Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-07-26 i Mercury

The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) will work with the eThekwini Municipality and provincial Transport Department to fix roads in dire need of repair in the city. Sanral’s Eastern Region design and construction manager Ravi Ronny said that they would work with the City and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport to refurbish the roads. While a list of roads that would be repaired is yet to be finalised, Ronny said the focus would be on roads that were affected by floods in April last year. “Sanral will also maintain some of the local and provincial road networks as alternative routes to the N2/N3 freeway upgrading programme as part of the Traffic Management Plan,” he said. He pointed out that while Sanral is responsible for national roads, from time…

MORE than 12 000 doctors, who are members of the South African Medical Association (Sama), have submitted a petition with 50 000 signatures to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chairperson, asking him to listen to their concerns before the NCOP votes on the adoption of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill in its current form. Sama chairperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa said the country’s oldest and largest association of medical doctors had been very involved in the legislative process of the bill from its inception. “We have made written and verbal representations to Parliament outlining our concerns regarding the bill and its potential implications. “Regrettably, our views have been largely disregarded, leading to the adoption of the bill by Parliament’s portfolio committee on health in May, and its subsequent adoption…

HEY, how’s this for a party? About 140 bearded Ernest Hemingway lookalikes got together recently for three-successive evenings in Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, Florida, where the novelist and writer of short stories once lived. He was also a frequenter of Sloppy Joe’s, along with others of a literary bent. The get-together was to choose yet another Hemingway lookalike, according to Associated Press. The challenge is a highlight of the island’s Hemingway Days Festival that salutes the literary talent and adventurous life of the Nobel Prize-winning writer. During his Key West years, Hemingway penned classics including For Whom the Bell Tolls and To Have and Have Not. He also wrote a trove of short stories. Who decides the winning lookalike? Why, past winners – the bearded 140-odd. Each lookalike…

CONGRATULATIONS to Sisisi Tolashe for being elected as the president of the ANC Women’s League. She thrashed Thembeka Mchunu and Bathabile Dlamini to win by a convincing margin. Born on 21 December 1959, she is older than her predecessor, Bathabile Dlamini, and a known backer of Cyril Ramaphosa. As we all know, these positions are a guaranteed means to get into Parliament and in the Cabinet, especially within the ANC should the party win the general elections. However, it is becoming increasingly worrisome that senior citizens are taking up these positions, and younger voices are being silenced. If one looks at the elected leaders of the Women’s League, one will be forgiven for believing these elections were for the Senior Citizens’ League. The ages of women who serve on…

NINETY films from 54 countries are being shown at this year’s Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which opened with a Burkina Faso film focused on terrorism in Africa. The 10-day DIFF started with a screening of Sira, a fictionalised story of terrorists who capture young girls, which bears testimony to the tenacity of women despite tough conditions. DIFF runs until July 30, and it gathers film-makers to engage with audiences at film screenings. It also offers R10 000 in cash prizes to winning films in five categories. Nathalie Vairac, one of the lead actresses in Sira, who is at DIFF for the first time, said its value was in “meeting other actors and film-makers to talk about making films in Africa”. “It’s an honour to have our film opening…

FOUR people were shot dead at the Port Shepstone taxi rank on the South Coast yesterday. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker said that gunmen approached a taxi and opened fire on the occupants. “Four of the occupants died as a result of the shooting, while a further four were transported to hospital with gunshot wounds. The motive for the shooting is unknown and is subject to a police investigation. “Detectives are investigating four counts of murder and four of attempted murder.” He said the police were appealing to members of the public who had information on the incident to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or report any leads via the MySAPS app. Ray Nkonyeni Municipality spokesperson Simon April told eNCA news that the shooting may have been linked…

AS WE come to the end of Mandela Month, let us remind ourselves that African people have made no laws that prevent, stop and prohibit coloureds, whites and Indians to help build and create a non-racial society. So, self-appointed spokespersons of minorities must stop suggesting that it is Africans that have failed non-racialism. The African struggle has delivered a world-class Constitution that has enshrined and protects non-racialism in an inherently racist and anti-African socio-economic situation. Everyone has the right to become agents of the change they want to see. With Ubuntu, Africans have been accommodating of everyone, at their own expense. Over the past few years, self-appointed spokespersons of minorities have raised their voices to charge that the ANC and/or African majority are not non-racial and as a result exhibit…

The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) has said that the travel, tourism and hospitality industry on the South Coast is reeling from an ongoing water crisis. However, the Ugu District Municipality denied it was a crisis, saying there were only intermittent supply challenges. Rosemary Anderson, Fedhasa’s national chairperson, said the tourism industry, a vital economic driver for the region, was in peril, and the future looked bleak without swift intervention. “The consequences are devastating, with a staggering number of days without water and businesses forced to truck in water at astronomical costs.” Anderson said residents reported that between December 10, 2021, and August 22, 2022, there were only 107 out of 255 days with access to water. Anderson said that an example of the impact was shared by…

