Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-02-03 i Mercury

THERE are growing fears among careful economists that South Africa’s descent into a cesspit of neoliberal ideals such as the current development by dispossession may have now crossed an inflection point. The consequences, both economic and social, could be unfathomably dire. Development by dispossession is a route through which accumulation by dispossession is first achieved using the parliamentary money bills process. Interested politicians and aligned bureaucrats seek to enfeeble the state and the population at large in a static and monolithic logic of subsidising profit accumulation by private firms of the local elite and their connected foreign counterparts. The rest of the private sector (majority) is fed on an ever-slimming diet of credit, chokingly high interest rates and drying state support. South Africa’s dispossession is attained by encoding in economic…

Lehlohonolo Mashigo lehlohonolo.mashigo@inl.co.za Judge President of the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) Mandisa Maya yesterday highlighted the need for gender transformation during her interview for the position of chief justice of the country. She said that while great strides had been made regarding race, gender diversity remained a hurdle in the judiciary. “There is this big misconception that the judiciary and even the professions are more transformed in terms of gender than they actually are. It is important to clarify that women are still hopelessly under-represented in all spheres of the law,” said Judge Maya. “Government must give black lawyers and women lawyers quality work so that we have a pool from which we can tap when we look for judges, and we have people who are ready, who have…

| Reuters Beijing resident Zhang Wenquan is looking forward to this week’s Winter Olympics more than most residents of the Chinese capital. Zhang, who works in logistics for a construction company, is obsessed with the Olympics, and has been collecting memorabilia from around the world for 20 years. More than 5 000 items, from giant cuddly mascots and Olympic torch replicas to commemorative stamps and coins, fill his small house in one of the historic Xicheng district’s alleys. “I feel very tired after work, but when I see the collection I feel very happy,” said Zhang, who donned Olympic-themed clothing to show off his home, where high ceilings and packed shelves make it look like a shop. “They are not just things but carry the memories of each Olympic…

DAVID CARTWRIGHT | Hillcrest I WISH to enlarge on comment by Colin Burger (The Mercury, January 31) regarding the sheer filth that now epitomises the once wonderful city of Durban. While it is undeniable that eThekwini is filthy and dysfunctional, corruption-ridden and, frankly, it is way past time for people to resist, by every conceivable means, the payment of rates, taxes and whatever other monies feed the system which the useless councillors use for their personal gratification at the trough of plenty! Long may they revert to the good old staple of pap.…

YUGEN MOODLEY | Community Activist-ADeC I am referring to a recent news article where it was mentioned that the deputy mayor is driving around suburbs to check the state of service delivery. According to the article, he sends the head of the relevant departments a WhatsApp immediately if there are service-delivery issues like bin bags that are not collected or street lights that are not working. He also requests that these issues be addressed urgently or “heads will roll”. This is the calibre of person eThekwini needs. But in doing so, he is getting resistance from those very lazy and incompetent officials that are used to sitting at their desks and receiving a fat salary at the end of the month. These lazy officials want the deputy mayor…

Baldwin Ndaba baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za THE Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has since 2020 paid salaries to more than 3 000 ghost workers registered as permanent employees in their system. This was revealed by the new Prasa board when it briefed the media about its plans to root out corruption, which has plagued it over many years. The situation worsened when criminals started destroying train stations and rail networks while the country was under Covid-19 lockdown. Prasa board chairperson Leonard Ramatlakane and board member advocate Smanga Sethene told the media that their board, which was appointed in October 2020, had conducted Operation Ziveze (Show Up) in order to do a head count of employees. They said they were told that the agency had a workforce of 17 000, but during…

The SA Weather Service says the country is in no immediate danger from tropical Cyclone Batsirai which was making its way across the southern Indian Ocean. Batsirai is the second named system of the 2021/22 season for the south-west Indian Ocean domain. The weather bureau said Batsirai had sustained winds of about 140km/h and was moving slowly south-west at 18.5km/h. The latest track forecast issued by RSMC La Reunion, responsible for issuing advisories and tracking tropical cyclones in the south-west Indian Ocean, suggests that Batsirai should pass north of Mauritius and Reunion in the next few days. Rain bands around the periphery of the cyclone may affect these islands. Madagascar was likely to be affected by the tropical cyclone. “It seems highly likely that the eastern coastline of Madagascar…

