on matters governing their conduct. “All the structures of council must meet. One of the reasons we went under administration was the collapse of these structures. If we ensure…

| Mercury Correspondent With a 311% increase in new cases for the seven days preceding November 30, South Africa is driving the surge of Covid-19 infections in southern Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Cases in Gauteng have increased by 375% week-on-week, while hospital admissions rose 4.2% in the past seven days from the previous seven days. Covid-19-related deaths in the province jumped 28.6% from the previous seven days. This has resulted in the WHO deploying a surge team to Gauteng to support surveillance, contact tracing, infection prevention and treatment measures. So far, Botswana and South Africa have reported 19 and 172 Omicron variant cases, respectively. The two southern Africa countries account for 62% of cases reported globally. In Africa, the Omicron variant has been detected in…

Yogashen Pillay and Samkelo Mtshali A consultant to the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), told the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) inquiry into the July unrest yesterday that social media played a major part in encouraging the looting. David Bruce, an independent researcher and consultant at the ISS, said social media posts had encouraged unlawful behaviour during the July unrest. “Everybody owns smartphones nowadays. There were messages that were sent on social media that created the perception for people that they could take whatever they wanted and there would be no repercussions.” Bruce said the police could have handled the situation better by using social media. “The police could have used social media to their advantage, they could have communicated with the public, discouraging lawlessness. The police could have announced…

IT IS very humbling that the people of our city have again given the ANC the opportunity to lead in our council. It is no secret that our support has declined during these elections. It has been compounded by the voter turnout, which has been dismal in comparison with previous elections. The electorate is sending a loud and clear message, irrespective of our political persuasions, that we must double our efforts in meeting their needs. The fact that no political party obtained an outright majority is an indication that we have not responded adequately to the aspirations of our people. We all need to roll up our sleeves and work towards being consistent in keeping the promises we made while electioneering. Next month, we will be convening a mayoral lekgotla…

MELBOURNE: Australian Education Minister Alan Tudge has been dismissed from office due to abuse allegations brought against him by a former mistress claiming that she suffered moral and physical humiliation during their relationship, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said yesterday. “The minister has agreed to my request to stand aside while these issues are addressed by my department through an independent and fair process to ensure that the matters that have been raised can be properly assessed,” the prime minister told parliament. Tudge and Rachelle Miller had a consensual affair in 2017. The minister admitted being in the affair while married, but denied the abuse allegations against him. Alleged harassment and abuse of women has produced multiple inquiries into Australian politicians in recent years. In 2018, former prime minister Malcolm…

VIENNA: Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz, who resigned as chancellor in October after he was placed under investigation on suspicion of corruption, said yesterday he was quitting politics in a surprise move that leaves a power vacuum in his party. Kurz has been the dominant figure of his People’s Party and Austrian political life since 2017, when he became party leader and chancellor, winning a parliamentary election and forming a coalition with the far-right Freedom Party. He told a news conference he was leaving politics altogether.…

DOHA: Arab countries are preparing an application to include ancient residential clay buildings of the region, primarily in Yemen, on the Unesco World Heritage List, Hussein Aidarous, the head of Hadramaut office of the Yemeni directorate-general of Antiquities and Museums, told Sputnik. Hadramaut is a province in the east of Yemen abundant with ancient clay palaces. It also includes the ancient town of Shibam with clay skyscrapers, which is already listed with Unesco World Heritage. “Negotiations are under way to include the entire city of Seiyun, the capital of the lowland part of Hadramaut province, in this list,” said Aidarous.…

MIKE GREENAWAY mike.greenaway@inl.co.za THE Springbok Sevens team’s reputation precedes them as they enter a second World Series tournament in Dubai and they are only too aware that they will be regarded as the team to beat, and that their opposition will raise their games accordingly. The vastly experienced Blitzboks coach Neil Powell says going into the new tournament as champions will severely test his team’s mental and physical resolve. Understandably, the South Africans are the top-ranked team in Pool A because of their triumph in last week’s Emirates Dubai 7s triumph in the UAE. The Blitzboks have Japan, Ireland and Great Britain in their pool. The wily Powell reckons that the second tournament on the circuit is always a challenge for various reasons. “You have to get that balance right…

