Indholdsfortegnelse for 2021-12-06 i Mercury

Philippa Larkin philippa.larkin@inl.co.za THE SHARE price of Labat Africa, the JSE-listed black-owned listed cannabis Holdings group in South Africa, rose by 4.17 percent to R0.25 after it said on Friday that it had secured a R300 million investment commitment from US-based GR Global Ventures, an entity with expertise in cross border transactions in the cannabis sector, as it sought to accelerate growth. Labat Africa, with a focus on personal wellness, pharmaceutical grade medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp, said its initial capital raising process had been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which had resulted in slowing down the implementation of some of Labat’s pioneering cannabis initiatives. With markets now beginning to reopen and investors on the look-out for new growth segments, this investment would accelerate the implementation and…

Kailene Pillay kailene.pillay@inl.co.za THE resignation of Investigating Directorate (ID) head Hermione Cronje is a “major setback” for the anti-corruption work of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and brings to light the need to reassess the organisation, a law expert says. It recently emerged that Cronje had quit her job and will officially leave office in March. Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions Ouma Rabaji-Rasethaba would assist during this time. NPA boss Shamila Batohi is expected to brief the media today on the issues affecting the entity, including Cronje’s resignation. Legal expert Paul Hoffman said Cronje’s departure would have a serious effect on the NPA’s ability to deal with corruption. Since joining the NPA as the first head of the ID in 2019, Cronje’s main focus had been on cases of…

Two Nasa astronauts completed a space walk last week to replace a faulty antenna on the International Space Station, a mission Nasa said carried slightly higher risk posed by orbital debris left from a Russian missile test weeks ago. Astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron exited an airlock of the orbiting research lab some 400km above Earth to begin their work. The outing was the fifth space walk for Marshburn, 61,a medical doctor and former flight surgeon with two previous trips to orbit, and a first for Barron, 34. Barron is a US Navy submarine officer and nuclear engineer on her debut space flight for Nasa. During the space walk, they removed a defective S-band radiocommunications antenna assembly, now more than 20 years old, and replaced it with a spare…

GLEN CHRISTIE | Durban North MUCH has been written about the ridiculous and backward state of affairs regarding the car licence renewal debacle, which unfortunately just reflects the incompetence of those in charge for having such a system. Queuing for such services such as Home Affairs and vehicle licensing is totally backward, unproductive and a complete waste of time in today’s age of computers and the internet. Why cannot this system be modernised? If we have the capability to detect the Omicron variant, then surely we have the capability to develop a modern licensing system that will overall reduce queuing time and be more productive? We now live in a digital world where many have access to a computer and the internet. Take this into consideration and…

MALCOLM MITCHELL | Hillcrest THE surprise expressed in the media by the organisers of both the proposed Ballito and Plettenberg Bay “Rage” festivals at the high number of positive results when mandatory testing was imposed for attendance has set me thinking. Extrapolating this tendency nationwide makes me wonder how accurate our reported “Covid-19 statistics” are. I suggest that many people, especially younger people who experience relatively mild symptoms, do not bother to have themselves tested. Perhaps our daily reported figures of positive results are inaccurate and way too low, and the Covid-19 infection rate is far more serious than we realise.…

The public has called been called on to comment on those short-listed for the post of Inspector-General of Intelligence. The Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI), said it had considered the applications in accordance with the Intelligence Services Oversight Act 40 of 1994 (the Act) and the committee’s rules, and had shortlisted 12 candidates. Among those shortlisted was Reverend Frank Chikane and former head of the domestic branch of the State Security Agency (SSA), advocate Sam Muofhe is also in the running for the position. However, it has been reported that Muofhe has turned down the nomination for the post Current Inspector-General of Intelligence Setlhomamaru Dintwe is also part of the 12 candidates that the joint standing committee on intelligence will have to choose from. Chairperson of the joint standing…

A man drowned in the Roodeplaat area after his vehicle was swept into the raging Hartbeespoort spruit after heavy rain in Pretoria at the weekend. Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said the man’s body was recovered just after 8am yesterday. This followed an intense search launched by a combined team consisting of police divers, search-and-rescue technicians from Tshwane emergency services and the Gauteng emergency medical services on Saturday. Mabaso said: “Upon arrival, a vehicle was found submerged, about a kilometre away from where it was last seen. Teams could not enter the water because of the high level and speed of the water. The search was suspended and resumed just before 6am on Sunday,” Mabaso said. | Mercury Correspondent…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za A GENDER-BASED violence (GBV) survivor yesterday encouraged victims of abuse to make use of a protection order, claiming that it could save one’s life. Sash Singh, who was speaking during an event to mark the 16 Days of Activism against GBV that was held in Queensburgh, recalled the abuse she endured at the hands of her ex-husband. “What happened in my life was like a movie – I still look back and ask myself if everything was real,” she said. She added that leaving an abusive relationship was never easy when you were the victim. DA MP Dianne Kohler Barnard, who was also at the event, said it felt like men had declared war on women and children. “What we see in terms of violence against women…

