Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-11-08 i Mercury

A criminal complaint has been laid against controversial ANC MP Boy Mamabolo after the editor of The Star, Sifiso Mahlangu, reported that he had been told to stop writing stories about President’s Cyril Ramaphosa’s adviser, Dr Bejani Chauke, or face “assassination”. In a text message sent on Sunday to Mahlangu, Mamabolo allegedly says: “Leave Dr Bejani alone pls” to which Mahlangu responds “I’m not against Bejani my man”. Mamabolo allegedly says “Aowaa mon (No man) Mo tologele nyana” (leave him alone). When Mahlangu says he has no idea what Mamabolo is referring to, he allegedly says “Leave him alone abit. You are my frnd and I don’t want Pple to Assassinate you. Bcos it can happen anytime from now” (sic). Mahlangu, who reported the matter at the Sandton police station…

Undertaker Isabelle Plumereau cycled around Paris on a recent autumn day with a bicycle hearse that she hopes will soon bring a new “green” way of conducting funerals to the French capital. Quieter, environmentally conscious burials are a small but growing trend, and Plumereau says transporting the coffin with a specially designed cargo bike can confer a more down to earth pace to a funeral. While bicycle hearses already exist in a few countries, hers would be a first in France, according to the 51-year-old undertaker. “It makes sense to combine the bicycle and the hearse because, when we talk about bicycles in Paris, we are talking about soft mobility and if there is one day when we need softness it’s the day when we accompany someone we love to…

Are the present bank clerks and managers now also going to join everybody else – truck owners, truck drivers, tender applicants? It’s the latest revival of the oldest trick in the book: “Any fancy pansy wannabe Wyatt Earp trying to prevent us from robbing the US Mail pulling in next Friday into Tombstone better start carving his godfather-given name on that gravestone in advance.” This plot jumps out automatically from tragic news that is now often relegated to the “small ads” section. Not bound to raise any eyebrows any more. Heard of “character assassination”? There’s an upgrade to that – just assassinate him – finished. Excuse the cynicism, it’s the most prevalent emotion nowadays in nearly all right-living citizens. The biggest casualty of our times. The greatest of negative thoughts…

Having just returned from Bergville after having driven up on Friday on the N3, it was shocking to see the lack of traffic officials monitoring the heavy trucks speeding and overtaking each other at high speed. Most of these vehicles have decals stuck on the back of the trailer indicating their maximum speed: either 80km/h or 100km/h. None of these decals seems to make any difference to the drivers’ attitude on speed. We observed two traffic officials hiding in the bush on the centre medium trapping the odd motorists for speeding. These are not the real or main culprits. The trucks are. On the one section after Estcourt heading towards Durban going up the hill towards Mooi River, the double lane turns into three lanes so that the slower traffic…

The eThekwini Municipality says it will implement a programme to address homelessness in Durban. The Mercury reported last week that according to the city’s statistics, there were more than 4 000 homeless people in the inner city but it could only afford to assist 10% of them. EThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the municipality acknowledged the need to address homelessness and other social ills. He was commenting after the death of two men, believed to be homeless, in the CBD in July and August. The provincial police last week put out an appeal for the relatives of the men to come forward as they were only known by their first names by the homeless community in the area. Some of the programmes include: Profiling homeless people: knowing who is…

UGU District Municipality on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast has been warned that its new municipal manager is the subject of a criminal probe which was allegedly opened by his former employer. Dr Elliot Sibusiso Ntombela was recently confirmed by the Ugu municipal council as the new municipal manager and started his duties on October 1. The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has to confirm the appointment of a municipal manager. However, in this case, the letter from Cogta to Ugu revealed that Ntombela was the subject of a criminal probe by his former employer, the Umzinyathi District Municipality. He was accused of wrongdoing following a forensic investigation into the municipality. Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, Ntombela denied any wrongdoing. The councillors, who were briefed on the letter…

