Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-03-17 i Mercury

EXXARO yesterday delivered strong annual results on the back of coal prices, but trimmed its annual divi- dend to shareholders as coal prices start to cool and as it remains hamstrung by Transnet logistical problems. In its financial results for the year ended December 31, 2022, the mining firm said headline earnings per share rose by 28% to R60.16 a share from R46.83 a share, while revenue increased 41% to R46.3 billion. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (Ebitda) came to R19bn in the reported period, from R10.6bn previously. Despite this, it declared a lower dividend, due to lower income from its iron ore investment and uncertainty over Transnet’s rail performance. It declared a final dividend of R11.36 a share, compared with R11.75 last year. Exxaro CEO Nombasa…

EFF leaders in KwaZulu-Natal say they will target the province’s economic regions – Durban and Richards Bay – on Monday as the party wants to shut down the economy to get President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign, for a range of service-delivery issues to be addressed and for load shedding to be stopped. EFF leader in the province Mongezi Twala said while the national protest would take place in various parts of the country, in KZN the plan was to disrupt the economic centres that contained key harbours and industry. “We will be everywhere in the province, but Durban and Richards Bay will be the focus, because those cities are where our economic resources exit the country and we are left with nothing.” He said townships like KwaMashu and areas around…

BLACK and white – dynamite! Hey, it’s Currie Cup time again, nostalgia for the days of Natal beating Northern Transvaal to win the Cup for the first time ever, and in their centenary year. All the teams in their traditional livery of the amateur days, even if the Currie Cup players these days are round about third on the rung, youngsters from the academies and the clubs, now that the international Heineken Cup and the URC take up those first and second rungs. But the youngsters have everything to play for, their turn will come, and we look forward to some great rugby. They’re the rising generation. On Sunday it’s the Sharks versus Griquas down in Kimberley, and we only hope Nasa don’t throw a spanner in the works. As…

Viewed within the context of Julius Malema’s motives for threatening a national shutdown on March 20 and the diminutive size of the EFF in terms of its electoral support, it is shameful that this wannabe, tinpot dictator is being taken seriously. In the 2019 election the EFF’s 1.8 million votes constituted just 6% of the 29 million registered voters. What sort of a country have we become to be intimidated by this small group of Marxists whose policies, in any case, spell doom for South Africa? Malema’s motives for a “shutdown” are as demented as EFF policies. His demand for an immediate end to load shedding shows how little he knows about the state of electricity generation. With the best engineers in the world, Eskom cannot be fixed in five…

CO-OPERATIVE Governanace and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Deputy Minister Parks Tau on Wednesday said co-operation between all spheres of government would be crucial in executing the disaster-management regulations on the energy crisis. “All institutions across the government, for the duration of the declaration of the national State of Disaster, within available resources, will adopt energy-saving measures to contain the effects of load shedding and ensure continuation of health facilities, water infrastructure and other essential services.” Tau was responding to questions during the oral question session in the National Assembly. EFF MP Hlengiwe Mkhaliphi enquired about the short- to medium- term interventions that would be introduced after the proclamation of the national State of Disaster and the role to be played by Cogta in a bid to put an…

A tug of war is under way between Cosatu-affiliated public service unions Sadtu and Nehawu regarding who was responsible for pressuring the government to accede to a new wage offer of a 7% salary increase for public servants in July this year. The latest battle between the two majority Cosatu unions follows Nehawu claiming that its eight days of industrial action had forced the government to relent in the new offer. Nehawu general secretary Zola Saphetha said their industrial action had indicated that the strike had registered significant achievements and outcomes. Nehawu, which boycotted the negotiations from Monday last week, had now ordered its members to return to work, promising to deal with the government’s threat to implement the “no work no pay” policy. Sadtu general secretary Mugwena Maluleke dismissed…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Niger yesterday for a rare visit to a country seen as a bastion of support for Western military operations in a region where Russia is making inroads. Blinken is the first US official at this level to visit the former French colony, where both France and the US maintain forces to battle jihadist insurgencies in the troubled Sahel region. He was greeted in Niamey by Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou. Blinken is expected to announce more US support to Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries, which returned to stability in 2011 after a history of coups. A senior US official travelling with Blinken said the trip was meant to support the efforts of Niger under President Mohamed Bazoum, a vocal critic of…

