Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-02-25 i Mercury

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za KWAZULU-NATAL Premier Sihle Zikalala yesterday delivered his 2022 State of the Province Address, painting a picture of a battling province which, despite its shortcomings, will overcome its challenges. The speech which was delivered in Pietermaritzburg in front of guests including Zulu King Misuzulu KaZwelithini, and KwaZulu-Natal Deputy Judge President Isaac Madondo, laid out eight priorities for Zikalala’s administration. The priorities include job creation; growing the provincial economy; growing small businesses and co-operatives; education and skills development; human settlements; and sustainable livelihoods. Zikalala also focused on fighting crime, tackling water and electricity challenges currently crippling the province (eThekwini and Msunduzi are piloting producing their own power). “There is an urgency to decisively address the unemployment rate, particularly among the youth, women and vulnerable groups,” Zikalala said. Turning to…

IF YOU want a beautiful picture of mercy, the biblical story of Joseph is the place to go. While you are there, if you can stop yourself from singing the music from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, the widely loved musical, you will also see several family therapy axioms. After decades of separation following a rather violent and involuntary departure and then years of isolation and struggle and torment, Joseph is full of grace and mercy towards his brothers. Recognising who they are and realising his brothers have come in search of help, Joseph discloses who he is and immediately asks about their father. “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” When there legitimately could be, there is no anger or desire for payback within Joseph. “Come closer,”…

VISVIN REDDY | Morningside THE finance minister has heeded the call by the African Democratic Change party (ADeC) not to increase VAT and fuel levies. This is welcome. However, we are disappointed that no reduction in fuel taxes was considered. It is a fact that South Africans pay exorbitant fuel taxes and levies and the price of fuel is unaffordable. Fuel bought from South Africa for sale in neighbouring countries is cheaper because we pay higher taxes than they do. The announcement that vulnerable groups such as the elderly, those with disabilities and others receiving care dependency grants would receive only R90 more from April is an insult. Can a person living off the grants survive under the current cost of living? Municipal tariffs and the cost…

MERCURY CORRESPONDENTS Tributes are pouring in for rapper Riky Rick after the news of his death. The rapper’s family confirmed his passing in a statement on Wednesday. Riky, 34, whose real name was Rikhado ​Makhado, died in the early hours of Wednesday morning at his Johannesburg home. Though the family did not reveal the cause of his death, there have been reports that Riky, who spoke openly about his battle with chronic depression, may have died by suicide. His last Twitter post also fuelled the suicide rumours. “I’ll return a stronger man. This land is still my home,” tweeted Riky a few hours before his passing. In 2020, Riky spoke openly about suffering from chronic depression on an episode of his podcast series Lab Live with Yanga Chief after his…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za The legal challenge by the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and other concerned organisations to halt the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine to children between the ages of 12 and 17 is due to be heard over two days in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, from April 28. Section27 was this week admitted as amicus curiae (friend of the court) in the application by the ACDP against the Health Ministry. The ACDP wants the court to suspend the roll-out of vaccines to adolescents aged 12 to 17. But Julia Chaskalson, of Section27, said the ACDP’s arguments against child and adolescent vaccinations was based on widely discredited medical opinions, which claimed Covid-19 vaccines posed a risk to adolescents. She said their evidence had been refuted on behalf of…

Police have arrested an eleventh suspect in connection to the Rosetten- ville shoot-out between different law enforcement units and a group of alleged robbers. “Another suspect, aged 42, is expected to appear at Tembisa Magistrate’s Court on Friday (today) following his arrest on Wednesday during a crime intelligence-led multidisciplinary operation by the National CIT Task Team,” said Hawks national spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo. The man was accosted by police in the streets of Tembisa, and a 9mm pistol was found in his possession. “Further investigation led to his place of residence where a search was conducted and the following recovered: four assault rifles, five pistols including the one found in his possession, rifle and pistols magazines, more than a thousand rounds of ammunition, channel jammers, G4S and SAPS bulletproof vests…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE city employee gunned down in his office earlier this week had been receiving death threats for two years prior to his assassination on Monday afternoon. His family also revealed that even shortly before his death, the threats were still being made. One person has been arrested in connection with the murder and is alleged to be an employee of the eThekwini Municipality, in the same unit. Nkosinathi Amos Ngcobo, a superintendent with the Water and Sanitation Unit, was shot inside his office in the municipal premises near Springfield. He was shot several times and died at the scene. A family spokesperson, Nkosi Mahlangu, who is the deceased’s brother in law, said Ngcobo had alerted them to the threats at work although he was not clear on…