DUBAI: The US will send a warship and fighter jets to help defend the United Arab Emirates, officials said yesterday. after a series of missile attacks by Yemeni rebels left three dead in the wealthy Gulf state. The deployment, to “assist the UAE against the current threat”, follows a phone call between Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the US embassy in the UAE said. The UAE, part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Iran- backed Houthi rebels and a major financial hub, suffered its third missile attack in consecutive weeks on Monday. As part of the new arrangements, the USS Cole guided missile destroyer will partner with the UAE Navy and make a port call in Abu Dhabi, while the US will…

LOS ANGELES: Taraji P Henson will star in The Color Purple. The 51-year-old actress will play the role of Shug Avery in Blitz Bazawule’s musical take on Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film of that name. The forthcoming Warner Bros movie is an adaptation of the award-winning Broadway musical, itself an adaptation of the novel by Alice Walker. The production will be directed by Blitz – known for his work on Beyoncé’s Black is King – and Marcus Gardley has written the screenplay based on Walker’s book, Spielberg’s film and the musical.…

In a bizarre incident just a day before the reopening of schools in West Bengal in India, two teachers – a headmaster and an assistant teacher – of a government school in Nadia district engaged in a physical brawl. The other teachers and employees had to rush in to bring the situation under control. The incident took place at Krishnanagar Collegiate School where headmaster Monoranjan Biswas and assistant teacher of geography, Nimai Majumdar, got involved in a fight in front of the headmaster’s room yesterday afternoon. According to Majumdar, he had asked for his salary slip which the headmaster refused, following which he staged a sit-in demonstration in front of the headmaster’s room with a placard in his hands. “The headmaster physically assaulted me,” Majumdar told the media. However, a…

KIEV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that Kyiv was focused “only on peace”, but insisted his country had the right to defend itself amid fears of a potential Russian invasion. The Kremlin, which has deployed troops to Ukraine’s borders, has complained about Western arms deliveries to its neighbour. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday accused the West of using Ukraine as a “tool”. Zelensky said: “For us it is very important that these weapons are all for our defence. Our only concern is peace and ending the occupation of territory through purely diplomatic means.”…

Oluthando Keteyi Racy dancer and reality TV star, Zodwa Wabantu, is enjoying every minute of her relationship with Olefile Mpudi. Zodwa is seemingly in love with her Ben 10, so much so that she has even inked his name on her wrist. The happy couple took to Instagram to debut their new body art, which could be described as a form of them professing their love to each other. In the video, Zodwa says getting a tattoo of her boyfriend’s name as old as she is, people are going to say her boyfriend is making her crazy. Despite the anticipated judgement, Zodwa explained that they got the ink for their love and happiness. In her caption on Instagram, Zodwa referred to her man as the love of her life. “Getting…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za OPPOSITION parties in eThekwini Municipality have questioned the city’s commitment to fighting corruption following revelations that its blacklisting committee has been without a chairperson for the past five months. This emerged at one of the city’s executive committee meetings last month. The committee’s job is to determine whether the companies that are doing business with the municipality are doing so ethically and in cases where allegations of wrongdoing are substantiated, it will blacklist those companies, thereby preventing them from doing business with the municipality. The term of the then-chairperson expired in September last year after a year in office. However, the city has argued that the committee being without a chairperson has not had a negative impact. It said the previous members were appointed by then acting…