The man expected to be the main candidate to take on Angola’s President Joao Lourenco in polls next year has been re-elected as leader of the biggest opposition party after he was ousted by a court. Adalberto Costa Junior was the president of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) until October, when the Constitutional Court annulled his 2019 election as party leader. Costa Junior at the time accused the court of “an attack on democracy” without legal basis. The court’s decision came on the very same day that UNITA formed a coalition with two other groups to increase its chances of defeating the long-ruling MPLA in elections due in August 2022. However after a three-day party congress in the capital Luanda he was re-elected as the…

The US and a group of Western countries including Germany, France and Britain have expressed concern over reported killings and disappearances of former members of the Afghan security forces after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in August. The 21 countries plus the EU at the weekend referred to reports of such abuses documented by Human Rights Watch and others. “We underline that the alleged actions constitute serious human rights abuses and contradict the Taliban’s announced amnesty,” they said. “Reported cases must be investigated promptly and in a transparent manner; those responsible must be held accountable, and these steps must be clearly publicised as an immediate deterrent to further killings and disappearances.” Taliban spokespersons could not immediately be reached for comment. The Taliban have declared a general amnesty on members…

MEXICO CITY: A court in the Bocas del Toro Province of Panama has sentenced seven people to 50 years in jail for killing six children and a pregnant woman in a sectarian ritual, the province’s attorney general Humberto Rodriguez Batista said. The religious massacre took place in January 2020. Police were alerted by three people who had escaped the ritual of the religious sect known as The New Light of God that saw indigenous residents tortured and beaten by 10 lay preachers to make them repent their sins. The victims of the cultists were five children, their pregnant mother and their 17-year old female neighbour. The leader of the sect was the childrens’ grandfather.…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za A R2.9 BILLION shot in the arm from the state to arms manufacturer Denel has not helped its situation as it still has to struggle with the disposal of its assets, timed for early next year, to meet its financial obligations, largely interest payments on debt, chief executive Willliam Hloakoane says. A large part of the R2.9 bn subvention announced by Finance Minister Enock Godongwana in his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement is being used to reduce interest payments on debt while it negotiates with interested buyers for the sale of some assets, including properties, by January next year to stabilise its finances. This as the United Association of South Africa (Uasa) is pushing legal action on two fronts against the state-owned enterprise (SOE), with Public…

Machine Gun Kelly once accidentally stabbed himself while trying to impress Megan Fox. The 31-year-old musician – whose real name is Colson Baker – is currently in a relationship with the Jennifer’s Body actress, and has said that while he was in the process of trying to win her over, he managed to puncture himself in the hand with a knife as he was showing off. Kelly admitted he was playing around with an engraved knife given to him by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker when the incident occurred. He said: “Travis got me this knife that had an engravement from the new album on it and I was like, ‘Check this out, this is sick’, and I threw it up and it came and stuck in my hand.” And though…

Tarryn-Leigh Solomons Tarryn-Leigh.Solomons@inl.co.za POLITICAL parties are calling for a review of the fuel price model. This comes after huge fuel price hikes last week, however, the issue was made worse for motorists after the Department of Energy mistakenly announced that they would be coughing up an extra 81 cents per litre as of December 1. This was corrected a day later, when it was announced that there had been miscalculations, and that the price hike was actually 75 cents per litre. Retailers indicated that motorists would be refunded for the error. Based on the recent hikes and the miscalculation, the IFP approached the Office of the Speaker in Parliament to request a debate on the fuel price and levies, which have placed further financial strain on citizens. The request was,…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg What at first seemed like a short-term safety measure to curb the spread of the virus, the Covid-19 safety protocols rapidly evolved into different life adjustments. The novel coronavirus proved unsettling for everyone in several ways. Teachers also had to figure out new methods to teach during the cur rent pandemic. They were required to rethink or reconfigure lesson plans to fit a very different teaching environment. During these extraordinary times, teachers have done an incredible service to pupils, parents and by extension to the community at large by way of adapting to the various challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It has not become any easier for teachers since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in South Africa on March 5, 2020.…

