Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-03-08 i Mercury

A whistle-blower’s bundle of documents, dropped off anonymously at the eThekwini Municipality’s City Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU), prompted an internal investigation into the R320 million Durban Solid Waste (DSW) contract that implicates former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede. Mbuso Ngcobo, head of the CIIU told the Durban High Court yesterday that the documents were given to an internal investigation team, who then reported to him that there was a case to answer. Gumede and her co-accused face more than 2 000 charges, including conspiracy to commit corruption, corruption, fraud, money laundering, racketeering, contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act and contravention of the Municipal Systems Act; amounting to over R300m in relation to a DSW contract. Gumede is a member of the provincial Legislature and chairperson of the…

With the horrific accident in uMhlanga on Monday morning, we can only be grateful that no one was killed. A bit of a miracle, if one looks at the vehicles involved. Once again, the powers that be pontificate about what will be done, but it all boils down to hot air. Until the owners of the trucks are held responsible, nothing will change. I worked in Germany from 1978 to 1984, and the company I worked for had trucks that went all over Europe. German traffic laws were strict. The person who planned the logistics and briefed the drivers would, in the presence of the driver, install a round hardish paper disc with magnetised points on it (like old computer programs) behind the odometer, if I remember correctly. When the…

Herman Mashaba’s description of the Cabinet reshuffle as “underwhelming” is unfortunately most apt. The old saying goes that when you find yourself in a hole from which you intend to escape, rule one says: stop digging. We hear the watchwords of “corruption” and “incompetence” regularly in our day-to-day speeches these days. Now we can add another even more frightening word to our daily discourse – that of “rudderless” or “leaderless”. The only way we can get out of this mess is when we cast our votes next year, but, so help me, I, for one am confused as to where I put my cross. As the king of England once said: “Will no one rid us of this meddlesome fool?” and before you know it, the Archbishop of Canterbury was…

THE ANC leadership in Mpumalanga has denounced the political “gimmicks” that have taken centre stage in the province following a fake front page headline claiming the party’s provincial treasurer had resigned. The story, since dismissed as “fake news”, said Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Mandla Msibi had resigned with immediate effect. The doctored front page was shared in political WhatsApp groups in the province, causing speculation that Msibi was being purged. Msibi’s name is not new to controversy. In October 2021, he was fired from his portfolio as Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Administration MEC by Premier Refilwe Motshweni-Tsipane. At the time, Mtshweni-Tsipane said she was releasing Msibi to allow him to pay attention to the double murder charges he faced in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court. The charges relating…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expanded his Cabinet, which was already of considerable size, and immediately announced plans to trim it. As it is, taxpayers can expect to fork out more than R74 million annually for the bloated Cabinet of 30 ministers, each paid more than R2.4m annually. This excludes a sea of deputy ministers’ annual salaries of R2m a person. In addition, taxpayers have been footing bills of almost R1 billion on 97 houses for ministers and deputy ministers in Cape Town and Pretoria since 2019, according to a recent parliamentary reply. The Mercury’s sister title the Cape Argus previously reported that some ministerial mansions come with generators to protect ministers from load shedding, while ministers free-loaded on water and electricity bills. Against the fresh backdrop of a Sunday Times…

Local government is a complex sphere of government and one that is close to the people. Coalition arrangements in municipalities add to the existing fuel of complexities in local government. In recent weeks, we have witnessed episodes of change in leadership in various municipalities. Trying to make sense of the changes confirms the narrative that, indeed, the local government sphere is complex. Researchers in the local government sphere disagree on many contentious issues. However, they all agree about the rising complexity of local government, with coalitions themselves seemingly here to stay. I have to agree with Kim Buch-Madsen that the first step to managing complexity is accepting it. If the fragmented voting patterns that emerged in the 2021 local government elections are anything to go by, then South Africans are…

The world is facing its biggest surge in cholera for at least 20 years, as economic crises, climate change and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic see deadly outbreaks flourish, experts say. At least 30 countries have seen flare-ups of the water-borne infection, long associated with poverty, inadequate hygiene and poor sanitation, including several which have not seen the disease for years. The combination of the number and scale of the outbreak is thought to be the worst in decades and comes after many countries had made progress cutting deaths from the infection. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that flooding from the storm season in Southern Africa risks further fuelling outbreaks, even as the weekly case tally in the continent appears to dip. Philippe Barboza, the WHO lead…