A man accused by residents of robbing people at gunpoint, was allegedly attacked by a mob and killed on Saturday in Verulam. Security firm, Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said it received a call for medical assistance from the Verulam SAPS at 9.57am at the weekend. He said when members arrived at the scene, they found the body of a man, estimated to be in his early thirties, on a footpath. “He had sustained blunt-force trauma to most of his body and was declared deceased at the scene. His 27-year-old girlfriend was being safeguarded by police,” he said. The injured woman suffered a fractured left arm and bruising to her body, he said. “It was alleged that the deceased was confronted by a mob shortly after midnight…

More than 50 years after the death of anti-apartheid Struggle activist Imam Abdullah Haron in the custody of apartheid security police, his family feels they may be heading for closure. This as the unsatisfactory February, 1970 inquest into Imam Haron’s death in police custody has been reopened and a new judicial inquiry to ascertain the facts of what really happened, began yesterday. Imam Haron’s son, Muhammed said the family was feeling positive about the re-opening of the inquest, even though it is five decades later. Sitting with his wife Mumtaz and cousin Zainal Makde through the first day’s hearing, Muhammed said they were anxious to see how the matter pans out and unfolds. “There seems to be positivity. I think the judge himself set the tone, as did the evidence…

south african Cricket How then to measure the coaching tenure of Mark Boucher? By simple numbers, it was a bit like that old western; not too good, nor was it all that bad, but occasionally it was ugly. The latter resulted from the charges of racism Boucher faced off the field, with Cricket South Africa (CSA) wanting him fired. The organisation backtracked on a disciplinary hearing, and Boucher was free to continue as head coach, until he chose not to do so. His tenure ended at the men’s T20 World Cup in Adelaide, in dreadfully familiar circumstances. South Africa, with an opportunity to claim a spot in the semi-finals, failed to beat the Netherlands. Boucher, rightfully, said the team had no one else but themselves to blame. But back to…

Former ANC KZN secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli’s ambition of becoming the ruling party’s secretary-general is likely to be put on ice, as the province pushes for Zweli Mkhize to become party president when delegates gather for the ruling party’s elective conference at Nasrec in Gauteng next month. Ntuli, who has been nominated by a number of branches for party secretary-general, is likely to be sacrificed as the province does not want to be perceived to want to dominate the top six positions with the president and secretary-general (SG), a position regarded as the engine of the party machinery. “The fact is other provinces will also want to secure key positions and we will have to sacrifice the SG position for the presidency for which we have nominated Comrade Zweli,” said an…

Healthy fear will do its part to keep you alive. It is to regard the world and others with deep respect. Healthy fear is to live with appropriate confidence but without entitlement. It is to embrace mercy and kindness and respect for others. It is to live with a sense of awe. It is to live life with a sense of gratitude and awe. It is to drive without checking your phone or watching YouTube – yes, there are people who drive and watch movies at the same time – I have heard their confessions. Unhealthy fear will do a slow kill – and you may not even notice it until it’s too late. It will suck the life out of you as you try to please or try to…

There is one point regarding the effects of untreated sewage on health that I have not seen discussed anywhere. It’s not just the water. The sea and rivers will deposit untreated sewage on beaches and banks. That will then dry and turn to dust when the tide goes out or the river recedes. The dust, carrying potential infections, is then blown by the wind. People inhale it and can in turn become infected. Depending on the source of the effluent and its infective component, it has potentially serious effects. In parts of the Middle East and Africa, there is an identical problem with wind-blown contaminated dust. A colleague in Afghanistan died from organ failure caused by an unknown disease, but one which had entered his system via his lungs by…

I Disagree with you, President Cyril Ramaphosa, when you say Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and meritocracy have become mutually exclusive concepts in the South African context – the medical field proves this. Your response in Parliament to questions whereby you have defended BEE and affirmative action against the aspect of merit requires introspection and a reality check. I have to respectfully disagree with your assertions. When South Africa ascended to the mantle of freedom and democracy, the despicable apartheid system that dictated life prior to this metamorphosis, evidently, would have had a consequential impact on life ahead. That was a given. Transformation, the previously disadvantaged, employment equity and the like became the buzz words that, to this day, command a narrative of defence when justifying the prejudice foisted down on…