It is very unfortunate that many in the West, and also in South Africa, are inclined to want to place all the blame for the recent developments in Ukraine on Putin and Russia. Based on my own experiences with various Russian governments (ie meetings with President Yeltsin, Putin and Medvedev) and people over many years as part of the South African delegations of presidents Mandela, Mbeki and Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to Russia, it was very evident back then that the current crisis has a long and complex history, from both Western and Russian perspectives. The crisis was caused by complicated reasons, including Nato’s continued aggressive expansion that caused concrete security threats to Russia and other non-Nato countries in the region. So it would be grossly unfair to simply blame…

Kabul: Eight members of polio vaccination teams working to eradicate the crippling virus in Afghanistan were killed yesterday in four separate attacks, the UN said. Polio teams were often targeted by insurgent groups in Afghanistan until the Taliban’s takeover of the country last year, when the group said it wanted to work with the UN to stamp out the disease. The Taliban said they had “received the news” of the incidents and were trying to get more information. “Our policy is clear, we want to vaccinate and protect all the children in Afghanistan under the age of 5,” Javid Hajir, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said.…

DUBAI/BEIRUT: The International Monetary Fund has asked Lebanon to fulfil a string of pre-conditions before negotiating a bailout, four sources briefed on recent talks said, pressing for steps Beirut has long failed to deliver and compounding doubts over whether a rescue plan can be agreed. An IMF deal is seen as the only way for Lebanon to recover from a financial meltdown that has plunged the country into its most destabilising crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. The sources said IMF terms for initiating talks on a bailout included a framework for fiscal reform, revamping the insolvent banking sector and audits of the central bank and the loss-making state power company. “They are saying before we have further discussions, come up with actions,” one of the sources said. These also…

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za SOUTH African cricket may be facing a crisis of its own, but one of the Proteas greatest sons Gary Kirsten could soon be the man rescuing England from theirs. The English Cricket Board are on the lookout for a new coach and an overhaul of their entire system after a suffering a 4-0 Ashes humiliation in Australia last season. Chris Silverhood, who was previously chosen ahead of Kirsten for the England head coach role, has been jettisoned and the former Proteas opener and coach is once again being viewed as a leading candidate within the Lord’s corridors. What makes Kirsten particularly alluring to the ECB is the 54-year-old’s deep appreciation and dedication to Test cricket as England’s rise in white-ball cricket that culminated with winning the 2019…

Reuters, AFP and Chad Williams While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed a return to the path of peace with Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he had no other option but to order what he called a special operation against the country. Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway Donbas republics requested military assistance. Since then the Russian military has been waging an offensive against the military infrastructure of Ukraine. In a video address yesterday, Zelenskyy said: “It was not Ukraine that has chosen the path of war, but Ukraine offers to return to the path of peace.” Putin yesterday said that he had no other option, saying all of Moscow’s previous attempts to change the security situation had come to nothing. In a televised…

NEW YORK: Having the company of a pet friend may protect you from memory loss in later life and other kinds of cognitive decline, a new study finds. The preliminary research found that pet ownership was especially beneficial for working verbal memory, such as memorisation of word lists. “To our knowledge, our study is the first to consider the effect of duration of pet ownership on cognitive health,” first author Jennifer Applebaum, a sociology doctoral candidate and National Institute of Health predoctoral fellow at the University of Florida, was quoted as saying, according to CNN. “And it is not just cats and dogs that can boost the brain. People in the study also cared for rabbits, hamsters, birds, fish and reptiles, Applebaum said, although ”dogs were most prevalent, followed by…

EBRAHIM ESSA | Durban It’s rather amusing to see educated people actually defending the right of the Indian education department in Karnataka or some BJP legislators or some school principals to ban learners that wore the hijab, from attending class in parts of south India. To make comparisons like “what next, the bikini?” is not only childish, but a symbol that some footballers in this country are losing their compass of arguing logically. By the same logic, what happens now that Saudi Arabia is in bed with the Indian government, allowing temples to be built in Jeddah, and encouraging “Hindu” culture to be taught at Arabian schools, if a Saudi Princess decides to go and study in a school at Karnataka? Will they insist she takes off…