ALEPPO: An Israeli air strike knocked Aleppo airport out of service yesterday and forced the Syrian authorities to reroute flights carrying aid for people affected by last month’s earthquake. Israel has been carrying out attacks against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria for years. In the second attack on Aleppo airport in six months, Syrian air defences intercepted missiles launched from the Mediterranean, west of the coastal city of Latakia, a military source said. The attack damaged the airport. Humanitarian aid flights would be rerouted to Damascus and Latakia.. | Reuters…

Richards Bay have confirmed the passing of club captain Siphamandla Mtolo yesterday afternoon. The 29-year-old midfielder is said to have collapsed during training. “It is with deep sadness to announce that Richard’s Bay Football Club has ultimately lost one of it’s midfielders in Siphamanda Mtolo, who collapsed this morning during training,” Richards Bay said in a statement. “The club are not in a position to provide further information at this stage and ask that his family’s privacy is respected in the difficult time. “His presence both on and off the pitch will be sorely missed.” The defensive midfielder had only begun his journey in the South African top flight in 2023, after missing a huge chunk of the first half of the campaign through injury. “Spepe” as he was affectionately…

Hundreds of street lights across the eThekwini Municipality are not working, despite millions of rand having been spent to fix them, leaving communities in darkness and vulnerable to crime. Several councillors on the opposition benches have detailed the extent of the problems in their wards, revealing that some of these street lights have been out of commission for at least two years. EThekwini Municipality is under fire following revelations that it had overspent on a contract to fix street lights, and had appointed independent contractors to put in new light bulbs. Media reports stated that the city had paid R579 million for this work. The initial value of the contract was R91m, and while the municipality admits to exceeding this value, it has denied the reported value of R579m. It…

It is painful that soldiers opened fire with live ammunition on citizens protesting against the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) prolonged announcement of the 2018 presidential election results in the streets of Harare. Six civilians were shot dead. In January 2019, a 150% fuel price hike sparked violent street protests and led to the death of at least 17 people after a harsh security crackdown. It is sad that Zanu-PF continued to kill people like chickens. These attacks are clearly intended to harass and intimidate members of the political opposition in the months leading up to Zimbabwe’s upcoming election and could have a chilling effect throughout the country. In a short clip, older men and women can be seen being assaulted and interrogated simply for attending a meeting for the Citizens…

Which self within you will reign this hour, during this encounter, or this day? Anxious self: anxiety messes with hearing, seeing, assessing and is reactionary, and so unhelpful decisions are usually made. The anxious self needs time to settle, take stock, reassess. Angry self: anger-driven decisions usually have in-built vengeance or hurt as part of any process. Anger-driven moments lead to damage and usually remorse. Victim self: the victim defends and protects, and decisions are hardly decisions at all but drawn-out processes cloaked in “poor me” non-thinking. This may lead to short-lived, unhelpful sympathy from others. Arrogant self: arrogance blinds and deafens, makes the needs and cares of others hard to see, let alone acknowledge and respect. Arrogance pushes others out of the way. Indifferent self: indifference is neutral blindness…

Animal rights activists have raised concern with Cape Town’s Joint Task Team’s Draft Strategic Management Plan (DSMP) that deals with the welfare of baboons and how to keep them out of residential areas. This comes as the City’s contract with Nature Conservation Consultants (NCC) to keep baboon troops out of residential areas on the urban edges of Table Mountain National Park ends in June. The DSMP was released for public comment last month. It was drafted by SANParks, CapeNature and the City of Cape Town. According to baboon activists group Baboon Matters, the participants of a recent meeting expressed concern about the lack of substance and action plan put forward by the task team. They expressed concern over the increased time baboons were spending in urban areas, as well as…

THE truck driver who allegedly abandoned his truck after slamming into at least 49 vehicles on the M41 near uMhlanga on Monday handed himself in to the police, KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo confirmed yesterday. At least 16 people were injured, including a pregnant woman who had to be airlifted from the scene, as paramedics, firefighters and other emergency personnel assisted those who were injured. Ngcobo said the 23-year-old driver handed himself over to police on Monday night. “Durban North police are investigating a case of reckless and negligent driving. The 23-year-old suspect handed himself in to the police last night and he will be appearing in court soon,” said Ngcobo. Durban metro police spokesperson Boysie Zungu said the matter was now in the hands of the SAPS and…

