Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-11-30 i Mercury

The Department of Correctional Services has confirmed that Chris Hani’s Polish killer, Janusz Walus, was stabbed yesterday afternoon in the Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Pretoria. The department said he was stabbed by a fellow inmate who was incarcerated in the same section as he was, and is also serving a life sentence. He was taken to the prison hospital and the department said it would provide more details later. The incident came hardly a week after the Constitutional Court ordered Walus’s release on parole. It is not known when exactly he was going to be released, but the Concourt said he should be released within 10 days of the judgment. His hopes to return to Poland after his release on parole were meanwhile dashed this week when Home Affairs…

I notice that The Mercury was reminiscing about the past last week by publishing a full page of some older excerpts of the newspaper. I might add to its history by pointing out some of my memories of The Mercury that preceded the editorship of Mr John Robinson, who I believe founded the Moths (Memorable Order of Tin Hats) and cartoonist “Robin”. I remember The Mercury when it was the Natal Mercury, and even earlier, when the front page did not have news items, but had nine display advertisements – three in a row and three down; when it published in the top left-hand corner of the front page, a symbol of the Roman god Mercury with wings on his feet; when every Thursday there was the supplement The Woman’s…

STONE the flamin’ crows, mate! Starve the flamin’ lizards! Didja ever in yer life see anthin’ like it? Thousands of fellers and sheilas there on Bondi Beach stark bollocks naked, everythin’ a-wavin’ and a-wobblin’, all the screamin’ … I reckon the bull sharks and the killer whales are headin’ for the horizon scared stoopid ... Yes, thousands of people stripped naked for a mass nude photo on Australia’s famous beach, according to Sky News. They were directed by megaphone into various spots and in different poses by American photographer Spencer Tuniko, who specialises in mass nude photoshoots at world landmarks, this time to raise awareness about skin cancer. It’s a worthy cause and he at the same time raises awareness of other things such as shapes and sizes, as well…

Limpopo police have launched a manhunt following an attempted murder incident, which took place in the early hours of Monday morning at Goedgedacht Farm. Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the farmer and his wife were asleep in their room when they were woken by the sound of gunshots, which were directed at their house. “The farm owner returned fire, and an unknown suspect managed to flee the scene on foot.” He said the farmer then realised that his wife had been shot in the upper left leg and she was taken to hospital. “The motive of the incident is unknown at this stage, but police investigations are under way,” said Ledwaba. Earlier this year, two people were arrested in connection with the murder of a 74-year-old Limpopo-based farmer…

The head of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said yesterday he still feared a Turkish ground invasion despite US assurances and has demanded a “stronger” message from Washington after seeing unprecedented Turkish deployments along the border. Turkish officials said the army needed just days to be ready for a ground incursion into northern Syria, which they have been attacking with long-range weapons and warplanes for days. The bombardments come after months of threats by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan of a new ground invasion against Kurdish forces, which he considers to be terrorists. “There are reinforcements on the border and within Syria in areas controlled by factions allied to Türkiye. We noticed this and, yes, this is new,” said SDF chief Mazloum Abdi. Syrian Kurdish forces have received backing from…

LONDON: Mastercard lost an appeal in a London court yesterday against a ruling in a £10 billion-plus collective action that allows the claims of around three million people who have died since the lawsuit began to continue. The global payments processor is facing a lawsuit brought by consumer champion Walter Merricks on behalf of about 46 million adults in the UK. Merricks alleges that Mastercard charged excessive fees – the fees that retailers pay credit card companies between May 1992 and June 2008 and those fees were passed on to consumers. | Reuters…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has itchy feet. He can’t stay in South Africa for long, even when there are serious issues to attend to at home. From COP27 in the Egyptian desert to the G20 conference in tropical Bali and then across the Indian Ocean to the London metropolis, he’s jetting across the world, impressing world leaders with his eloquent speeches. In London, he was the first dignitary to be hosted by the new British monarch and his queen consort. King Charles III welcomed him to a banquet at Buckingham Palace. And while he wined and dined with royalty under the bright lights of the palace, all thoughts of home, where millions sit in darkness, unable to cook their food and study for their exams, were forgotten. We do not begrudge…

The April 2022 floods in KwaZulu-Natal wreaked havoc in numerous families, and many lost their homes and lives as floodwater destroyed everything in its wake. But there are good stories to tell even out of the woes of tragedy. The informal residents of Reservoir Hills, many of whom lived on the flood plains of a river, were hugely affected, with their houses washed away and all their belongings destroyed. The goodwill of a church community in Reservoir Hills housed these victims on the understanding that they would have to vacate the premises by July 2022, which they did. Disaster Management (KZN) then identified the Duffs Road community hall – located in the heart of the suburb of Duffs Road – to move the victims as of August 2022, until suitable…