THERE is a fundamental wellness truth that is obvious but missed or avoided by many. I will get to why it is avoided by so many in a moment, but first, here it is: Take care of yourself, first. First, mind your own business. I don’t mean “mind your own business” in the ways our language and culture usually hears it, as in keep your nose out of other people’s affairs, although that is a really good idea. By “mind your own business” I mean take care of your own behaviour, concerns, worries, reactions, unhappiness, anger, dreams and ambitions – work on your own stuff before you focus on what others are doing or not doing. Many conflicts are avoided in my home when I take care of my own…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff IN VIEW of the abandonment of Covid-19 restrictions and mandatory jabs in the UK, Denmark, Mexico, Peru, the Saskatchewan province of Canada and 13 states in the US, it is disappointing to note that the ANC government continues to apply the rapidly fizzling Covid/vax narrative and promotion of the jab. A meta-analysis conducted by scientists at John Hopkins University has concluded that the policies of lockdown, social distancing and masks are “ill-founded” and should be “rejected”. Scientists not under the influence of the imposed narrative, have repeatedly pointed out that because the apertures in the weave of masks average 80 microns in size, they do not repel the Covid-19 virus which is one micron in size. Although there is no excuse for ignorance…

“BEAVER!” That was a bit of rudeness that, way back in the 1920s, would sometimes be shouted at anyone sporting a beard, making him look a bit like one of the woodland creatures that fell trees to build dams. The shouting rudeness happened a lot in Britain, but they must have been thinking of American beavers because in Britain the species was hunted to extinction in the 16th century for the animals’ fur, meat and scent glands. But the beavers are back. They have been returned to parts of Scotland, England and Wales, according to the BBC, in the hope they can restore wetland habitats and help boost other wetland species. Footage has been captured of beavers making themselves at home in a Derbyshire nature reserve. They were filmed grooming…

Mercury Reporter World-renowned speaker and author John Sanei, will speak about TransForMotion, or the transition we are all going through, at the Regent Business School event this month. Sanei, who touches on human psychology, neuroscience, quantum science, futurism and business strategy in his talks, will be the first keynote speaker at the event at Durban’s Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani hotel on February 28. The event will give the audience the last opportunity to hear Sanei speak before he moves to Dubai. He will look at the neuroscience behind our emotional blocks; the biases that leaders have; and how to shift an organisation’s behaviour to prepare for the road ahead. “As we endure the greatest transformation of our time, continuously questioning every aspect of life, the challenge is to cultivate…

THE University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has issued a warning to students about an enrolment scam in which a group of people are getting students to “register” for programmes that do not exist. UKZN’s executive director of corporate relations, Normah Zondo, said university management had been made aware of a group of individuals who are making false representations in an attempt to dupe unsuspecting students into “registering” for programmes that do not exist. “The scammers are allegedly posing as administrators of two programmes that were discontinued a few years ago – the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Primary Health Care Programme (PHC) and the Bachelor of Nursing Advanced Practice Programme (BNAP),” she said. UKZN encouraged the public to report any suspicious behaviour or correspondence confidentially, 24/7, through the following channels: Toll-free: 0800…

Ntombi Nkosi ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za THE National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has filed papers in the Labour Court to force the ANC to pay its staff their outstanding salaries. The union, representing the employees, said that it was in full support of the staff members in their fight for improved conditions of service. Nehawu said workers were going through “a sad and traumatising period”, as a result of the ANC’s failure to honour and fulfil its contractual obligations, which include the payment of salaries on time; contributions/payments to the Provident Fund; and contributions to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). The union said the ANC had previously made commitments and promises, which raised the hopes of its employees that it would pay salaries and contribute to their Provident Fund, UIF…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has announced that it has suspended an agricultural adviser for serious misconduct after he was allegedly caught transporting voters during the by-election in Bergville, Okhahlamba District yesterday. MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi expressed concern and instructed the department to act within the ambit of the law to hold the official accountable. It was also alleged that the official embezzled fertilisers, seeds and farming implements, which were earmarked to support the community as part of political campaigning. Sithole-Moloi said due to the gravity of the allegations, and in order to ensure that the investigation proceeded in an unhindered manner, the perpetrator had been placed on precautionary suspension from duty pending the finalisation of the investigation. “We trust our officials to deliver services…