THE Section 194 committee has refused to grant an extension to Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to submit her affidavit 11 days after the set deadline and then testify seven days later. The committee said it would also not be involved in the matter in which the Public Protector South Africa (PPSA) indicated it would not fund Mkhwebane’s legal fees beyond March 30 due to a lack of funds. This emerged when it discussed correspondence from Mkhwebane and PPSA yesterday. The committee yesterday concluded the testimony of former public protector Thuli Madonsela, and is scheduled to hear evidence from Mkhwebane from March 15 to 31. In one letter to the committee, Mkhwebane’s legal team said it was impossible to expect Mkhwebane to submit her statement on March 9, just two days…

The UK government yesterday unveiled radical plans to stop migrants crossing the Channel illegally on small boats, acknowledging it is stretching international law amid an outcry from rights campaigners. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the plan would “take back control of our borders once and for all” – reprising a popular pledge from campaigners like him who backed Britain’s Brexit divorce from the EU. “This new law will send a clear signal that if you come to this country illegally, you will be swiftly removed,” he said ahead of a summit Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron. Under the draft law, anyone who is deported after making the dangerous journey from France would be banned from re-entering the UK and ever claiming British citizenship. Home Secretary Suella Braverman would be…

Fuel deliveries and public transport were severely disrupted in France yesterday as unions kicked off a fresh day of protests against a pensions reform that would push back the retirement age for millions. Unions have vowed to bring the country to a standstill with strikes over the proposed changes, which include raising the minimum retirement age to 64 from 62 and increasing the number of years people have to make contributions for a full pension. “The government has to take (resistance) into account when there are so many people in the street, when they’re having so much trouble explaining and passing their reform,” CFDT union chief Laurent Berger said at a central Paris demonstration. President Emmanuel Macron put the pensions plan at the centre of his re-election campaign last year,…

NEW YORK: Nearly half of American children of ages 1 to 5 do not eat a single vegetable daily, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, 32% eat fruit daily, and 57% drink a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once a week. The findings appear to run counter to nutritional guidelines, which recommend that children in this age group consume one to two cups of fruits and vegetables daily, depending on age, and that their consumption of drinks or foods with added sugar be minimal. The report found variation in consumption from state to state. | The Washington Post…

soccer Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has named a stacked 35-man preliminary squad ahead of two crucial 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches. Bafana will face Liberia at Orlando Stadium on Friday March 24, and then travel to Monrovia to tackle the West Africans on March 28. Broos has arguably called up the best possible group available at his disposal, a squad that sees 10 players from juggernauts Mamelodi Sundowns, including inspirational youngster Cassius Mailula. There were no surprises as Brandon Peterson is the only Kaizer Chiefs representative, while Innocent Maela, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Miguel Timm and Monnapule Saleng carry the torch for Orlando Pirates. The squad, which included the likes of England-based Lyle Foster, Percy Tau and Kobamelo Kodisang – as well as Bongokuhle Hlongwane, who plays in the…

THE vandalism of fibre optic cables, which plunged parts of eThekwini Municipality into darkness because many of the City’s residents were unable to buy prepaid electricity tokens, has angered Durban residents and opposition parties who have called on the City to beef up security around its critical infrastructure. In a statement posted on its Facebook page, the City attributed the problem to the vandalism of its infrastructure. Opposition parties said they were concerned that infrastructure vandalism was undermining service delivery. The system to purchase tokens is prone to outages and there have been complaints about it previously. However, this week’s outage was worse as many people were affected, with some having to queue for hours at the few outlets that were still able to process the purchases. The frustration around…

I refer to an article published in Tuesday’s Mercury: “Why Africa should consider diaspora bonds” by Mr Amit Jain, director of the NTU-SBF Center for African Studies, in Singapore. On reading this piece, I was suddenly transported to Bombay, 1966, where I was a student. It was just a few months after the end of the short war between India and Pakistan, at the end of which, Interim Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri died of a heart attack very soon after most bravely navigating essentially an end to that totally unnecessary 1965 skirmish. I was most pleasantly surprised to see my father suddenly appear at my hostel, having taken a flight from Johannesburg, most urgently, on what he termed as “a humble mercy mission, with some funds, to assist India…