VA VOLKER | Pietermaritzburg THE untimely resignation of Hermione Cronje is presumably because of justified frustration at the State’s dragging of feet or incapacity to make real progress with prosecution of the corruption of high flyers. Is it justified to ask the question whether the lack of progress is deliberate because of (internal ANC) concern that further skeletons in the party’s cupboard might be revealed? It is totally unacceptable that billions of rand are being spent on long drawn out investigations revealing further billions of corrupt state wastage and mostly personal theft with no visible progress of prosecutions. Why is it that private investigators reveal more corruption and deliberate misappropriation than State efforts? The requirement to “step aside” is merely an internal ANC arrangement – even though it…

Oh, my island in the sun, Rugby viewed live by everyone… OF COURSE it was way short of being everyone at King’s Park on Friday for the Sharks-Bulls match. Two thousand people stretch very thin across the stadium. But at least it’s a start. And who was that gorgeous girl sitting in what used to be my seat in the main grandstand? Yes, the TV camera panned a lot of close-ups of the stadium and the “crowd”, interspersing an exciting game with waves of nostalgia. The memories come from what seems aeons ago, yet it’s only two seasons. What’s happened to the Wildebeest Club? What of the Duikers’ Club, where they specialise in Cossack dancing on the bar counter, and which operated for 50 years without a liquor licence under…

Samkelo Mtshali samkelo.thulasizwe@inl.co.za The ANC says it supports the work of the SA Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) hearings into the July unrest, but reserves the right to challenge any submissions made to it. This comes after testimony, before SAHRC commissioners Andre Gaum, Chris Nissen and Philile Ntuli, last week put the ANC at the centre of the unrest. In his submission to the inquiry, David Bruce, an independent researcher in the field of policing and public security, who works as a consultant for the Institute for Security Studies, said the unrest which swept across KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng had emerged within the ranks of the governing ANC or people associated with the party. Bruce said to the best of their knowledge the correct characterisation of the unrest was that…

Armed robbers held health officials at gunpoint at a vaccination site in Soshanguve in Tshwane at the weekend. The incident took place at the township’s Wonder City Taxi Rank on Saturday. The armed suspects, who were driving a white Toyota Quantum, attacked health workers at about 9am. Gauteng health spokesperson Kwara Kekana said the perpetrators fled with vaccination programme gadgets, consisting of three tablets, one smartphone and six cellphones belonging to the team. Kekana said the department condemned in the strongest possible terms the attack on the Tshwane District vaccination team. In a separate incident, which took place on November 29, a West Rand Health District Services bakkie carrying mobile site equipment and gazebos was hijacked in Chamdor, Kagiso township. | Mercury Correspondent…

Siyavuya Mzantsi siyavuya.mzantsi@inl.co.za THE son of Cradock Four martyr Fort Calata, Lukhanyo Calata, says the families had been caught by surprise and left “deeply disgusted” by the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) failure to announce whether the state would prosecute those behind the murders of his father and his comrades Sicelo Mhlauli, Sparrow Mkhonto and Matthew Goniwe. The State Attorney, in a letter to the families’ legal representatives dated November 9, stated that national director of public prosecution, advocate Shamila Batohi, undertook to make a decision whether to prosecute no later than December 2, said the Calata Foundation. However, the NPA missed the deadline. Justice Minister Ronald Lamola had also told the inaugural Fort Calata memorial lecture in Cradock, Eastern Cape, on November 5 that a judge would be appointed…

ATHENS: Pope Francis yesterday returned to the island of Lesbos, the migration flashpoint he first visited in 2016, calling the neglect of migrants the “shipwreck of civilisation”. The pope has long championed the cause of migrants and his visit comes a day after he delivered a stinging rebuke to Europe which he said was “torn by nationalist egoism”. “In Europe there are those who treat the problem as a matter that does not concern them,” the pope said as he spent two hours at Lesbos’ Mavrovouni camp where nearly 2 200 asylum seekers live. On the second day of his visit to Greece, he met dozens of child asylum seekers and relatives standing behind metal barriers and stopped to embrace a boy called Mustafa. “I am trying to help you,”…

Marine debris including Styrofoam, plastic bottles and discarded fishing gear has been washing ashore on Okinoshima island, a World Heritage site about 60km off Kyushu. Although the island belongs to the city of Munakata, Fukuoka Prefecture, access is restricted because it is regarded as a sacred residence of Shinto deities. The job of cleaning up this debris has fallen on priests from the Munakata Taisha shrine on Kyushu. However, they have been finding that garbage is accumulating in between the tetrapod concrete blocks that prevent erosion and protect the island’s harbour, which is complicating the problem. There is abundant fishing in the waters around the island because of the warm Tsushima Current, but the large amount of marine debris is threatening this ecosystem. “The beautiful ocean has now become an…