Can Ramaphosa set a good example when he responds to Scopa? During his inauguration on Africa Day in 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa, closing his address, said, “Having taken the oath of office, I am saying yes, South Africa, Thuma Mina. “And I pledge here today that I will serve you, I will work with you, side by side, to build the South Africa that we all want and deserve.” These words were a seal, committing the president to put South Africa first – not his governing party, the ANC. After many years of impunity and the hollowing out of state institutions, this was a necessary commitment to: run a clean government that survives on accountability; prioritise consequence management so as to root out corruption; accept the responsibility of rebuilding trust…

Twenty-six people were killed yesterday when an overhead high-voltage cable fell into a drainage ditch at a market in the DRC’s capital Kinshasa, local authorities said. “The cable snapped and the live end fell into a ditch filled with water after morning rain. At present, 26 people have died from electrocution,” said Charles Mbutamuntu, the spokes- person for the Kinshasa provincial government. The ditch runs across the popular Matadi-Kibala food market in the west of the city, a sprawling metropolis of more than 10 million people. “Most of the people killed were traders and customers, and some passers-by. The bodies are being taken to the morgue and an investigation has been opened to establish responsibility,” Mbutamuntu said. Videos on social media showed corpses slumped over market stalls with their legs…

LOS ANGELES: Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, has come out in support of podcast host Joe Rogan, who posted a video on Instagram clarifying his stand over controversy around the spreading of Covid misinformation on Spotify. Rogan insisted that he was only debating the issue with his podcast guests, including Dr Peter McCullough, who made a series of false claims about Covid. “My pledge to you is that I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives, so we can maybe find a better point of view,” Rogan said in the video. Johnson commented: “Great stuff here, brother. Perfectly articulated.” Johnson told Rogan that he “looks forward” to coming on the podcast one day and “breaking out the tequila with you”.…

GENEVA: The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday warned of risks of teleworking for physical health, such as back pains, and mental health issues, such as social isolation, constant stress and loneliness, while predicting that the trend will continue post-pandemic as employees hone in on its benefits. “When properly organised and supported, telework may have positive impacts on workers’ physical and mental health and social well-being. However, when the health and safety risks of teleworking are not prevented and workers cannot make healthy choices while teleworking, such work can have significant negative impacts on health,” the WHO said.…

MIKE GREENAWAY mike.greenaway@inl.co.za LAST week, the Sharks’ attack coach Noel McNamara did not mince his words when asked how difficult it is to play rugby in Durban at the height of summer. The Irishman, talking in the build-up to last week’s big URC clash with the Stormers at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, said: “Every morning, you get out of bed and step into an oven. And you bake all day.” It is for that reason that the Sharks won’t mind escaping the oven this weekend and playing the Stormers in the cooler climes of Cape Town. Make no mistake, the sun still shines brightly in the Fairest Cape but the steamy, suffocating humidity is refreshingly absent and that makes handling the ball so much easier. After last week’s 22-22 draw in…

Siyabonga Mkhwanazi siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za AUDITOR-GENERAL Tsakani Maluleke has cautioned that clean audits should not be used to demonstrate that there has been service delivery. Maluleke told members of the National Council of Provinces yesterday that people should not confuse a clean audit outcome with the delivery of services. She said a clean audit confirmed that financial management was in place, and the rule of law was applied in how public funds were used. This was important for a strong institution, she said. Service delivery was an important aspect in local government and municipalities had to deliver services. “The value of an audit cannot be understated. It should never be confused with saying service delivery has happened. “If somebody gets a clean audit, it does not necessarily mean that there has been…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za POLICE Minister General Bheki Cele says detectives tasked with investigating political killings in KwaZulu-Natal are making good progress and have secured convictions. Cele was briefing the media in Durban yesterday following an Inter-Ministerial Committee meeting on political killings. Concerns have been raised in recent weeks after the murders of ANC eThekwini councillor Minenhle Mkhize and Amajuba speaker Bhekumndeni Ndima. Cele said that progress was being made regarding the cases. He said that the task team, which comprises police and the National Prosecuting Authority, had since 2018 investigated 258 dockets in which 289 arrests were made in politically related cases; this is 32 more dockets compared with the last update in June last year, with a 54% detection rate and 33% court rate and an 83% conviction…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof HE IS the most powerful man in the country, president of country and party. Like all government officials, he has placed his hand on his heart and sworn allegiance to the country to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the land. And if he fails in his duty, he is accountable to Parliament and the people. But he’s also human and bound to make errors of judgement in policy and execution of his duties. That is why we have a Parliament to question the president and his executive and rein them in whenever they wander off the path. The true test of a democracy is the extent to which the president and his executive are answerable to Parliament and the people. To strengthen…