Capsized in a river in southern Iraq, the rusting wreck of a yacht that belonged to Saddam Hussein serves as a stark reminder of his iron-fisted rule that ended with the US-led invasion two decades ago. The 121m “al-Mansur” is today a destination for sightseers and fisherman who clamber aboard the wreck to picnic and drink tea. “When it was owned by the former president, no one could come close to it,” said fisherman Hussein Sabahi, who enjoys ending a long day on the river with a cup of tea aboard the wreck. “I can’t believe that this belonged to Saddam and now I’m the one moving around it.’ Saddam issued orders for the yacht, which he never boarded, to leave its mooring at Umm Qasr to Basra for safekeeping…

LOS ANGELES: Oprah Winfrey has urged the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to “do what they feel is best for them” when it comes to attending King Charles’s coronation. The 74-year-old monarch has invited his son Prince Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan, who stepped down as working royals three years ago, to the ceremony on May 6 but the couple have yet to confirm if they will attend. Asked by her pal Gayle King on CBS Mornings if she thinks Harry and Meghan should “go or not go”, Oprah said: “I think they should do what they feel is best for them and their family.” Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams believes the invitation had left Harry – who was critical of his father and brother Prince William in his recent memoir Spare…

SURABAYA: An Indonesian court yesterday jailed a policeman but cleared two other officers of negligence over crowd control measures deployed at a local soccer match that led to one of the world’s deadliest stadium stampedes. The October 2022 derby in Malang, East Java, between Arema FC and Persebaya Surabaya ended in chaos with 135 spectators killed, many crushed as they fled for exits after police fired tear gas into the crowd. Last week, two Arema FC match officials were also jailed for negligence. Authorities said the officer who was sentenced yesterday had ordered police to fire tear gas, which soccer world governing body Fifa has banned. | Reuters…

THE summer season for the shore anglers is going well and we have seen some phenomenal sandies and other inedibles caught. The North Coast has seen most of the bigger inedibles. The sandsharks have been the most sought after of the summer fish with most anglers trying for the magic 2m mark fish. Some anglers went well past. The sandy is a tricky fish to keep hooked but once hooked he is a fantastic fighter. A circle hook baited with mackerel, redeye of shad are the baits of choice. A circle hook can only work properly if it is allowed to do so. There are two important aspects of rigging them. They need to be snelled onto the trace. This allows the line to exit on the hook point side…

BARCELONA’S rock-solid defence will be put to the test as they look to take a big step closer to a first league title in four years with victory over rivals Real Madrid at the Camp Nou in El Clasico on Sunday. Barca, who hold a nine-point advantage over their rivals at the top of the table, have won 21 of their 25 matches this season, losing only one of their last 16 games. While they are the second highest scorers in the division with 47 goals and boast the league’s top scorer, Robert Lewandowski with 15, the foundation of their success has been at the other end of the pitch. They have conceded only eight goals in the league this season, by far the best defensive record in Europe’s top…

At a media conference on March 15, Julius Malema made veiled threats against the community of Phoenix and referred to the Indian community, obviously as a tactic of fear and intimidation, which is abominable, despicable and downright pathetic. His planned day of protest, calling it a shutdown, should and must be limited to his cronies and cannot be allowed to disrupt the normal life of other citizens who do not subscribe to the whims of his political agendas. By stating “we are ready for Phoenix”, Malema is inciting unwarranted possibilities of violence and intimidation. The community must never succumb to this. Ready for what? This is the calibre of leadership we are witnessing from a man who cares less about the country and more about his own political ends. If…