WATER and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu has emphasised the importance of having consistent and sustainable water supply and sanitation services in KwaZulu-Natal. Mchunu urged municipalities to come up with long-term solutions instead of focusing only on temporary measures such as delivering water tanks and VIP (ventilated improved pit) toilets. “Let us complete all projects meant to provide water supply and sanitation services to the people, even those that have been white elephants for as long as 10 years in some instances. Non-completion of water infrastructure, such as water treatment works, leads to vandalism and theft because in most cases they are left unattended,” he said. Reacting to the minister’s call, South African Local Government Association KZN chairperson Thami Ntuli said sustaining these services required additional funding for municipalities. Ntuli added…

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube says skills audits are being conducted on more than 200 000 public servants in the provincial administration, including municipalities, in order to deliver high-quality services to citizens in the province. The premier revealed this yesterday at the start of a three-day Government Capacity and Performance Review Conference which is being held at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). The conference, which is being hosted by the Department of Public Service and Administration in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier, UKZN and the National Planning Commission, will focus on issues affecting service delivery. Dube-Ncube said the conference would confront the challenge of uneven implementation that arises clearly out of capacity inadequacy across the state. This resulted in uneven outcomes at local, provincial and national government.…

South Africa has successfully treated the monkeypox cases that were registered and no new cases have been found. National Health Department spokesperson Foster Mohale confirmed yesterday that all positive cases identified in the country have been treated and have recovered. Mohale said there were no active cases in the country, however, the department remained vigilant. “The number of monkeypox cases in South Africa remains unchanged at a total of five cases to date.” The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) will now only be releasing its situational report on monkeypox once a month. Last month, the NICD said since August 17 there had been no new cases confirmed. There were five unlinked laboratory confirmed cases and zero deaths reported. | Mercury Correspondent…

Three people had to be rescued from a Cape Town shop yesterday after a generator was left running. The three men are suspected to have carbon monoxide poisoning. The incident was confirmed by the City of Cape Town’s spokesperson for Fire and Rescue Service, Jermaine Carelse. He said the Hout Bay fire crew received a call for assistance. “We got the call at 8.05am. Apparently, the generator was left on the whole night at a supermarket in Hout Bay. Two persons were unresponsive. “Crew members then forced open a door and located a third person. The Fire and Rescue Services requested ambulances and paramedics. All the victims are adult males,” Carelse said. He said two of the men were in a serious condition while the third was in a less…

The euphoria that spread across the country in recent weeks as the first half of the season drew towards an end must have pleased Hugo Broos. The Big Three – Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns – were all in action against each other or battling for a common cause, silverware. But it was the Sea Robbers that steered their ship to a trophy, winning the MTN8 after beating AmaZulu in the final on Saturday. That victory augured well for some Pirates players, who would have impressed the Bafana commander-in-chief. Broos will address the nation at noon today when he announces his 23-man squad to face Mozambique and Angola in back-to-back friendlies at Mbombela Stadium later next week. He must have been impressed with the players that helped…

Homeowners may soon have to fork out even more on their bond repayments as economists forecast yet another interest rate increase later this month. The next meeting of the SA Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee is set for November 24. As a result of interest rate hikes over the course of this year, homeowners have seen the prime lending rate rise from 7.50% in January to its current 9.75%. This means a homeowner with a R1.5 million bond over a 20-year period has seen monthly payments increase from about R12 084 in January, to the current R14 228 a month. Experts have not all agreed on the actual percentage increase, but almost all agree the signs point to another interest rate hike. Dr Sanele Gumede, an economics lecturer at…