The National Freedom Party (NFP) strongly condemns the government yielding to Western pressure as it has been confirmed Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the upcoming BRICS summit. The NFP expresses deep concern over the erosion of South Africa’s sovereignty and its submission to external influences, which has dictated the outcome of an important diplomatic event – the BRICS Summit. In light of the developments, the NFP reiterates its urgent call for South Africa to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). South Africa must not allow itself to be dictated to by external forces. We cannot allow a situation where the ICC selectively targets certain leaders while turning a blind eye to others who have committed grave offences. The NFP believes Putin’s decision to not attend the…

The Health Justice Initiative (HJI) has taken legal action to compel the National Department of Health (DoH) to supply it with copies of all records related to vaccine procurement deals that were done at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The matter is expected to be heard in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria this week. The HJI said it submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) application to the DoH on July 19, 2021, for access to among others, the records of vaccine procurement contracts, memoranda of understanding and agreements concluded with vaccine manufacturers, licensees or suppliers, as well as the minutes, correspondence and negotiation meeting outcomes with those parties. On July 29, 2021, the director-general responded to HJI’s request saying the department would notify the vaccine…

The Consulate of Zimbabwe in Johannesburg has dismissed reports alleging that transport has been offered for Zimbabweans seeking to travel back home to vote in the August 23 general elections. Consul-General Eria Phiri clarified that the government of Zimbabwe has only chipped in to assist its citizens affected by the Boksburg gas leak tragedy, which left at least 17 people dead earlier this month. Phiri said the article circulating on social media, claiming that Zimbabweans have been offered transport to travel home to vote is untrue. “This serves to put the record straight regarding an article circulating on social media purporting that the Zimbabwe embassy in South Africa will provide transport to Zimbabwe nationals who wish to go and cast their votes during the 23 August 2023 (elections),” said Phiri.…

Police Minister Bheki Cele says more than 5 000 firearms have been stolen from the police in the past five years. He said police had been able to arrest several people who were found in possession of the stolen guns. So far, 23 people have been found guilty and 42 are on trial. A total of 48 firearms stolen from SAPS have been used to commit crime. Cele, who was replying to a written parliamentary question from EFF MP Vuyani Pambo, said that during the 2018/19 financial year 1205 guns were stolen from security services. In the following financial year, 980 firearms were stolen. In the 2020/21 period, 735 guns were stolen by criminals. The number of incidents started to rise again when 971 firearms were stolen during the 2021/22…

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Eastern Cape has refuted the contents of a document circulating on social media purporting to show its office instructing that drug-related matters must not be enrolled due to the “high volume of these matters” on court rolls. According to the “Guidance to SAPS” document, the director of public prosecutions (DPP) in the province issued the instructions. But NPA regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said no such instruction was issued. “The DPP, Barry Madolo, has never issued such an instruction. The chief prosecutor (CP) for the Mthatha Cluster, under whose letterhead the letter is written, is also not aware of it as he is not the author,” said Tyali. He said that the NPA will continue to prosecute drug-related cases. “The NPA wishes to allay…

Decision amounts to a command for checks and balances to be effectively realised THE recent High Court judgment that set aside the Minister of Home Affairs’ decision to terminate the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) programme has sparked anxiety. This especially on whether Minister of Home Affairs Aaron Motsoaledi’s powers to deal with the ZEP were stripped by virtue of the order, and whether the court’s decision was in breach of the doctrine of separation of powers in our constitutional democracy. The decision was the outcome of the application by the Helen Suzman Foundation for the court to set aside the minister’s decision on September 2 last year to terminate the ZEP programme (affecting 178 000 holders who would no longer have the right to live, work and study in…

ELLIES Holdings has forecast headline loss per share to widen to between 10.20 cents and 11.62c for the year to April 30 from a 7.13c loss per share in 2022 after restructuring took a bite out of earnings. The basic loss per share was expec- ted to be between 10.07c and 11.26c, an increase of between 69% and 89% compared to the 5.96c loss per share for the year ended April 30, 202, it said in a trading statement yesterday. A restructure process had an impact of R18 million, mainly for retrenchment costs, equivalent to 2.24c per share of the headline loss per share. “The group had a disappointing second half … with reduced revenue compared with the first half. The continued decline in the satellite installation business…

AN UNPRECEDENTED ring of steel will be thrown around the Sandton Convention Centre in Gauteng when BRICS heads of state and other leaders from more than 50 countries attend next month’s summit. Security advisers from BRICS countries met in South Africa yesterday to discuss the planning and co-ordination around the event. President Cyril Ramaphosa invited the heads of state of all the BRICS countries and 70 leaders of countries in the Global South. It is expected that at least 50 Global South leaders will accept the invite, making this one of the largest global gatherings of leaders. BRICS leaders –Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and President of China Xi Jinping are expected in the country, while Russia will be led by Foreign…