Ntombi Nkosi ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za The court has set a trial date for the R25 million money laundering case involving Gupta linked Nulane Investment. When the matter was before the Bloemfontein High Court this week, pre-trial issues were discussed. The court adjourned the matter until June 24 for these matters to be dealt with. National Prosecuting Authority Investigating Directorate spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said the R25m Nulane Investment fraud and money laundering case has been set for trial to start on January 23. The trial has been set down for just over a month until March 3 next year. “The bail conditions have been relaxed for the former head of the Free State Department of Agriculture, Limakatso Moorosi, who told the court that she needed to go to Lesotho to attend to her…

Se-Anne Rall se-anne.koopman@inl.co.za Residents need to be more active and involved in the day-to-day running of their neighbourhoods, security firms have said. The crime statistics for the third quarter of 2021/2022 released last week showed that there were increases in murders, hijackings and house robberies in the province. Charnel Hattingh, Fidelity ADT head of communications and marketing, said those wondering about how to keep themselves safe from crime should look no further than the organisations that were active right on their doorstep. “Neighbourhood watches are an integral part of any community, serving as the eyes and ears for police, law enforcement and security companies. “These groups are made up of individuals who sacrifice their time by looking out for their fellow residents, despite often having limited resources at their disposal,”…

Kristin Engel kristin.engel@inl.co.za FISHING communities and environmental groups gathered once more outside the Western Cape High Court yesterday to support the legal battle to stop seismic surveys off South Africa’s coast. The court was hearing full arguments on the interim interdict that halted Searcher Seismic from its oil and gas exploration off the West Coast. Judge Daniel Thulare heard both the applicants’ and the respondents’ arguments to decide if the ban, which instructed Searcher to discontinue any activities related to the seismic survey earlier in February, would remain in place. Once the hearing adjourned, Thulare said he would consider the arguments brought forward and make a ruling soon – in the meantime, the interim interdict would remain in place. Searcher vice-president Alan Hopping said they hoped that they would be…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za Lobby group the Black Business Federation (BBF) say they will continue pursuing Radical Economic Transformation as they believe that it is the only instrument that can ensure meaningful participation by everyone, especially the African majority. Addressing a media briefing at the Pavilion Hotel yesterday, BBF secretary-general Wonder Jaca said they were aware that security agencies were tracking their leadership, but insisted that this would not deter them from pursuing their goal of economic emancipation. Among the issues that the BBF complained about was the late payment of SMMEs, government’s favouritism to big corporates, and the use of state organs to fight alternative voices. BFF also lashed out at President Cyril Ramaphosa for what it labelled a ‘patronising’ State Of the Nation Address, calling him a president who…

BANYANA Banyana this week delivered a dose of national pride for the nation when they dispatched Algeria to qualify for the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (Awcon) in Morocco in July. The women’s national football team is quickly becoming a perfect blueprint for all junior national teams, and Bafana Bafana as well. Banyana have been a beacon of light for South African football, qualifying for major tournaments with regularity at both continental level and the world over, the last being an illustrious appearance at the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. Fifty-eight-year-old coach Desiree Ellis is in her seventh year as the Banyana mentor. Her record as the national team coach has further advanced the subject of local coaches taking charge of national teams and delivering success. Her influence and…

WINDHOEK: Namibian businesses suffered an average of 1 382 cyber-attacks each week in 2021, cyber-security research firm Check Point Research (CPR) has said. When compared to the global figure of 930 within the same period, that translated to Namibian businesses dealing with 49% more cyberthreats, CPR said. Cybersecurity education is being provided by the Check Point Cyber Security Jump Start programme where learners access free courses. “Clearly, closing the cybersecurity skills gap … is essential for protecting Africa’s businesses and boosting these nations’ economies, especially considering that cybercrime is at an all-time high,” CPR said.…

The Central African Republic yesterday released four French soldiers in the UN’s peacekeeping force in the CAR, whose arrest sparked condemnation from the UN, the mission said. “The four Minusca Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR) personnel members who were arrested... at Bangui airport have just been freed,” the mission’s chief, Mankeur Ndiaye, said on Twitter. The French embassy in the CAR capital confirmed this account. The four soldiers – members of the elite French Foreign Legion, with French, Romanian, Bulgarian and Italian nationalities – were arrested at the airport on Monday. They had gone there to escort Minusca’s military chief, General Stephane Marchenoir, who was taking a plane to Europe, the UN said. But accusations instantly circulated on social media that they had planned to “assassinate” President…