AS I have done for several years, I challenge you to “Give Something Away Every Day” for each day in December. Record your daily act with a simple bullet-point list. Keeping a record is an act of self-discipline, not of pride or self-righteousness. Your daily log will alert you to further possible acts of generosity and kindness. Examples? Go out of your way for a stranger. Give up your seat on a bus. Buy a street person lunch. Give a friend a possession you know he or she admires. Buy groceries for a friend in need. Extravagance is unnecessary, but let your acts reflect your means. The recipient must know about the gift, but not necessarily that it comes from you. The recipient must know there are no strings attached.…

DESPITE challenges in the South African media landscape, Independent Media non-executive chairman Dr Iqbal Survé says the media have a critical role to play to hold those in power to account. Survé, a medical doctor, philanthropist and entrepreneur, was speaking with Dr Onkgopotse JJ Tabane on Power to Truth on eNCA on Monday. “Media is very important for freedom … and we have fought for freedom in this country. Democracy is important. Narrative is important. “As black South Africans during apartheid, we were always presented differently by the very same media … and my motivation for buying Independent Media came from my daughter, because our home in Cape Town was a home of diversity and lots of different people used to come there to say to me, why are they…

FOR the first time in its history, the final decision on the Oxford Word of the Year is in the hands of the public. Oxford University Press’s (OUP’s) expert lexicographers have narrowed the field down to three finalists, and are now asking English speakers around the globe to vote for the word they feel best represents 2022. The shortlisted words are: Goblin mode (slang) – A type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations; frequently used as “in goblin mode” or to “go goblin mode”. #IStandWith – Used on social media posts to express solidarity with a specified cause, group, person, etc. metaverse – A (hypothetical) virtual reality environment in which users interact with one another’s avatars…

Co-operation between BRICS countries is based on mutual respect and is win-win A historic meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping took place on the sidelines of the G20 Summit held in Bali two weeks ago. The bilateral meeting was the first physical interaction between the two leaders since the outbreak of Covid-19 three years ago. It also happened against the backdrop of the Communist Party of China (CPC) having recently concluded its 20th National Congress where they reimagined the future of China and its relations with the other countries of the world. It was also at this congress that the CPC reiterated its foreign policy that defines China’s foreign policy as underpinned by the principles of mutual respect, independence, equality and non-interference in others’ internal…

London: People in China who attended weekend protests against Covid-19 restrictions say they have been contacted by police, as authorities begin clamping down, according to a media report. Several people in Beijing said police had called demanding information about their whereabouts. Yesterday, officials renewed a promise to speed up efforts to vaccinate older people. China has recorded record numbers of new cases in recent days. Reports also say that police were stopping people and searching their phones to check if they had virtual private networks set up, as well as apps such as Telegram and Twitter, which are blocked in China. | IANS…

The real estate unit of Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s Adani Enterprises has won the right to redevelop India’s largest slum, Mumbai’s Dharavi suburb, with a 50 billion rupee (R10.4bn) bid, an official said yesterday. Believed to be the largest slum in Asia, Dharavi is a crowded area that houses thousands of poor families in cramped quarters in the centre of India’s financial capital. Many residents have no access to running water or clean toilets. The redevelopment was first mooted in the 1980s as a way to develop valuable land and provide proper housing | Reuters…

OPPOSITION parties expect that the Section 89 independent panel probing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm scandal will find he has a case to answer when it delivers its final report to Parliament today. The panel, consisting of former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, former head of the Gauteng High Court Division, Judge Thokozile Masipa, and advocate Mahlape Sello has spent almost two months going through evidence to see whether the president committed an impeachable offence related to the theft at the farm. The panel was formed after the ATM submitted a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa. The motion came after former spy boss Arthur Fraser laid a criminal charge against the president and former head of the Presidential Protection Unit, Wally Rhoode, for allegedly kidnapping and torturing five men…

What do Star Wars, Terminator, District 9 and many similar movies have in common? They all make use of robots to fight human battles. That’s okay; it’s make-believe stuff. Drones, however, are unmanned missiles carrying non-virtual killing machines. Somewhat useful for capitalistic industrialists, robots are replacing expensive labourers in assembling motor vehicles and other heavy machinery. Historically, in the absence of modern, hi-tech devices, the iconic Taj Mahal, the massive Taj Hotel, the towering Qutub Minar, even the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower used mostly manual labour. Some of the replacements for humans are probably good, because they can avoid some obvious perils that can endanger human lives in certain unknown areas, like deep-sea research, planetary excursions and even some extra-deep mining exploits. However, the idea can be, as…