While South Africans are grappling with the undesirable and recalcitrant effects of load shedding, the recent declaration by the president of a national state of disaster to deal with the constraint and severity of electricity supply has evoked mixed feelings from the public that the dreaded intrusiveness of load shedding will be eradicated. Furthermore, the announcement of the new minister of electricity during the Cabinet reshuffle was a glaring display that the government orchestra is in sync towards creating a load-shedding-free anthem. First, the president acknowledged that without a reliable supply of electricity, businesses cannot grow, assembly lines cannot run, and crops cannot be irrigated. He further mentioned that the impact of the crisis on farmers must be lessened because this affected food security. Second, during the Budget speech, the…

THE ANC caucus in the Western Cape’s West Coast has welcomed the resignation of Matzikama municipal manager Gerald Seas who was arrested for drunk driving last week. Seas tendered his resignation on Monday after he was arrested and released on written notice. A source close to the municipality claimed he was seen driving while under the influence. Police spokesperson captain FC van Wyk confirmed the arrest. “Saps received a complaint of a person driving a car while probably is under the influence of alcohol on Friday. “The complaint was followed up and a 49-year-old man was arrested in Church Street on a charge of drunken driving. “He was charged accordingly and released on a written notice. “He is to appear in Vanrhynsdorp Court on June 3,” he said. Matzikama mayor…

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is set to meet members of the Student Representative Council (SRC) tomorrow to resolve issues as protest action has disrupted lectures at the institution. Students continued with the second day of protests yesterday, saying they were aggrieved that more than 2 000 students had yet to be allocated accommodation at residences, and over the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (NSFAS) accommodation cap, which has been reduced to R45 000 per student. Students protested over similar issues at Wits University last week and at UCT last month, leading to the Department of Higher Education setting up a committee to find solutions. Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Dr Blade Nzimande said that following a meeting with Universities SA (USAf) on Saturday, the department would establish…

THE strike at KwaZulu-Natal hospitals is being spearheaded by National Education, Health, and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) members and the union has vowed to continue with the protest until its demands are met. On Monday the Labour Court dismissed an appeal by Nehawu to stop an interdict on its wage strike. But Nehawu said it had appealed against the court order and would remain on strike until its latest appeal was dismissed. There were reports of protests at Edendale and Northdale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg. The KZN Department of Health said the strike was illegal. Nehawu’s KZN provincial deputy secretary Ntokozo Nxumalo said they would continue to strike until their 10% wage demand was met. “The Labour Court ruled against us. But we have appealed against this ruling and are legally…

Eskom tells South Africans to install solar panels – but where’s the money coming from? In 2017, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán declared billionaire George Soros and his Open Society Foundation (OSF) persona non grata, which effectively barred them from entering the country ever again. Also, in 2015, Russia outlawed “undesirable” foreign or international organisations that allegedly undermined Russia’s security, defence or constitutional order. Besides Russia and Hungary, the OSF is illegal in China and Singapore and is on a government “watch list” in India. Hungary is located at the far eastern frontier of the EU, together with Poland and Belarus (a non-EU member). Due to their location, Hungary and its neighbours are in a difficult position to enact stricter migration policies to cushion the supranational state from the former…

At least 16 people were killed and several others injured in an explosion in a crowded market area in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, yesterday, a local fire service official said. The blast occurred inside a seven-storey building, causing heavy damage to two floors, the official added. “There were several shops selling sanitary ware and household goods. A bus standing on the opposite side of the building was also damaged in the blast,” fire service official Dinomoni Sharma said. The cause of the blast was unclear, Sharma said, adding that the death toll could rise as rescue operations were still under way. Images from the scene showed extensive damage to the building and nearby structures, with items that were once inside the shops piled up on the street. Some pedestrians were injured…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly committed his troops to holding out in Bakhmut after days in which they had seemed likely to withdraw, apparently prolonging the war’s bloodiest battle in a bid to break Moscow’s assault force. Moscow has sent thousands of troops in waves over recent weeks to try to capture the eastern Ukrainian city and secure its first battlefield victory in more than half a year. Ukrainian forces have dug trenches further west and in recent days had seemed to be preparing to pull out. But Zelenskiy’s remarks suggested Kyiv had elected not only to stay and fight on but to reinforce the city, apparently convinced that Russia’s losses in trying to storm it would be greater than those of the defenders. Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion…

Baghdad: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived unannounced in Baghdad yesterday to discuss the fight against Islamic State (IS) militant group and expand the partnership with Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani met the US delegation, and said that the stability of Iraq was the key to the security and stability of the region because of its role in easing tensions in the region. Austin said US forces in Iraq were there at the invitation of Iraq, providing advice on the fight against terrorism. His visit came ahead of the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. | IANS…