SPEAKING ahead of his team’s Caf Champions League game against ES Setif in Durban today, AmaZulu coach Benni McCarthy bemoaned the congestion of fixtures his side faces as they compete in the Premiership and in Africa. McCarthy feels that the PSL should better plan league fixtures to allow teams to prepare for continental competition. “It’s been difficult to prepare under the circumstances. We faced a marathon in December and then had to play (in the Champions League) last Friday before playing in the league on Tuesday. We face another complicated game against Setif. Our opponents had a match postponed so that they could focus on this game. We are accumulating games. It disturbs our preparation, but we just have to deal with it,” McCarthy said. AmaZulu have had…

FIVE-TIME champions Mamelodi Sundowns will host ABC Motsepe side Mathaithai FC in the Nedbank Cup last-16 round opener at the Lucas Moripe Stadium, Atteridgeville, on March 8. Fixtures will commence that Tuesday and end on Sunday, March 13, when Premiership strugglers TS Galaxy and Baroka FC clash at the Mbombela Stadium. On March 9, Marumo Gallants will host eight-time champs Orlando Pirates at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. Of the remaining teams in the Nedbank Cup at this stage, Pirates are the most successful team. On Friday afternoon, March 11, Venda Football Academy and the University of Pretoria will battle it out at Thohoyandou Stadium. Later that day, Swallows FC and Royal AM will play in an evening kick-off at Dobsonville Stadium. The next day, Mthatha Stadium will host…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za IN WHAT has been described as a “fight against boundless public power exercised by banks and other financial institutions”, law firm Godrich Gardee Attorneys (GGA) has called on members of the public who have experienced racial or any other form of discrimination to join a class-action suit against the country’s financial institutions. The law firm said it was bracing itself to intervene in the Western Cape Equality Court proceedings instituted by the Sekunjalo Group of companies and its chairman, Dr Iqbal Survé, against some of the country’s top banks. The application forms part of a number of legal actions against the banks after they, in an alleged collusive manner, severed ties with some of the companies under the black-owned group, with Nedbank being the latest. The action…

KEVIN GOVENDER | Shallcross Recently I watched the movie Man of the Year – in which Robin Williams played the lead – about how a comedian went on to contest the US elections and win. Of course the narrative was fiction but his death was not. On August 11, 2014, the much-adored actor committed suicide. After the movie my mind went to a story I read in a local tabloid a few weeks ago. It made me wonder about the fragility of life. In the article, Alicia Sewdas-Ramdharee launches her book, Orphaned By Suicide, in which she chronicles the December 1999 family murder in which her father, a schoolteacher, shot her mother and two siblings and then turned the gun on himself. The killings in Montford rocked Chatsworth.…

JUST what is it that motivates Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine? Does an answer come from British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in a briefing to officers which he might not have realised was being recorded for broadcast by Sky News? President Putin has gone “full tonto” over Ukraine and left himself with “no friends”, Wallace said. Full tonto? According to the Urban Dictionary, it means “taking lunacy to new levels”. “It’s going to be a busy army,” Wallace said. “Unfortunately, we’ve got a busy adversary now in Putin, who has gone full tonto.” The defence secretary, a former Scots Guards officer, also said his regiment had “kicked the backside of Tsar Nicholas I in 1853 in Crimea” and “can always do it again”. “Tsar Nicholas I made…

THYAGARAJ MARKANDAN | Kloof I was surprised to see a picture of the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in Monday’s Mercury. In fact, the picture should have been on the front page in place of the swimmer diving at the Anstey’s tidal pool. Okay, I am quibbling over a trivial matter. The big matter is that the Winter Olympics has been going on for two weeks. Not a word, line or picture in the newspapers about the Olympics. Why, I wondered. How could such a big event, with almost 2 900 athletes from 91 countries, not receive any coverage in the newspapers? Is it because of the human rights violations against the Uyghur minority in China, or is it a question of sour grapes that our…