A racist voice note, like the one of Belinda Magor, must never be tolerated in any democratic society. The disgusting, morbid nature of these remarks is inexcusable and can never be tolerated. It is tragic that all the hard work over the past 27 years is being overshadowed by the vile, malignant words of this individual. Hate speech poses a grave danger to the cohesion of a democratic society, the protection of human rights and the rule of law. It is a menace to democratic values, social stability and peace. Racist hate speech incites violence and intolerance. The devastating effect of hatred is sadly nothing new. However, its scale and impact are now amplified by new communication technologies. There are historical precedents showing that racist hate speech and vile comments…

THE way labour wards classify the risk of HIV in high-risk babies is inadequate, says a recent study published in the South African Medical Journal. The study was looking at the recognition of infants at high risk for HIV transmission at delivery. Experts from Stellenbosch University wanted to determine the number of infants at high risk for the virus and the accuracy of labour-ward risk classification. Halting new HIV infections among children is a crucial step towards the World Health Organization’s global goal to end the Aids pandemic by 2030, the authors said. “South Africa paediatric HIV incidence exceeded 750 per 100 000 live births due to the high antenatal HIV prevalence of 30.7%,” the report said. Researchers found while early maternal viral suppression through antiretroviral therapy (ART) represented…

A study conducted by the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has shown that KwaZulu-Natal had the highest incidence of drownings from 2016 to 2021 in the country. KZN had 2 114 drownings from 2016 to 2021, followed by the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and the Western Cape. The study noted: “Factors that could contribute to the fatal drowning burden include: the province being the largest in geographical size; having the most water-related environments; experiencing a subtropical climate, which allows for swimming throughout the year, and having the largest population size among the nine provinces.” Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, NSRI CEO Dr Cleeve Robertson said men represented 81% of the drownings overall, which could be attributed to risky behaviour. He added that consumption of alcohol could be a contributing factor. Children…

CONSULTANTS tasked with advising the eThekwini Municipality on the future viability of uShaka Marine Theme Park have found that the best option for the municipality is to invest R1 billion in the entity to make it profitable. Councillors were briefed by the consultants yesterday on the options available to ensure the future of the embattled entity. The entity has been struggling financially for the past few years and has received a bailout to the tune of millions of rand from the city. Two of the options, both of which required a R1bn investment amount, required the city to invest in infrastructure that would create a resort-like experience for visitors. The third option was for the city to just be the manager of the property with no say in how the…

Increasing reports of people getting “long Covid” have exposed the challenges in combatting the pandemic. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to launch “immediate” and “sustained” efforts to tackle the “very serious” crisis. Experts said that long Covid was likely to result in growing pressure on social and medical resources, a shrinking labour force and an economic downturn in the long run. Also known as post Covid condition, it is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an illness that occurs in individuals with a history of probable or confirmed Sars-Cov-2 infection, with symptoms that last for at least two months. The WHO estimated that 10% to 20% of Covid-19 patients had been left with mid- and long-term symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath and cognitive dysfunction,…

Israeli forces killed four Palestinians in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank yesterday, Palestinian and Israeli officials said, the latest in a months-long series of deadly clashes between security forces and Palestinians. Two brothers were killed near the hub city of Ramallah and a third man was shot in the head in the town of Beit Ummar near the city of Hebron in clashes with Israeli forces, the Palestinian health ministry said. The Israeli military confirmed the two clashes and said it was aware of the reports of two Palestinians killed near Ramallah and was investigating. Later yesterday, Israel’s military said that a female soldier was injured in a ramming attack around the Kochav Yaakov settlement near Ramallah. The suspected Palestinian attacker was shot by police and later…

BUDAPEST: A bicycle pedalled by passers-by powers up a Christmas tree-shaped light installation in Budapest, as the local mayor applies sustainable technology to celebrate the festive season while saving on surging energy costs. The tree only lights up fully while someone keeps pedalling really hard, which encourages families with their kids to stop and give it a try. The bicycle also charges a battery that powers up the rest of the lights around the Budapest square. Mayor Gergely Orsi said his municipality decided to cancel most of the usual Christmas light decorations this year due to the energy crisis. | Reuters…