Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-04-06 i Mercury

EOH, AN IT group that has required a turnaround plan, has flagged a small increase in revenue and a sharp decrease in net profit for the six months to January 31, 2023. EOH CEO Stephen van Coller said: “For the first time since 2019, I am able to address our stakeholders in the context of EOH being a normal business. “For many years, we have been battling corruption scandals, unprofitable legacy contracts, inefficient corporate structures, huge debt burdens, and a highly inefficient capital structure.” Its results released yesterday showed that operating profit from continuing operations decreased to R110 million in the six months to end-January, from R162m in the prior comparative period, but comparing favourably to the R100m operating profit for its full 2022 year. Revenue rose 8% to…

RISING geopolitical tensions and the resulting fragmentation of the global economy could increase financial stability risks, reducing cross-border investments, asset prices, payment systems and banks’ ability to lend, the International Monetary Fund said yesterday. The IMF has long warned of increased costs, economic friction and gross domestic product output losses associated with the global economy fragmenting into geopolitical blocs, with US-led democracies on one side and China and other autocratic states on another. This can lead to competing technology systems and reduced trade. But a new IMF working paper highlighted the potential for rising tensions to drive outflows of cross-border capital, including direct investment, from countries, with particularly high risks for developing and emerging market economies. Such stability risks are driven through financial channels, IMF researchers said in the paper,…

THE Durban Funworld, the iconic beachfront facility, will close its operations on May 1 after being part of the Golden Mile for more than 50 years. Owner Nic Steyn said the facility’s amusement rides and attractions would be sold off, and removed from the beachfront. Steyn said the closure would be a sad day for Durban, especially the beachfront. Steyn is a third-generation operator of the facility which, he said, was built by his family from the ground up when the site was simply grass. Speaking on the park’s history, he said that in 1977 his father, Nic Steyn senior, opened Durban Funworld to all races, making it the first public entity to do so – a move that was in open defiance of the terms of his lease. Steyn…

Malcolm Mitchell (The Mercury, April 5) is absolutely correct about “the dichotomy in news reports” between different media houses. The extensive coverage in The Mercury of April 5 on President Donald Trump’s arraignment and the “charges” of which he is accused, all placed under the heading “Trump facing moment of truth”, is a case in point. When are we going to read about Joe Biden’s “moment of truth” for the impeachable crimes he has committed? How do these stack up with Trump’s “charges”? Biden destroyed US energy independence by peremptorily closing the Keystone pipeline which cost 14 000 jobs. Then he sold off half the US strategic oil reserves to China despite petrol shortages in the US. Biden violated the First Amendment by colluding with big tech companies Twitter and…

This week the big news for the tourism sector has been the arrival on our shores of the Queen Mary 2, one of the longest, most luxurious cruise vessels. The arrival is one of the many signals that tourism in eThekwini is enjoying a much-deserved revival. The challenges faced by the City’s tourism sector in the recent past are well-documented. Like many tourist destinations across the globe, eThekwini took a hammering during the Covid period when travel all but ground to a halt. The economic impact of Covid is still being felt. Many families lost breadwinners, thousands lost their jobs and many businesses closed down. This meant that families had far less disposable income than they had had before Covid, thus affecting non-essential spend such as leisure travel. The July…

Six members of a gang that operated in Gauteng, North West and Limpopo have been sentenced to an accumulative 843 years after being convicted on 68 counts including racketeering by managing and participating in an enterprise, kidnapping, robbery and murder. During their reign of terror, the criminals preyed on unsuspecting bank clients who withdrew large sums of money. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in Gauteng, Phindi Mjonondwane, said the High Court in Johannesburg also convicted the syndicate members on charges of fraud, corruption, conspiracy and possession of firearms and ammunition. “With the court ordering that some of the sentences run concurrently, Vusimuzi Jomo Mazibuko, 43, and Xolani Comfort Mkhwanazi, 32, will serve life imprisonment each. “Shaun Khumalo, 25, will serve 15 years’ imprisonment, while Vusi David Sibanyoni, 41, and…

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport will be conducting law enforcement operations over the Easter weekend to ensure the safety of road users. KwaZulu-Natal MEC of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Sipho Hlomuka, said there would be heightened law enforcement operations today on the N3. “The monitoring of the N3 and N2 is part of the Easter long weekend safety plan, which was recently unveiled by the premier.” Hlomuka appealed to residents and visitors to behave responsibly and co-operate with law enforcement agencies. “There will be additional deployment from the National Traffic Police and new vehicles have been deployed. Our plan is to continue sustaining the reduction in both crashes and fatalities. We appeal to everyone to adhere to all laws and regulations to protect and save lives, both on the…