CHANGSHA (China): A total of 57 tombs dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) have been excavated in central China’s Hunan Province, shedding light upon funeral customs in southern China during that period. The tomb complex in Yangtian Village under Hengshan County, received approval for archaeological excavation as a result of an expressway construction. The excavation lasted from August to November, unearthing 105 pieces of pottery, copper ware and glassware. Many tombs have niches with pots containing rice. Storing grain in tombs had been a burial custom since the Han Dynasty.…

Philippa Larkin philippa.larkin@inl.co.za IN A VICTORY for problem-plagued Eskom, the power utility said on Friday that the North Gauteng High Court had ordered the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to process its application and to make a revenue decision for the 2023 financial year, which begins on April 1, 2022. The revenue decision would be based on the application made by Eskom to Nersa on June 2. This followed an urgent application by Eskom to overturn Nersa’s decision to reject the Eskom revenue application on the basis that a new pricing methodology was needed, a move the state-owned enterprise argued would create a regulatory vacuum for the electricity supply industry. Eskom also argued adapting to the new application process might take longer, jeopardising its financial status through…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za The OUTLOOK for South Africa’s business activity remained strong in November after private sector sentiment recovered to growth territory not seen since May. This has signalled a modest recovery in business conditions after a two-week strike by the biggest metal workers union disrupted activity in October. The IHS Markit Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) released on Friday rose to a six-month high in November, driven by output, new orders and employment. The PMI jumped to 51.7 index points from contractionary levels of 48.6 index points as the metal workers’ strike cost the economy R600 million and R300m in salary losses. IHS Markit said the latest data indicated only a slight uplift in business activity midway through the final quarter, following a sharp downturn in…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za ETHEKWINI is bearing the brunt of the surge in Covid-19 cases, with the district accounting for more than half of the cases recorded this past weekend. In the province, 1 002 cases were recorded on Saturday and more than 500 of these cases were in the eThekwini district. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala revealed this yesterday while delivering an update on the state of Covid-19 infections in the province. He said cases in the province over the past few days had been increasing at an alarming rate and the increase was driven by the Omicron variant. He warned that those who continued to reject vaccination placed themselves at greater risk of infections that were accompanied by more severe outcomes. Zikalala spoke on the infections, rate of vaccinations and…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za THE swift appointment of a CEO at the Catherine Booth Hospital on the North Coast will go a long way towards solving the problems that have been experienced at the health facility. This is the view of labour union National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) which has written to Health Head of Department Dr Sandile Tshabalala over the problems at the hospital. This comes after it emerged at the weekend that the hospital had been without power for two days. The KwaZulu-Natal Health Department confirmed yesterday that the hospital had been without electricity and said this had been due to electrical repair work that had been conducted by power utility Eskom. “First, as of this afternoon, power has been restored at Catherine Booth Hospital. “That…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff NEITHER science nor health reasons substantiate the remarks by Discovery Health CEO Adrian Gore published in BizNews on December 4, asserting the need for mandatory Covid-19 vaccination. In the first place, mandatory Covid-19 vaccination is entirely disproportionate to the actual risk posed. This is borne out by the fact that the recovery rate of Covid-infected persons in South Africa is 96% and would have been even greater had hospitals provided ivermectin or hydroxychloroquin treatment. The death rate from tuberculosis in 2019, some 63 000, exceeded the number of deaths alleged to have been caused by Covid during the first 12 months of the so-called pandemic. Illustrative of the extent to which Covid-19 deaths were grossly exaggerated is the Italian government’s revision of…

SIMON T DEHAL | Verulam PRAYERFUL best wishes to all South Africans and overseas and local associates and families for a lovely festive season, including a blessed Christmas and successful New Year. This will be the second festive period that we will be in lockdown. With the successful local government elections held on November 1, 2021, it is hoped the new councils and councillors will work in unison and make good on their many promises so that the new year will result in good governance, clean administration and above all successful service delivery, per constitutional mandate. In this way many persons and families, primarily those previously disadvantaged, will now be able to enjoy the real benefits of democracy and have their lives uplifted. Despite ongoing challenges, including the…