Some years ago, the 3-year-old son of a family member came for a visit. He was wearing a T-shirt with the inscription “I break things”. The message could be easily understood by a 3-year-old. Considering the behaviour of some infantile youths (some might refer to them as students) and politicians who were former youth leaders, one could expect that they could also wear T-shirts bearing similar slogans such as “I behave badly”. After all, with some individuals it takes a long time for them to outgrow the infantile stage.…

AN undisclosed ailment affecting Mbuso Ngcobo, the State witness in the Zandile Gumede fraud and corruption trial, has seen him booked off until next Wednesday, prompting the State to consider its next move in ensuring the continuation of the trial. As court proceedings were set to start at 10am yesterday, it emerged that the matter had been set for the afternoon before being adjourned. Ngcobo, head of the City Investigations Integrity Unit in eThekwini Municipality, has been on the witness stand since last week, giving an account of how an anonymous tip-off on alleged corruption led to a full scale investigation on a Durban Solid Waste (DSW) contract. The investigation, the court further learnt, had been conducted internally, but threats to one of the leading investigators led to her resignation…

Police swooped on five suspected hit men in Cato Manor, Durban, yesterday after receiving a tip-off that the men were planning a hit. Police arrested the men after a dramatic shoot-out. The suspects, who police said were driving a stolen Nissan Navara, were found with two AK-47 rifles. Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said police received a tip-off and managed to corner one of the two vehicles the suspects were travelling in. “Our officers were working on the ground when they received information of a vehicle with suspicious occupants in the area. The informant was of the opinion these guys were in the area to take someone out, so our police were called for backup. There were two vehicles the suspects were in.” Naicker said five of the men…

China’s Two Sessions 2023, which consists of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress and the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, recently successfully concluded in Beijing. The first session of the 14th National People’s Congress deliberated and approved the government work report and other important reports, clarifying the overall requirements, major goals and work priorities for China’s economic and social development this year. A new generation of national leaders was elected, with general secretary Xi Jinping being unanimously re-elected as the president of the People’s Republic of China and the chairman of the Central Military Commission of the PRC. This fully reflects the common aspirations of the entire party, army and people of all ethnic groups in the country and fully embodies the high degree…

Thousands of Greek workers walked off the job yesterday and rallied in central Athens in protest at neglected safety standards which they say led to the deadliest train crash in the country’s history. Flights to and from Greece were grounded, ships remained docked at ports, and public services and state schools were closed as workers joined the 24-hour strike called by Greece’s largest labour unions, GSEE and ADEDY. The walkout is the latest in a series of protests since the head-on collision last month of a passenger train carrying more than 350 people – most of them university students – with a freight train near the city of Larissa, in the central Greek region of Tempi. The crash killed 57. Protesters accuse the conservative government and the country’s political system…

Europe’s main markets have opened higher after moves from the Swiss Central Bank reassured investors over the financial health of Credit Suisse. In the opening minutes of trade, the UK’s FTSE 100 was up more than 1%, and the French CAC 40 was up 1.5%. Shares in Switzerland’s second largest bank surged in the opening minutes of trading after it agreed a $53-billion loan from the Swiss Central Bank. Credit Suisse was up more than 30% in early trade. On Wednesday, the bank plunged more than 24% to a record low after its biggest shareholder said it had no plans to give any more funds to Credit Suisse. The Swiss Central Bank and the Swiss regulator said they were ready to provide financial support and the bank took up the…

Bogotá: Ten workers trapped in a coal mine in central Colombia were found dead, bringing the death toll from an explosion in the pit to 21, President Gustavo Petro said yesterday. A build-up of methane gas apparently triggered the Tuesday night explosion in the underground complex, according to local officials. Rescuers had found 11 other bodies in the mine, 75km north of Bogota. Dozens of rescuers had searched for the miners in six interconnected legal mines, where officials are now investigating whether there was enough air flow. For methane not to explode, proper ventilation and monitoring systems allowing for alerts are needed. | AFP…

