Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-07-31 i Mercury

Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has assured private sector players and investors that they will now play a bigger role in funding the more than R200 billion required for the expansion of the transmission grid in South Africa. This comes as the first stage of getting the National Transmission Company of SA (NTCSA) operational has received the green light, which would lead to the full unbundling of Eskom into three units. During his weekly media briefing yesterday, Ramokgopa said Eskom will need about R100bn for the 2025 financial year to expand the transmission grid, which will be ramped up to R170bn by 2029. “We are engaging with the team to see how best we can finance this rollout that is required for us to support the issues around transmission,” Ramokgopa…

HUNDREDS of millions of rand spent on the eThekwini Municipality’s billing system, the Revenue Management System (RMS), have been flagged as funds that were spent irregularly and in violation of council regulations. A report tabled before the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (Mpac) last week states that between R300 million and R800m had been spent on the programme irregularly. The report, looking into the regularisation of irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, was tabled during an in-committee (confidential) meeting. About R86m of this is considered to have been squandered or fruitless and wasteful expenditure – as there was no value for money. The Mercury understands that the opinions in the committee were split on the way forward. The committee is going to meet again tomorrow and on Wednesday for further engagements.…

The name Kamlesh Gounden is synony- mous with the Sari Stroll, an annual Durban event in which hundreds of women participated. It was an epic event and celebrated as one of the major highlights on the City’s cultural calendar. Regrettably, it’s been canned indefinitely, without considering the cultural and social impact. My plea to the organisers is to revitalise and preserve our heritage. Most importantly, it encourages the younger generation to stay connected with the tradition of wearing a sari. This also positively contributes in bringing people of diverse communities, and faiths together in a multi-cultural way, for which Durban is globally recognised. During the early days seeing a woman wearing a sari with pride gave them confidence and a unique identity, walking around gracefully and elegantly. Sadly, today…

THE fans were keen to see how the half-back partnership of Grant Williams and Manie Libbok would work out in the Boks-Pumas Test, but it lasted only seconds before Williams was stretchered off, apparently unconscious, after an Argentinian ran into him. The ref judged it accidental but heavy stuff all the same. Faf de Klerk came on and played a blinder. A really tough 80 minutes ensued, the Boks tackling brilliantly but, oh dear, conceding so many penalties the Argies were always in the game. Then mystery. Argentina were four points behind in extra time, on our line, the Boks defending desperately. Then a penalty to Argentina. Did they take a quick tap and go for the line and victory? They did not. They placed the ball, converted, the final…

SOUTH Africa has the highest number of inmates in Africa and the 12th highest in the world, with 18 000 prisoners serving life imprisonment. Since 2019 just over 99 000 have been released on parole. Among the latest high-profile parolees was Norman Afzal Simons, dubbed the Station Strangler, who spent his first week of parole in Parow after serving a 28-year sentence. The Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services (JICS) Emerentia Cupido, said the public had to be mindful that just 1% of parolees breached their parole conditions. She said many factors led to re-offending, such as a lack of supervision. “It is a known fact that in any penal system with a parole component, a small fraction of parolees may relapse into criminal behaviour. “Statistics indicate that approximately only 1%…

Tens of thousands of people struggling to receive the R350 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant regularly have taken the government to court, challenging regulations that “unlawfully and unconstitutionally” exclude the poor. The joint lawsuit has been launched by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ), #PayTheGrants movement and Socio-Economic Rights Institute (Seri). Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu and the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) have been cited as respondents in the case. The SRD grant was implemented in March 2020 as a measure to support individuals adversely affected by the economic and social impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time about 10.9 million people received the grant. But the number has now dwindled, according to executive director of IEJ, Gilad Isaacs. “Fewer people have access to the…

The Comrades Marathon Association (CMA) Board has responded to concerns raised by runners at the 96th running of the race, in June, which among others, included issues with the start sound, route changes, cut-off times and the finish venue layout. The CMA said that it had noted concerns raised regarding the start sound. “The sound system failure had a knock-on effect of the ‘synced’ soundtracks not being audible, which in turn led to a time lapse in the firing of the official start gun in relation to when the canon went off. “A debrief session with the service provider whom we had used for the past three editions of the race has already taken place to identify what transpired and how to avoid a repeat in future years.” The CMA…

TWO accused are due in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court today for impersonating Tshwane Metro Police Department officers. The pair were nabbed near Atteridgeville on Friday in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. Law-enforcement also found in their possession a signal jammer, blue lights, SAPS-issued firearms holsters, false government number plates and metro police uniforms. The two were suspected to be truck hijackers. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Philani Nkwalase said arrests came after a multidisciplinary team was set up to investigate a spate of truck hijackings involving bogus cops. “The suspects were alleged to be hijacking trucks while in the guise of conducting random vehicle checkpoints wearing full traffic police uniforms.” Meanwhile a Joburg-based company, Vumacam, has announced that it will be expanding its services to the City of Tshwane, installing…