Two BYSTANDERS have been killed and another was wounded following a cash-in-transit heist in Putfontein in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng yesterday. Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said a manhunt had been launched for the gunmen. “The South African Police Service has mobilised its crime scene experts, including the SAPS Bomb Disposal Unit to investigate, while a multidisciplinary team has been dispatched to search for the armed suspects.” Mathe said the police recovered three getaway vehicles, a burnt-out gold BMW sedan, a silver sedan and a white Audi A1. The robbers got away with an undisclosed amount of money. Last month, in a similar incident in Mpumalanga, gunmen made off with an undisclosed amount of money after robbing a cash van in Siyabuswa. A 40-year-old suspect was arrested after the incident on March 24,…

THE ANC is being short-sighted with its instruction barring all members from commenting publicly on former president Thabo Mbeki’s letter criticising the party’s handling of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala saga. The decision communicated by secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s office borders on censorship and dictatorship. It proves once again that the ANC has learnt little, if anything, from the Jacob Zuma Nkandla scandal. In fact, that is among the concerns Mbeki raises in his 17-page letter, that many people will entertain the suspicion that the Phala Phala matter includes corruption. “In that sense this is no different from the ‘Nkandla matter’ which, once again, many among our people suspected involved corrupt practices. History had made the firm and unequivocal statement that we should never have acted as we did for a…

The Hague: International police have shut down “one of the world’s largest” online markets dealing in millions of stolen identities and account details, Europol said yesterday. The global sweep resulted in 119 arrests, involved 17 countries and was led by the FBI and Dutch police, the EU’s policing agency said. “An unprecedented law enforcement operation involving 17 countries has resulted in the takedown of Genesis Market, one of the most dangerous marketplaces selling stolen account credentials to hackers worldwide,” Europol said. “Genesis Market listed for sale the identities of more than 2 million people,” the agency said. The raid took place in Australia, Britain, Canada, the US and more than 10 countries in Europe. | AFP…

LACTALIS South Africa (LSA) has invested R140 million in a new evapo- rator dryer powder plant facility at its cheese-manufacturing plant in Bonnie- vale in the Western Cape. LSA general manager Alban Damour said in a state- ment yesterday that the new plant would significantly boost skimmed milk production capacity. The plant was officially opened on Tuesday. The group’s Bonnievale factory is one of the biggest cheese factories on the African continent and currently provides employment to 800 employees. “This investment demonstrates the commitment by Group Lactalis to strengthen its business in South Africa. We remain focused on finding innovative business solutions that enable the production of high-quality food pro- ducts while creating employment and making a difference in the communi- ties in which we operate,” said Damour. The…

SOUTH Africa continues to grapple with cybercrime, which is likely to increase in future, with the country being ranked number six in the world in terms of cybercrime density. This has been attributed to the era of digitalisation which has bred a significant increase in cybercrime, even while at the same time making people’s lives easier. As a result of cybercrime, national government institutions, large corporations and small- and medium-sized businesses are at risk of financial and data loss, identity theft and cyber extortion. Billy Petzer, research group leader in cyber security systems at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), painted a bleak picture of continuous cybercrime attacks locally, saying the phenomenon cost the country at least R2.2 billion per annum. “As things stand, we are not looking…

“My boss (who will of course be unnamed) expects his ‘helpers’ to iron his shirts, get his car filled with petrol, and under some circumstances help with babysitting his children. “We are a sales firm with most of us being sales people. I see this as such a power trip on his part but no one will speak up because it means a job may be threatened. “When you write about what people do with our ‘limited power’ and how it ‘shows who we are inside’ I can’t help but think of how this man’s limited power gives him such a trip and how so many people just play along. He seems to avoid me. I think he knows I see right through his games.” You have shown that a…

ENERGY experts have raised concerns at the missed deadline on Gwede Mantashe’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2019) and the severe consequences it could have on short-term initiatives to deal with load shedding. The plan had been criticised for being outdated, especially given the current energy crisis. Energy expert Lungile Mashele said the government had earlier indicated that the IRP 2019 and a plan involving 3 000MW of gas capacity would be released at the end of March. “Both of these things have not materialised and this is extremely worrying given the state of where we find ourselves currently, where there is an electricity minister who seems to be sourcing additional capacity. “You also have a situation where the premiers of different provinces…

Police Minister Bheki Cele has revealed that out of 701 mass attacks in which 1 664 people were killed between April and December 2022, only three convictions had been secured. Cele unveiled these figures in reply to questions by Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald, who asked about the number of mass attacks, murders as well as arrests and convictions. Cele said that during the period, 1 664 people were murdered and 388 suspects were arrested with their cases tried in court. Groenewald said that between the financial years of 2019/20 and 2021/22, these incidents increased from 438 incidents and 1 009 deaths in 2019/20 to 769 incidents and 1 791 deaths in 2021/22. “Most incidents and deaths occurred in KwaZulu-Natal, with Gauteng following closely. “With a murder rate five…