LONDON: Britain said yesterday it would ban TikTok on government phones, a move that follows other Western countries who have barred the Chinese-owned video app over security concerns. TikTok has come under scrutiny due to fears that user data from the app, owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance, could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, undermining Western security interests. The British government had asked the National Cyber Security Centre to look at the potential vulnerability of government data from social media apps and risks around how sensitive information could be accessed and used. | Reuters…

The Road Freight Association say that SAPS national commissioner General Sehlahle Masemola has advised them to reduce the number of trucks on roads due to the national shutdown planned by the EFF on Monday. Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association, said that Masemola had advised them that freight operations should be minimised for deliveries scheduled before and after March 20. “His advice was that as few trucks as possible should be active on roads or parked in areas easily accessible to groups that wish to cause damage or loot. Where vehicles, facilities and infrastructure have camera capabilities, any relevant footage of incidents must be made available to the SAPS for investigation and prosecution,” he said. Kelly said that police have also requested any and all verified intelligence…

So, the Anglican Church in southern Africa has developed certain ethics aimed at accommodating homosexual partners. I also hear that the pope of the Catholic Church has begun to warm up to homosexuality as opposed to previous stances from the papacy. Then musician Steven Hofmeyr apologised to the gay and lesbian community for past comments. I suppose all these things deserve applause in a democratic context. After all, we signed up for this in our haste to create a utopian society in 1994. However, there must be a balance. If the Christian churches are ready to embrace homosexuality and (queer) culture and promote these practices as part of the pastoral response to context, then all the churches must begin with polygamy. Or are they waiting for approval from the Vatican…

After a long absence, we all look forward to returning home. The welcoming embrace by your loving parents, the warmth and comfort of your home and delicious, home-cooked meals served out by your doting mother. But going to Home Affairs? Would you look forward to it? And so it was with a dreadful feeling that I reluctantly made my way to Home Affairs in Umgeni Road to get my new passport. Even though I had an appointment, I was still on tenterhooks going to a government department which is synonymous with shoddy service. I anticipated a crowded, chaotic, stuffy hall. But I was pleasantly surprised. The big hall was full of people but it was clean, quite airy and manageable. And there was order. On entering the hall I was…

When facing a crisis Take time to think things over, even if the act of thinking things over feels or seems impossible. Get some distance to gain some objectivity. When your thinking is nudged and poked by overwhelming feelings of sorrow or anger, you know it is still necessary to take more time before you respond. Reactive behaviour is unlikely to do you or any situation you are facing any good. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, which is probably not going to be very helpful to you. No response from you is better than a half-baked response from you. Be aware that your half-baked ideas will be misunderstood and often in ways that are not to your advantage. While you may not feel like it, take care…

GAUTENG Premier Panyaza Lesufi wants action to be taken against the DA councillors in Tshwane for allegedly breaking the law by using numbers instead of crosses to vote during the election of new council speaker on Monday through a secret ballot. This comes after the DA had indicated it was seeking legal advice on whether to take legal action after 69 ballots of party councillors were disqualified during the election. Lesufi said he asked Gauteng MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Mzi Khumalo to see if there was no action that could be taken against the councillors, because “they have broken the law” in trying to bypass the new voting format by the Electoral Commission of SA. “It is a serious misconduct and we can’t leave it hanging,” Lesufi…

Legal experts say that a Durban man, who was stabbed before shooting dead an alleged attacker on his property, should not have been charged with murder. KZN Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala confirmed that the Phoenix police are investigating charges of attempted murder and murder after Tuesday’s incident involving the 60-year-old homeowner. “The man alleged that he found an unknown suspect at his premises in possession of copper pipes. He approached him, and the suspect became violent and stabbed him. The victim drew his firearm and allegedly shot the suspect who died at the scene,” she said. KZN VIP Protection Services said on Tuesday a fleeing robbery and theft suspect from Brentwood in Phoenix was hopping walls in an attempt to flee community members who were chasing him. They said…