THE US state of Maine is being swamped by public vulgarities and obscenities. Where is this happening? On the public freeways, roads and streets. How is it happening? The vulgarities and obscenities are appearing on the “vanity” vehicle licence plates of motor vehicles, according to Associated Press. This is absolutely out of keeping with Maine’s heritage as a place of Puritan values, and the authorities are determined to stamp out what they term the “F-bombs” of obscenity. It began when a lawsuit in neighbouring New Hampshire successfully targeted restrictions on vanity licence plates in that state. Maine also stopped monitoring the content. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows describes a “wild wild West” developing in which motorists ordered vanity licence plates with “blushing” references to “sex acts or genitalia”. But…

the current situation in Zimbabwe is unthinkable and unspeakable. It is insane to think that the president of Zimbabwe and his Zanu-PF government can transform the fortunes of that country. It is with great embarrassment that our own public servants who have vowed to work for the nation are not being paid. Nurses are getting jobs in Europe, uniformed forces are now involved in money heists, yet they are supposed to protect and maintain peace. Now the situation of our public servants is unbearable and there is no respect for our teachers, yet they control the future of our kids. President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his incompetent government have created an uninhabitable country which has forced so many Zimbabweans to cross crocodile-infested rivers for better opportunities in South Africa. Mnangagwa, who…

You’ve never felt Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor quite like this: in the US’s Atlantic City, the largest organ in the world is coming back to life. The pipe organ in the New Jersey city’s Boardwalk Hall was constructed in the 1920s, during the seaside resort area’s golden age. But the instrument suffered the wrath of a hurricane in 1944, and wear and tear after years of quasi-abandonment for a while left it unusable. Now, through private donations and careful restoration, it is coming back to ear-pleasing functionality. From near the stage the antique wooden cabinet looks tiny, but inside it includes a record seven keyboards and rows of keys and pedals that control the pipes, only two-thirds of which are currently in working order. Said organist Dylan…

THE National Assembly rules committee has deferred decisions on how it will implement recommendations made by the Zondo Commission and the implementation plan by President Cyril Ramaphosa. This after the committee could not form a quorum at a meeting on Friday. Only three political parties – the ANC, DA and IFP – were in attendance, a development that prompted the committee to only receive reports. National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said she had a serious problem with the parties that did not attend the meeting. “People were informed at the level of the National Assembly Programme Committee that these reports will be coming here to the rules committee for a discussion,” Mapisa-Nqakula said. “Now the reports are here and people are not attending the meeting, yet people were desperate to…

THE exact time of death of a couple who died in a car accident has become the focus of a legal wrangle in a matter involving the life insurance payout. The wife was the beneficiary of her husband’s life insurance policy. The Liberty Group did pay the nearly R1.4 million payout to the executor of Mrs Becker’s (no first names given) estate. But then, the insurer got wind that Mrs Becker died at 00.15am on that day and Mr Becker was certified as dead at 3.10am. Thus, it reasoned, as Mrs Becker died first, she (or her estate, in this case) could not benefit from the policy, as her husband was alive when she died. Liberty then turned to the Northern Cape High Court to compel the executor of the…

FAMILIES of the Enyobeni tavern victims have lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), calling for an independent inquiry into the deaths of their children. The bodies of 21 youngsters, the youngest aged 13, were discovered by police at the tavern in Scenery Park, East London in June. According to media reports, it is believed they suffocated due to overcrowding inside the tavern, as official results into the cause of death were not made public. Ntombizonke Mgangala, who lost her niece, Sinothando Mgangala, said they wanted justice and those responsible to be held accountable. “We were contacted by the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in South Africa (Saapa SA), they are the ones who have lodged the complaint on our behalf. We gave them the…

The mass killings of innocent people that have been taking place in various parts of KwaZulu-Natal can no longer be wished away by the authorities. Almost every weekend, young black men are killing each other in the province in what are suspected to be drug-related turf wars – and the police are powerless to do anything about it. The past weekend was another bloody weekend in Durban after gunmen shot and killed 11 people in two separate incidents. According to the police reports, the latest incident happened at 1.30pm on Saturday in Ndwedwe Mission when assailants opened fire on a group of men who were sitting on the veranda of a tuck shop. Four men died at the scene, while three others were taken to hospital for medical attention. One…