WE WERE snowed in and I was somewhat caught up with my housekeeping, and the laundry was all done and folded. My younger boy was in his room downstairs and the older one was at work. And, it came over me. I began to miss my sons, both of whom were very reachable. One was so near I could hear his television. The other had already called and texted several times during the day, as is his normal routine. I realised I was missing an era, the times they were both on top of me, getting in my way. I was missing them running all over the house, chasing each other, doing cartwheels and landing on the sofa, skateboarding from the kitchen to the living room. I was missing their…

Police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) said a Northern Cape police sergeant, 39, committed suicide after he allegedly shot dead his wife. The police officer had also shot a man, 24, who was at the scene with his 32-year-old wife – raising speculation of an apparent love triangle. Ipid national spokesperson Grace Langa said the purported love affair could not be officially confirmed without the concerned families’ input. “On (Saturday) at about 8am Ipid members for Springbok policing precinct received a phone call of a murder and attempted murder in Springbok. They proceeded to the crime scene and arrived at 12 (midday) in Springbok. “It is alleged that at about 6.05am, a complainant reported to the police that a member of POPS (public order police) Springbok shot…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za Parliament will decide tomorrow whether to pass a law that would allow for the expropriation of land without compensation. It provides for circumstances where land can be expropriated for land reform and the compensation payable may be nil. This comes after the matter was shelved ahead of the elections in November, with political parties agreeing to table it for adoption in December. A two-thirds majority is required for the land expropriation law to be passed. A deal between the ANC and EFF would have enabled the issue to be approved in the National Assembly. However, the ANC and the EFF have been at odds over aspects of the issue. The EFF wants the state to be the custodian of all land in the country, whereas the…

Zama Ngcoya zama.ngcoya@inl.co.za UMGENI Water says the refurbishment of a shaft pump from the Durban Heights Water Works is progressing well and on schedule. Shami Harichunder, the corporate stakeholder manager at Umgeni Water, said: “Work is progressing well on the refurbishment of Pump 1, which failed on the night of November 11, precipitating water shortages in many parts of Durban. Reports received by Umgeni Water from the contractor appointed to undertake the work show that the programme for refurbishment and re-installation of this emergency shaft pump is in line with the schedule provided by the contractor.” Harichunder further said that the shaft pump was removed and taken to Johannesburg where work was being conducted on it. According to the schedule, the pump was due to be re-installed at the Durban…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za Thousands of people protested along KwaZulu-Natal’s beaches and in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces yesterday against Shell’s seismic survey planned for the Wild Coast. The protest follows a court ruling by the Makhanda High Court on Friday giving Shell the go-ahead to proceed with its seismic activity off the Wild Coast. The ruling followed an application for an urgent interdict to halt the survey, which was brought by four organisations – Greenpeace Africa, Natural Justice, the Border Deep Sea Angling Association, and the Kei Mouth Ski Boat Club. The court ruled that the applicants had failed to convince it that there was a reasonable apprehension of “irreparable harm” if the interdict was not granted and that given the financial and other prejudice to Shell if the…

AVOIDING crowded indoor spaces, wearing masks, sanitising hands and maintaining a social distance have been crucial to the personal responsibility aligned to staying safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. As the Omicron variant takes its toll on the country and infection numbers grow, the vaccine is still seen as the most effective measure to protect fellow citizens from the severest effects of the pandemic. Since Friday at least 46 000 people in Gauteng have received their vaccines, and in the Western Cape the number was more than 22 000. Several hospitals that have seen a large number of Covid-19 admissions are reporting that most of those patients had not been vaccinated. The debate over mandatory vaccination rages on, but experts and doctors have backed vaccination as the most effective method…

The reluctance of the US to lift all sanctions on Iran is the main challenge to reviving a 2015 nuclear pact, a senior Iranian official said yesterday, as Western powers questioned Tehran’s determination to salvage the agreement. Indirect talks between Washington and Tehran on reinstating their nuclear pact broke off on Friday, with both sides saying they would resume the following week, as Western officials voiced dismay at sweeping demands by the Islamic Republic. “It is now clear Washington’s reluctance to give up sanctions altogether is the main challenge to the progress of the talks,” the unnamed official was quoted as saying by Iran’s Tasnim news agency. “We believe a deal is within reach if the US government gives up its campaign of maximum pressure and the European parties show…

Rabat: Moroccan police have foiled an attempt to smuggle 8.99 tons of cannabis near Casablanca, the police said. The drugs were carefully hidden in large blocks of marble of about 10 tons each, intended for export to an African country, it added. The operation occurred at a warehouse located in the village of Moualin El Oued near Casablanca, it said, adding that large sums of money and two cars with fake licence plates were also seized, Xinhua news agency reported. Five people were arrested for their alleged involvement in the international trafficking of drugs.…