It will fully support SA to make the BRICS summit a success The first session of the 14th National People’s Congress has recently concluded successfully in Beijing. The session deliberated on and approved a series of important reports, including the government work report, 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 at the session, with General Secretary Xi Jinping being unanimously re-elected as the president of the People’s Republic of China. This fully reflects the common aspirations of the entire Communist Party, army, and people of all ethnic groups in the country and fully embodies the high degree of unity of the will of the party, the will of the people, and the…

Israeli police entered Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque in force yesterday to try to clear groups it said were barricaded inside, leading to clashes with worshippers and triggering an exchange of crossborder fire with Gaza. The incident, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadaan and on the eve of the Jewish Passover, came amid fears that tensions built up during a year of escalating violence could be unleashed at the Al-Aqsa mosque, a flashpoint site in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinian militants fired at least nine rockets from Gaza into Israel overnight, prompting air strikes from Israel which hit what it said were weapon production sites for the Islamist group Hamas, which controls the blockaded coastal enclave. Hamas did not claim responsibility for the rocket attacks but said those who carried them out…

ST LOUIS: Four people were killed in a reported tornado that touched down in south-eastern Missouri yesterday, state police said, and teams of first responders were combing destroyed homes and businesses for more victims. The fatalities were reported in Bollinger County, where multiple local agencies were conducting search and recovery efforts, police said. Multiple people were injured. In Glen Allen, Missouri, 177km south of St Louis, houses were severely damaged, trees were downed and powerlines and debris covered roadways and yards. The twister was spawned from a storm front sweeping across the Midwest and South yesterday. About 24 million Americans were under the threat of possible tornadoes. | Reuters…

GOLD FIELDS said its 50:50 joint venture with Gold Road Resources, the Gruyere joint venture (JV), this week achieved its first one million ounces of gold production. The long-life, low-cost, Tier 1 gold mine is located 1 200km north-east of Perth in Western Australia’s north-east Goldfields region. Gold Road Resources CEO Duncan Gibbs said: “The Gruyere team has performed safely and sustainably at an impressive rate that has seen this milestone achieved in line with annual guidance.” Gold Fields Australia vice-president Stuart Mathews said: “We are proud of the team on reaching this milestone and on the delivery of projects like the Gruyere solar farm that was launched in 2022 and supports our global decarbonisation objectives. “The solar component of Gruyere’s hybrid microgrid accounts for about 10% of the…

THE GOVERNMENT should be providing some recourse for small businesses that have been hard hit by the unreliable power crisis, according to the Franchise Association of South Africa. Maria D’Amico, chairperson at Franchise Association of South Africa (Fasa), which represents franchise brands that cut across 14 different business sectors, said they were concerned about the domino effects of load shedding on their members. “Some franchises on free-standing properties will incur costs to install generators or solar solutions; those in shopping centres that provide alternate power are often paying a premium for that service and then those in malls that don’t provide backup power find themselves simply trading in the dark or closing shop during load shedding because they cannot generate their own power within the mall. “In all cases they…

The government was left red-faced yesterday when it announced it had revoked the state of disaster on the energy crisis and withdrew the exemption given to Eskom. In a day of drama, Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thembi Nkadimeng and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced the two decisions in separate meetings. Nkadimeng, who was with Deputy Minister Parks Tau and Minister of Electricity Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa, told a media briefing that the decision came as “a number of measures” were being taken to deal with the country’s severe energy constraints. She added that since the state of disaster was declared, government had adopted wide-ranging regulations which set out the responsibilities of the different organs of state to mitigate the impact of severe load shedding and avert a national…

It is clear that Thabani Nyawose, the eThekwini speaker, is a seasoned politician who understands the intricacies of council meetings and the motives behind certain actions taken by councillors. It is therefore unnecessary for him to extend an olive branch to the IFP and DA, “Speaker to meet with DA and IFP” (The Mercury, April 4), after they walked out of a council meeting. The parties were disruptive and their councillors spoke nonsensically, thus delaying the proceedings unnecessarily. However, instead of focusing on the behaviour of the parties, the speaker should delve deeper and understand what motivated them. The mid-term budget proposed exorbitant municipal tariff increases, which would have a direct impact on residents. If the IFP and DA opposed the budget during the meeting, they risked being alienated…