THE fall-out from the addition of South Africa to the UK’s travel red list continues, with the juicy encounter between the Sharks and Saracens in London in January called off. The Sharks just last week announced that a friendly fixture against the English Premiership side would take place at the StoneX Stadium in London on January 15 as the relations between the two teams grows stronger, but both parties have subsequently seen the writing on the wall as the world’s Covid-19 situation deteriorates once more. A joint statement said: “It is with regret that we confirm that the match between Saracens and the Sharks on 15 January 2022 has been cancelled. “With recent developments regarding the Omicron variant, the uncertainty around international travel that lies ahead and the…

Rapula Moatshe rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za THE African Transformation Movement (ATM) has intimated that it would push for a vote of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa through a secret ballot. This followed yesterday’s Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling in the party’s favour. The SCA set aside the Western Cape High Court’s judgment which found nothing wrong with then National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise’s refusal to allow ATM’s motion to be decided through secret voting. Almost two years ago, the Speaker – who is now Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula – refused to allow the motion to be carried out by means of a secret ballot, and instead opted for an open ballot. In a bid to challenge Modise’s decision, ATM launched an urgent application in the Western Cape High Court to have it set…

VISVIN REDDY | Durban The latest fuel hikes are a major cause for concern and cannot be left unchallenged. Motorists are now paying an arm and a leg for a litre of petrol and this will have a catastrophic impact on all South Africans, especially the poor. The cost of food and public transport will go through the roof and with our current economic climate it spells disaster for those who can barely afford to make ends meet. Petrol prices are determined by Parliament and public outrage must send a message to our parliamentarians that we do not accept these draconian increases. The issue of petrol prices must feature prominently on the agenda of the legislature. These increases could have been easily cushioned if government reduced taxes and…

FAROUK ARAIE | Benoni. It was with immense sadness that I heard of the passing away of iconic Struggle stalwart, Swaminathan Gounden. He stands out as a giant among those whose contributions have served and continue to serve us in our struggle to build a nation out of scattered hopes and lofty aspirations. We will always celebrate the life and legacy of Swami. He was very eloquent, brilliant and with such political sagacity of a rare breed. He was the epitome of political uprightness. He left us something to emulate, decipher and make marks on the course of our life experiences to make the country better. His life was one of selfless sacrifices, bravery and visionary leadership. He fought for the greater good of humanity and the principle…

THULANI DASA (Community Activist) | Khayelitsha, Cape Town I joined South Africans and the rest of the world to commemorate World Aids Day this week. Some progress has been made in the fight against HIV and Aids, but there is still much to be done if we are to lay to rest the myths and stop the contradictory messages that have been festering for years due to incompetent political management. According to the Aids Foundation, South Africa ranks in the top five highest HIV prevalence countries in the world and has the world’s largest antiretroviral programme, but there is some concern about the sustainability of government’s programme in the current economic climate. These circumstances chill the heart and we come to appreciate the old adage of “prevention…

DOCTORS Without Borders (MSF) has criticised the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) for delaying registration of an anti-fungal medicine which could help cure meningitis in HIV patients. MSF and the Treatment Action Campaign have called for the registration of flucytosine, which is used to treat cryptococcal meningitis (CM). The application for the product’s registration has been with Sahpra since December 2019, they say. MSF said the medicine’s registration could help prevent thousands of deaths of HIV patients who are infected. Dr Rosie Burton, an infectious diseases physician, said the medicine was very effective when used with other medicines. “Specifically, having flucytosine means we can give the partner drug, which is called amphotericin B, for one week rather than two weeks, which reduces the risk of side effects from…