Betty Moleya The World Wildlife Fund South Africa and the University of Pretoria launched the University of Pretoria Mammal Research Whale Unit yesterday. The unit aims to focus on strategic conservation and to raise awareness of the plight of southern right whales and other cetaceans. Southern right whales are the main focus as they are at high risk of extinction due to environmental hazards such as climate change and overfishing. According to the World Wildlife Fund, there is a lack of concrete local and global action to tackle the threats to cetaceans in increasingly polluted, over-exploited and human-dominated seas and river systems. “There is a real risk that many of these mammals could be declared extinct within our lifetime. “These endangered southern right whales have become a highlight every year…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za TRADE union federation Cosatu is preparing its input on the national elective conferences of its allies, the ANC and the SA Communist Party (SACP), scheduled for later this year. Yesterday, Cosatu announced that it was preparing its inputs for the meetings of its tripartite alliance partners, the ANC national conference and the SACP’s national congress, after its central executive committee (CEC) meeting this week. The CEC expressed its concern that nearly five years after the ANC’s Nasrec conference in December 2017, at which President Cyril Ramaphosa was elected ANC leader, progress in implementing its economic resolutions was too slow. “Key elements of economic policy which are out of kilter with Nasrec, remain in place, and are being entrenched by centres of power in the state which remain…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za Residents at Westbrook complained yesterday about raw sewage flowing openly into the sea just metres from the lifeguard tower at Westbrook Main Beach. A resident, who declined to be named, said the raw sewage flowing into Westbrook Beach was very concerning. “Not only does this compromise Westbrook Beach’s reputation as a former Blue Flag beach, it highlights the municipality’s blatant disregard for the city’s environment and continued failure to provide its citizens with basic sanitation services.” The resident said that the current sewage problem was believed to be the result of breakdowns at two pump stations in the area. “Considering the sheer number of local citizens who visit and swim in this water every day, this is a potential health crisis as the beach has not yet…

Last week, the two-day Sixth EU-AU Summit was held in Brussels. As for concrete outcomes, the most eye-catching one is surely an Africa-Europe Investment Package of at least €150 billion (about R2.5 trillion). Regardless of the EU’s former and not ideal records of keeping investment promises in Africa, the €150bn investment package is, at most, a new package but with very little outlook of extra financial resources for Africa. In other words, we could label the new offer as kind of “old wine in a new bottle” or a “game of numbers”. Why? First, we need to figure out how much of the investment package would be used annually. In other words, how long is its implementation period? The answer is not mentioned in the summit documents, but is…

Hong Kong’s government invoked emergency powers yesterday to allow doctors, nurses and other personnel from the Chinese mainland to help combat a spiralling Covid-19 outbreak. The densely populated metropolis is in the throes of its worst Covid wave, registering thousands of cases every day, which are overwhelming hospitals and government efforts to isolate all infected people in dedicated units. Hong Kong authorities have followed a zero-Covid strategy similar to mainland China’s, which has kept infections mostly at bay throughout the pandemic. But they were caught flat-footed when the highly infectious Omicron variant broke through those defences, and have since increasingly called on the mainland for help. “Hong Kong is now facing a very dire epidemic situation which continues to deteriorate rapidly,” the government said announcing the emergency powers. Mainland medics…

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s parliament yesterday postponed debate on $500 million (R7 billion) in US aid that critics say undermines sovereignty as protesters opposed to the proposed funds clashed with police outside the assembly, officials and witnesses said. The Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US government aid agency, agreed in 2017 to provide the aid in a grant to fund an electricity transmission line and road improvement project. The aid does not need to be repaid. But opponents, many wary of US influence in the region, say the aid would undermine Nepal’s laws and sovereignty.…

A month ago, Manchester City’s trip to Everton on Saturday looked like a game which would just be one more step on Pep Guardiola’s side’s inevitable march to the Premier League title. But a series of results in recent weeks makes the game not only a vital one for City, whose lead over Liverpool has been cut to just three points, but also has left Everton in desperate need of points in their battle for top flight survival. New manager Frank Lampard has no illusions about the difficulty of the task his team face at Goodison Park after defeat at Southampton last week dragged the Toffees further into the struggle at the foot of the table. “There is no magic wand to change things instantly and you need to work…

THE rock and surf fishing has been very good for those looking for edibles as well as those in to the big, drag-pulling inedibles. The north coast has been very productive with the Tugela region seeing an influx of smaller kob. Remember to stick to your bag limits and size restrictions of these fish otherwise we will not see these fish in the future. The reefs and ledges on the north coast have seen some good spadefish, bronze bream and stone bream. All these species will gladly accept a well-presented prawn bait fished on a light hook snood. The deep-water points on the upper north coast as well as the beaches with access to the deep water have been producing good inedibles. Mackerel and redeye sardines have been the most…