TONY BALL | Gillitts WHO are we appointing as custodians of our public finances because I cannot believe that the excuse from MPL finance chairperson Sipho Nkosi is supposed to be taken seriously (The Mercury, February 1)? He says that in 2013 “we took a decision that stronger oversight must be taken on Ezemvelo Wildlife”, but nine years later the injecting of money into a bottomless pit continues at the pace of an express train, yet the man pontificates as though he has had a eureka moment. This sadly, is the tale of every government-run organisation and what was a fantastic source of revenue and image in terms of tourism is now derelict and not fit for purpose. Now there will be a study, a task team, pages…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za Former Eskom and Transnet chief executive Brian Molefe has expressed his frustration at the second report of the commission of inquiry into state capture that recommended further investigations on him. Molefe has been implicated in Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo’s second report, which was released on Tuesday. However, he told Independent Media that he was frustrated by the outcomes of several probes into his conduct as head of the two key state-owned entities. “My life has been on hold for five years now. It looks like it will be like that for the next 10 years judging by Justice Zondo’s recommendations,” Molefe complained. He said ex-public protector Thuli Madonsela’s state of capture report, the subsequent parliamentary inquiry and now Justice Zondo’s report all called for further investigations…

A stray young male lion roaming around next to the R71 in the Phalaborwa area in Limpopo has been captured by wildlife rangers. This after the carnivore reportedly escaped from one of the conservation facilities in the area. The lion was spotted by a motorist driving on the R71 yesterday morning. Phalaborwa is a tourist town known to house the Phalaborwa gate into the world renowned Kruger National Park as well as other private facilities. In May 2020 seven lions were caught roaming near Louis Trichardt. | Mercury Correspondent…

Eight suspects appeared in the Sekhukhune Magistrate’s Court this week, after they were accused of killing three people in an act of vigilantism. The suspects, aged between 39 and 64, allegedly killed the three victims at Ga-Maila a Mapitsana, Limpopo, on January 24, after the victims were accused of stock theft. The suspects face four counts of kidnapping and three counts of murder. They were all remanded in custody and their matter was postponed for their bail application to be held later this week. In a similar incident at Lemondokop village in Sekgosese, police arrested a 34-year-old suspect, after the community in the area allegedly killed a man who was found inside the house of one of the locals. They accused him of theft and allegedly severely assaulted him. He…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za Problems of broken fences at game parks, rundown chalets and dangerous access roads will continue to haunt Ezemvelo Wildlife, unless the entity deals with its capacity problems. This is the assessment of some of the Members of the Provincial Legislature (MPLs) who visited different game parks in the province over the past two days as part of a fact-finding mission. Lourens de Klerk of the IFP was critical of the state of the facilities they had visited, saying it came as no surprise that there were fewer tourists visiting the game reserves. “When you visit a place and are paying for it, you want to enjoy the experience. The last thing you want is a dangerous road, an air conditioner that is not working or a roof…