THE four KwaZulu-Natal universities, in collaboration with the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, have called on the public to nominate social entrepreneurs for the Local Economic Development (LED) Champions Programme. The four – the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban University of Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology and the University of Zululand – plan to host the LED Champions Programme, also known as the KZN Social Economy Development Programme, next year. Deadline for applications is today. The social entrepreneurship development programme is offered to social entrepreneurs to accelerate transformational change in their communities across KZN. A statement on the programme said: “Through a rigorous nomination and selection process, candidates who have existing enterprises that are making changes in their communities are selected to participate in the programme annually.…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za AS more than 580 000 pupils across the country this week remained unplaced in public schools for 2022, education insiders say provision of quality education across the provinces will solve this recurrent problem. In a presentation prepared for parliament’s portfolio committee on basic education, the Department of Basic Education revealed that Gauteng had over 276 000 unplaced pupils by this week. It was followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 226 142 unplaced pupils. The Western Cape had 29 550 yet to be allocated a classroom, while the figure stood at 28 219 in the Eastern Cape. The Free State, Northern Cape and North West had fewer than 12 000 pupils yet to be placed. Mpumalanga reported that it had placed all who applied for schooling. In its presentation, the…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za All eyes will be on the Pietermaritzburg High Court next week when the legal wrangle over who should succeed the Zulu throne will be fully ventilated. Yesterday, Judge Piet Bezuidenhout presided over another matter involving the royals after an application was filed to interdict the alleged coronation of King Misuzulu. It was alleged that the coronation was set to take place today. Yesterday’s legal action was brought by the royals that are disputing the authenticity of the will which has King Misuzulu as the heir to the Zulu throne following the death of King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu early this year. But, after the judge was told by King Misuzulu’s legal representatives that no such coronation was planned, the matter was adjourned to next week, to be heard…

'Common actions for tangible benefit' for Africa and China THE 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (Focac), held from November 29 to 30 in Senegal, was a momentous event with a business-focused objective. This Focac, the first to be hosted in a francophone country, achieved much in realising equal consultation and expanding consensus representing a combined population, in Africa and China, of 2.7 billion people. This Focac’s theme, to “Deepen China-Africa Partnership and Promote Sustainable Development to Build a China-Africa with a Shared Future in a New Era”, was apposite. It was a relevant theme after two unrelenting years of battling the cumulative effects of the Covid-19 global health and economic pandemic. The Focac conference is a welcome intervention since it highlights the fact that solutions to…

A baby was found dead in one of five migrant boats intercepted off Spain’s Canary Islands in the Atlantic with nearly 300 people on board, officials said yesterday. Migrant arrivals on the Canaries have surged since late 2019 after increased patrols along Europe’s southern coast dramatically reduced crossings to the continent via the Mediterranean. In the latest incident, the Spanish coastguard rescued 282 sub-Saharan African migrants from five inflatable dinghies off the coast of Fuerteventura, one of the seven islands that make up the Canary islands, local emergency services said in a tweet. The group includes 68 women, six children and the body of a baby who did not survive the voyage, an emergency services spokesperson said. They are all in good health except for one woman who needed medical…

NASHVILLE: Songstress Dolly Parton rules with “love and compassion”. The 75-year-old country icon remains business savvy six decades into her career but insists that while she is a “good boss”, treading a “fine line” is key to being successful. She said: “I’m a good boss, I think. I try to rule with love and compassion. But also, there’s a fine line that says, ‘She’s not a pushover.’ I’m a fair and honest person. I like to be as friendly as I can and love the people that work with me and I like to have them love me.” But the Jolene singer, who has launched a fragrance, owns theme park Dollywood and has a lucrative deal with Netflix, claims she knows exactly when to take charge, noting that there are…

Brasilia: The Brazilian Senate approved a Presbyterian pastor for a seat on the Supreme Court in a win for far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who promised to appoint a “terribly evangelical” judge to the top court. By 47 votes to 32, the Senate backed former justice minister Andre Mendonca, 48, who from mid-December will occupy the 11th seat of the Supreme Court in Brasilia, replacing a judge who retired in July. The appointment of Mendonca was hailed by conservatives, as the court adjudicates on hot-button issues such as the rights of minorities, abortion, drugs and access to weapons.…