RUGBY talent scouts from around the world are sure to be at Botha’s Hill today – possibly posing as ornithologists – for the kick-off of the Kearsney Easter Rugby Festival, which features sides from 12 of South Africa’s top rugby schools, as well as a top side from England. The festival is at Kearsney College. Matches will be played today, on Saturday and Monday. The English school is Hartpury College, in Gloucestershire, which has won the UK’s national ACE League title 10 times in the past 12 years. NextGenXV, a global hub of schools rugby, has named them as the world’s best in producing professional players. The ornithologists are likely to have their binoculars focused on them. KwaZulu-Natal teams are Durban High School, Glenwood, Westville Boys’ and Kearsney. Teams from…

AT A depth of more than 8km underwater, a fish filmed by researchers from Japan and Australia has been certified by the Guinness World Records as the deepest fish in the ocean to be observed. Scientists, mainly from the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology and the University of Western Australia (UWA), on August 15, 2022, filmed the unknown snailfish species of the genus Pseudoliparis at a depth of 8 336 metres, near the bottom of the Izu-Ogasawara Trench off southern Japan in the western Pacific, reports Xinhua news agency. According to Guinness World Records, the unprecedented depth – double the vertical extent of Mount Fuji – is near what is thought to be the biological bottom line for fish. Hiroshi Kitazato and co-researchers from the Tokyo University of…

A 36-year-old man has been arrested following a Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime investigation which exposed his alleged role in siphoning R1.2 million from Net 1 Financial Services. According to Hawks spokes- person Captain Lloyd Ramovha, Ronald Llewellyn van Wyk, who was employed by Net1 as a Smart Life IT manager, allegedly created and uploaded 19 fictitious policies on behalf of deceased clients. “He would then approach the grieving families and request the deceased’s credentials with promises that his company would pay for the funeral groceries,” Ramovha said. “With the sourced credentials, he reportedly manipulated the system and uploaded claims reflecting credit or backdated monthly premiums. The money would be paid into the bank accounts of beneficiaries uploaded by him, and he would approach them afterwards, stating that there was an…

ANC MP Sibusiso Kula, who was arrested for allegedly killing his wife, has been granted R50 000 bail, after he took his fight for freedom to the High Court in North West. In January, the Orkney Magistrate’s Court denied the 34-year-old Kula bail, after he was charged over the murder of his wife, Jennifer Motlhomi. She was found stabbed to death at the couple’s home in November last year. Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in North West, Henry Mamothame, said Kula’s appeal succeeded before Judge Andre Petersen in the superior court. “The High Court of South Africa, North West Division, granted Sibusiso Kula R50 000 bail following his appeal of the Orkney Magistrate’s Court decision to deny him bail. Judge Andre Petersen ordered him to surrender his passport, report…

CITING a critical shortage of antivenom in the country and on the continent, 27 experts in the field of snakebite treatment have written to Health Minister Joe Phaahla for urgent intervention. “Antivenom is a critical lifesaving treatment in patients bitten by venomous snakes, and has excellent outcomes when used timeously and correctly,” said trauma surgeon Professor Timothy Hardcastle, who is a member of the National Snakebite Advisory Group (NSAG) and the Trauma Society of South Africa. Hardcastle said that the main source of antivenom against the common major venomous snakes in South Africa and other parts of the continent was the South African Vaccine Producers (SAVP) group of products, namely the 10-snake polyvalent, the Echis monovalent and the Boomslang monovalent antivenoms. “Our greatest concern and challenge is the unreliable production…

At the end of a long day, you realise you’re starting to get a headache. So you buy painkillers from a street vendor, and take two. But how do you know what those pills really are? The vendor isn’t a pharmacy. There’s no package insert listing ingredients or dosage instructions. What if you’ve just tried to treat your headache with counterfeit medicine? The term “counterfeit medicine” refers to medicines that are deliberately and fraudulently falsified or mislabelled. Also called sub-standard or falsified medicines, they would have failed to pass the quality measurements and standards that are approved by medicine regulatory authorities. They are not to be confused with generic medicines – those are cheaper, but still scientifically proven to be safe and efficacious versions of patented medicines. The most common…

US voters woke yesterday to a uniquely volatile 2024 presidential election landscape, where Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate, now faces trial and the incumbent, Joe Biden, has not even confirmed he’s running. Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 34 felony charges linked to alleged attempts to silence damaging personal information during his triumphant 2016 race for the White House. The man who went from 1980s playboy real estate magnate, to TV reality show star in the 2000s, then right-wing populist president, made history as the first serving or former commander in chief to face a criminal trial. But while he had to go through the humiliating process of arrest in a New York courtroom, polls show Trump remains by far the strongest Republican candidate. In fact, his numbers…