South Africa is preparing to host the 15th BRICS Summit next month, with heads of state of the bloc and more than 50 leaders of global south countries expected to attend. The summit will be one of the largest gatherings of developing countries and on the agenda will be geopolitical and geoeconomic issues. These issues will determine the shape of what is effectively being described as a new world order. The summit will shape the future of discussions that involve developing nations and BRICS could soon expand to more than 30 countries, including the UAE, Argentina and Egypt. With the majority of the global population, BRICS countries and any expanded grouping should have the ability to shape global trade and to resolve global conflict through peaceful resolution. The countries that…

Kenya was ready to lead a multinational force in Haiti and will deploy 1 000 police officers to the strife-torn Caribbean nation once its offer is accepted, the foreign minister said at the weekened. Gangs control around 80 percent of the Haitian capital, and violent crimes such as kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery and carjackings are common. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry have for nearly a year sought international intervention to help support the police, but no country had stepped forward. “Kenya has accepted to positively consider leading a Multi-National Force to Haiti,” Kenya’s Foreign Minister Alfred Mutua said at the weekend. “Kenya’s commitment is to deploy a contingent of 1 000 police officers to help train and assist Haitian police restore normalcy in the…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis yesterday called on Russia to reverse its decision to abandon the Black Sea grain deal, under which it had allowed Ukraine to export grain from its seaports despite the ongoing war. “I appeal to my brothers, the authorities of the Russian Federation, so that the Black Sea initiative may be resumed and grain may be transported safely,” Francis said during his weekly Angelus message. Global wheat prices have spiked since Russia quit the pact, and began targeting Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube River. | Reuters…

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: At least 40 people were killed and over 130 injured when an explosion tore through a political rally in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province yesterday, police said. The police said there was no confirmation yet about the cause of the blast that took place at a gathering of the conservative Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, known for its links to hardline political Islam, in the former tribal area of Bajaur. Pakistan has seen a resurgence of attacks by Islamist militants since last year when a ceasefire between the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Islamabad broke down. | Reuters…

Dakar: Firebrand Senegalese opposition politician Ousmane Sonko, who is in custody after being arrested this week, began a hunger strike yesterday. Senegal’s public prosecutor has announced seven new charges, including fomenting insurrection, against the politician. Sonko’s arrest on Friday and the new charges announced on Saturday are unrelated to a moral corruption case against the politician that sparked deadly protests last month, the prosecutor said. On June 1, his sentencing in absentia to two years in prison sparked clashes that left at least 16 dead. The two-year sentence makes him ineligible to contest next year’s presidential election. | AFP…

Colombia scored a 97th-minute winner to stun Germany 2-1 on a night of Women’s World Cup drama yesterday which also saw Norway and Switzerland into the last-16, but co-hosts New Zealand dumped out in tears. Germany smashed Morocco 6-0 in their opener to underline why they were among the pre-tournament favourites, along with Spain and England, to snatch away the US’ crown. But they came crashing back down to earth at the hands of a Colombia team inspired by 18-year-old Linda Caicedo and roared on by the majority of a rowdy 40 000 crowd in Sydney. The Real Madrid attacker scored one of the goals of the tournament so far, darting past two Germany defenders before curling the ball into the top corner to open the scoring. Germany thought they…

Energy experts say Eskom is burning more diesel to maintain lower stages of load shedding, but this was necessary to avoid causing more harm to the economy. Yesterday, the power utility announced that Stage 4 load shedding would be implemented from 4pm yesterday until 5am this morning. Thereafter, Stage 2 load shedding would be implemented until 4pm. It said this pattern would be repeated daily until further notice. Samantha Graham-Maré, the DA spokesperson on electricity, said reports indicated that Eskom had already spent R12.4 billion of its R27.9bn budget for diesel, four months into the 2023/24 financial year, which ends on March 31, 2024. Energy expert Clyde Mallinson said Eskom was burning a lot more diesel, but that it was necessary given the power utility’s current predicament. Mallinson added…

The increase in the interest rate only punishes the working class who have to pay more to service home loans and other loans and does little to curb inflation. Raising the interest rate is the wrong solution to the inflation problem, say many analysts. According to research economist at GIBS Business School, Dr Roelof Botha, the Monetary Policy Committee has thus far followed a “ridiculous” trend of interest rate decisions based on what First World countries are doing. These moves are far removed from the realities of South Africa. I support Botha’s view that increasing the interest rate has nothing to do with inflation and there are clear flaws in the SARB’s Monetary Policy which requires urgent amendments. South African decision-makers must liberate themselves from their subjectivism of Western countries…