Jolene Marriah-Maharaj jolene.marriah@inl.co.za KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has called on police to arrest the person who shot and injured two paramedics in a robbery attempt in the early hours of Tuesday. The attempted robbery took place at the Emergency Medical Services base in the KwaMashu Community Health Centre. Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala said it was alleged that at 1.48am, two paramedics were at the clinic performing their duties when they were attacked by an armed man. “The suspect opened fire, wounding a 55-year-old victim in the abdomen and the second victim, aged 50, attempted to fight the suspect but was shot in the chest. “The suspect jumped the fence when he spotted the security guards, leaving behind his 9mm pistol and two cellphones. “The paramedics were…

THE DA is not fooling anyone by thinking its silence on the scandal involving its Western Cape chairperson and suspended Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz will put the party in a much better position. Quite the opposite, this scandal will have a devastating impact on the party’s already compromised image and will fuel the perception that the DA is vocal on matters concerning other organisations, but keeps quiet when its own are involved. The voices of John Steenhuisen and Helen Zille have been notably missing since the news broke about allegations against Fritz. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde suspended him following allegations that he sexually abused young women who were part of the Extended Public Works Programme while he was Social Development MEC. These allegations are so serious that they…

Two out-of-control bushfires yesterday threatened lives and homes in Western Australia, with blistering temperatures set to intensify in the coming days. An emergency warning for the outskirts of Perth was issued after a blaze, that has now burned through about 100 hectares, began Tuesday. Authorities are concerned about the fire reaching residential areas, as fierce winds strain containment lines. Emergency services have told residents they are “in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes”. Perth is forecast to hit near 40°C until Saturday. “The emergency warning remains in place due to the wind intensity that is impacting the fire ground today, which continues to put pressure on containment lines,” the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said. Meanwhile, a second bushfire…

Ethiopia’s human rights body yesterday implicated security forces in the killings of more than a dozen civilians last year in an incident that has stoked tensions in the restive Oromia region. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission said the victims were “cruelly killed with gunshots in the presence of local officials and security officials after being arrested and forcibly taken to a forest” roughly 200km east of the capital Addis Ababa. “EHRC has reasonable grounds to believe this amounted to extrajudicial killings,” it said in a statement, referring to the incident last December in the Fentale district. The dead were members of the Gada system of traditional governance practised by the Oromo ethnic group, Ethiopia’s largest. In 2016, Unesco inscribed the Gada system on its list of intangible cultural heritage of…

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will get on with the job of governing, after another of his Conservative lawmakers said they planned to submit a letter of no confidence in his leadership. Asked yesterday by a lawmaker in parliament about the latest letter, Johnson responded: “It tells me it is more vital than ever for the government of this country to get on with the job, deliver our Covid recovery plan, and that is what we are doing.” Johnson said he would comply with the law, when asked about the potential outcomes of a police probe into gatherings at No 10 Downing Street during lockdowns.…

HERMAN GIBBS herman.gibbs@gmail.com THE Disciplinary Board of CAF have come down hard on Roger da Sa for showing the opposition camp the middle finger during a fracas at the end of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations match between Egypt and Morocco on Sunday. Egypt ended 2-1 winners after extra time against Morocco in an ill-tempered Afcon quarter-final clash at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon. After the referee blew the final whistle, a post-match fracas followed between players and officials from the two north African countries who live and breathe football. It was the second time in the match that the players had squared up to each other. Around the 70th minute in the second half when the score was level at 1-1, Egypt striker Mostafa Mohamed fouled…

MIHLALI BALEKA HAD it not been that they "slept" in their pursuits, Mamelodi Sundowns would have two of the best South American internationals at their disposal. That is the opinion of co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi who opened up about their failed transfers. Known to have a knack of signing South American players, Sundowns once hunted down Colombian Luis Diaz and Brazilian Vinicius Jnr. But after delays during the negotiations, they lost out to FC Porto and Real Madrid respectively. Diaz was recently the talk of town, following his lucrative move from Porto to Liverpool in the January transfer window. While Vinicius has been one of the stand-out players at Madrid, inspiring them to the top of the La Liga standings. “We’ve lost a lot of other players,” said Mngqithi, despite lauding…