WE OFTEN use the terms “global change” and “climate change” interchangeably. This is not entirely correct and can distract us from finding solutions for our future. Climate change is serious but is only one component of global change. Global change is a broader term referring to the influence of the increasing pressure of humans on the Earth’s natural resources. Interestingly, the most formidable influence of global change has not been climate change, but what scientists call “land transformation”, which is the conversion of one kind of land cover or use to another. Of all the Earth’s land biomes, grasslands are one of the most heavily impacted by land transformation, owing to their importance for agriculture. But grasslands are also one of the planet’s most extensive biomes, covering 40.5% of the…

Japan and South Korea announced the end of tit-for-tat trade measures and pledged renewed diplomacy as leaders of the two countries met in Tokyo yesterday for a summit to thaw long-frozen ties. The neighbours, both key US partners in the region, have for years been locked in a bitter dispute over Japan’s use of wartime forced labour. Relations deteriorated after South Korea’s Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Japanese firms to compensate victims of forced labour, but this month Seoul announced a plan to pay those affected without Tokyo’s involvement. President Yoon Suk Yeol has been keen to end the spat and form a united front against regional challenges including North Korea, which launched a long-range missile just hours before Yoon’s arrival in Tokyo. After talks, he and Japan’s Prime Minister,…

KAMPALA: The son of Uganda’s ageing leader, Yoweri Museveni, has said he intends to stand for the presidency in 2026, the first time the general has given a timeline for replacing his father, who has ruled the country for 37 years. Uganda’s opposition has accused Museveni of seeking to impose a monarchy and claimed he was grooming his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to take over from him. Museveni has denied this. The 48-year-old general is known for firing off tweets that have earned him reprimands from his father. Kainerugaba deleted the messages about his aspirations. | Reuters…

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron has decided to force through his pension reform without calling a vote in parliament, using a constitutional power enabling the government to bypass MPs, sources said yesterday. This came after a series of meetings appeared to reveal there was no majority in parliament to adopt the reform. An emergency cabinet meeting chaired by Macron then authorised use of the article. The government can now raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 without the risk of losing a parliamentary vote. But it could further inflame protests and gives the opposition the right to call a confidence vote in parliament. | AFP…

Paris: Amnesty International yesterday accused Iran of subjecting children arrested in a crackdown on women-led protests to “horrific” abuse including beatings, electric shocks and rape. The human rights group said it estimated that thousands of children had been arrested in the crackdown, with minors as young as 12 suffering treatment equating to torture. Protests erupted in Iran in September over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, following her arrest for an alleged violation of Iran’s dress code for women. Amnesty said children were taken to detention centres and then prisons after being held incommunicado. | AFP…

DOUBLE world champion Max Verstappen has delayed his arrival at this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix by 24 hours due to a stomach illness and he was expected to miss yesterday’s media day. But the 25-year-old Dutchman confirmed in a tweet that he is “feeling fine again” and, having delayed his flight to Jeddah, will instead arrive for practice today. His Red Bull team also tweeted to confirm Verstappen’s absence. “Max has been suffering from a stomach illness over the past few days and with the agreement of the FIA will not be present on track today,” said the team. After victory in a crushing Red Bull one-two at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Verstappen leads the drivers’ championship ahead of teammate Sergio Perez. After his commanding victory in Bahrain,…

KAIZER Chiefs will travel to Pietermaritzburg to face Maritzburg United tomorrow. Amakhosi are on a three-game winning streak in all competitions and will look to grab all three points against a Maritzburg outfit in the relegation zone. The hosts frequently present a tricky prospect in their own backyard, with a few players in their squad capable of initiating an upset against some of the big teams in the Premiership. We take a look at five Maritzburg players who could give Chiefs problems: Kwame Peprah The Orlando Pirates loanee has yet to hit the heights expected from him since his arrival in January. He has a single goal to show for his three months in Pietermaritzburg. However, the Ghanaian has a skill set unique to most strikers in South Africa.…