A public speaker I once heard said there is no action known to humanity or shortcoming of which he himself is incapable. I mulled this thought. I resisted his obvious implication. There are indeed many things, my thinking was, that some humans have done that I will not do. I believed then, as I do now, in my capacity to draw the line. But, I am less eager, less assured, some years later, to disagree with the insightful speaker. It has taken time and pain but I have seen myself, and, while there is much to love and enjoy, I don’t always like what I see. My capacity to draw the line, to maintain good boundaries, the wisdom to place limits on primal urges, has involved a complex, multifaceted and…

Two items caught my attention the other day. Rod Smith, in The Mercury, illustrates how we all have lost it as far as being hospitable to visitors at our homes is concerned. The other item was from TV news, where it was mentioned that pursuing a career in netball might not be financially lucrative. Some of us may find concerns like these interesting and strangely somehow connected. Sudden arrival of visitors in the old days was really no stress, mainly because the old adage of “God bless this humble home” meant simple meals. No hurrying and scurrying for extra-special curry. Just a bit of bread or roti for each of us was more than enough. Desserts were foreign and reserved only for Queen Elizabeth and others. Tea meant just that.…

A study by lecturers at the University of Stellenbosch (SU) found playing with preschoolers has a positive impact on the mental well-being of retirement home residents. The research was by Dr Elizabeth Earl and Dr Debbie Marais of SU’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, with the study recently published in the peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE. Residents at a retirement home in the Cape Peninsula Organisation for the Aged complex connected to a preschool were asked to complete a questionnaire on mental health and were interviewed about their interactions with the preschoolers. The interactions took place twice a week, when the children would join the home’s residents for a supervised 60-minute session of interactive games such as passing a ball to each other or building puzzles. The residents can also…

ENTREPRENEURS looking to set up a business in Durban have a “new” tool they can use to improve the odds of success. The City recently gave details on the Spatial Economic Activity Data it has compiled. It is a breakdown of economic data to a granular level which analyses the economic powers and purchasing power of individuals down to a suburb or area. Justice Matarutse, the programme manager for innovation from the City’s Economic Development Unit, unpacked this tool recently on the City’s communications platform, eThekwini Matters. He said the data would allow business people to pinpoint locations where there would be potential customers. The City said the information was accessible through the Durban Edge Portal, the website is Economy.edge.Durban Those wishing to use the information can download it…

The body of KwaZulu-Natal student Snegugu Ntobeko Myeni, who died in the Philippines, is expected to arrive in South Africa tonight at OR Tambo International Airport. The provincial government said this was after efforts were made to expedite the repatriation of Myeni, a final-year medical student in the Philippines, who died on July 10. “Upon landing in the country, Snegugu’s remains will be kept overnight at a mortuary in Joburg. “Preparations are under way for a special prayer ceremony to be held tomorrow at a chapel located near the airport. This will be the first time the Myeni family officially receive Snegugu’s mortal remains. Thereafter, Snegugu’s remains will be prepared for transportation by road to Utrecht.” The provincial government said the special prayer would be attended by KZN Premier Nomusa…

India is reeling. The Manipur horror has shocked the nation beyond words. Two women stripped, paraded naked in broad daylight, molested, groped and gang-raped in an open field. Indians are shaking their heads in disbelief. “How could it happen in Mother India?” is on everyone lips. A deep sense of shame sweeps over the sub-continent. Could such a despicable, heinous crime occur in one of most religious countries in the world, a land steeped in age- old values, tradition, culture, and conservatism? India is a country that prides itself on respect, manners, decorum and a strict code of dress and conduct in public. How could a society that prays every day and reveres almost anything, be it a monkey or rat, not protect the most vulnerable – the girls and…

THE suspected gas explosion that ripped through parts of Johannesburg’s CBD last week, as well as the earthquakes and tremors that continue to trouble citizens, have reignited an old debate about our golden city’s mining history. For decades, it had been feared that Joburg was being eaten away by acidic water from the mines, which had reached their storage limit and were leaking a toxic cocktail of chemicals. If left unchecked, acidic mine water was expected to flood basements and seep into the streets. The water, once several hundred metres underground, was rising at an average rate of 15m a month. In the central basin over which Johannesburg was situated, the water level was rising by 59cm daily in July 2009. By mid-2010 the water level was about 500m…

With just a few days before the Netball World Cup begins on African soil for the first time, Netball SA CEO Blanche de la Guerre says the Proteas are in their element ahead of the tournament. There are bound to be nerves for any team ahead of a World Cup, and it seems the Proteas are taking it all in stride ahead of the netball showpiece in Cape Town. South Africa are hard at work as they are preparing for the start of the tournament on Friday, when they will take on ninth-ranked Wales (6pm). They then face Sri Lanka on the Saturday (4pm). The Proteas are the favourites in their group, but they also take on dark horses Jamaica (No 4) in their last pool match on Sunday (6pm).…