The observation that one person can never know what another is enduring has been true for me recently. In the past few days, I have had one-to-one encounters with: A woman in her late sixties who works night-shift five nights a week, who, with her sister, has given a home to two young children who had to be forcibly removed from their mother’s home. A man who works two jobs but must also sell his plasma at the blood bank three times a week to make ends meet. A woman whose son, three years ago, ended his own life at 15 years old after having spent a good day with his family and giving no hint of the pain he was apparently enduring. A woman who moved hundreds of kilometres…

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) in Gauteng has arrested seven SAPS members from Ekurhuleni on charges of aggravated robbery, assault, and malicious damage to property. Ipid national spokesperson Robbie Raburabu said the arrests on Friday were as a result of investigations into a case regarding a robbery at a café in Nigel. Raburabu said four Ekurhuleni Infrastructure Unit members and three Germiston Crime Intelligence members were detained after handing themselves over. The police members are alleged to have assaulted the managers, destroyed some property, including a digital video recorder, and stolen cash worth R150 000. They allegedly also confiscated more than 150 boxes of cigarettes, but only handed in a fraction. | Mercury Correspondent…

EFF leader Julius Malema has been lauded for shaking up the political landscape, as his party hosted a huge celebration with members filling FNB stadium in Soweto to capacity on Saturday. The party marked its 10th anniversary with a “festival of the poorest of the poor”. Well wishes for the red berets came in from various quarters on social media. Former UCT vice-chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng was among those who lauded the EFF for its presence in politics. Phakeng shared a post on Twitter about the party’s impact, extending her birthday wishes to it. “Today, I choose to celebrate the young people who dare to effect positive change in our country. Love them or hate them, the @EFFSouthAfrica has significantly impacted SA’s political landscape for the greater good. On this…

AMONG many of history’s roles is to dispel myths and eradicate distortion and lies. Whether one believes in having women in leadership or not, it happened in the past. Therefore, it is a misinformed, false presentation and impression that women were not involved in political leadership in their organisations/movements. The Western Cape has a history of diversity in most if not in all respects, especially in politics. It excelled in politics. Without any fear or favour, let me categorically state there were four major political tendencies or ideologies in the Western Cape. Those are workerism (Trotskyites/Trotskyists), Pan Africanism, Black Consciousness (Zim-zim) and Chartists (ANC and aligned). That was a true reflection of the politics of the left in the country. It is not surprising that Cape Town was the centre…

West African nations imposed economic and travel sanctions on Niger’s new military leaders yesterday, threatening to use force if they fail to reinstate ousted President Mohammed Bazoum within a week. The 15-nation Ecowas bloc’s response to the Sahel region’s seventh coup of recent years came as pro-junta supporters in Niger’s capital Niamey burned French flags and stoned the former colonial power’s embassy, drawing tear gas from police. Images showed fires at the walls of the French Embassy and people being loaded into ambulances with bloodied legs. At an emergency summit in Nigeria to discuss the coup last week, leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) called for the constitutional order to be fully restored, warning of reprisals if not. “Such measures may include the use of force,”…

Human lifespan is expected to increase to up to 120 years within decades thanks to technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and knowledge gained from the Covid-19 pandemic, Swedish Television (SVT) reported yesterday. “Our prognosis is a lifespan between 100 and 120 years within 50 years or so, at least in developed countries,” Ignat Kulkov, a researcher at Malardalen University (MDU), said. Elderly people are also expected to be as healthy as those in their forties – thanks to rapid technological advancements, Kulkov explained about a study findings which was done with colleagues at universities in Finland, France and the UK. “More and more people will wear wearable devices to track their health status. These devices will be connected with doctors and hospitals,” Kulkov said, adding that some of these…

Washington: X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, has reinstated rapper and designer Kanye West about eight months after his account was suspended. Last year, West posted an image that appeared to show a swastika interlaced with a Star of David, and tycoon Elon Musk suspended the artist from the platform, which he had bought weeks earlier. Musk at the time labelled West’s post as an “incitement to violence”. West, who is now known professionally as Ye, assured the platform he would not use his account to share antisemitic content or use harmful language. Anti-Semitic remarks by West last year cost him business deals. Adidas cut ties with him after a nearly decade-long partnership. It said the end of its successful collaboration with West hit sales by about…

Herat: Authorities from Afghanistan’s vice ministry created a bonfire of confiscated musical instruments and equipment in Herat province at the weekend, deeming music immoral. “Promoting music causes moral corruption and playing it will cause the youth to go astray,” said Aziz al-Rahman al-Muhajir, the head of the Herat department of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The bonfire saw hundreds of dollars worth of musical gear go up in smoke, including a guitar, two other stringed instruments, a harmonium and a tabla, as well as amplifiers and speakers. | AFP…

Max Verstappen reeled off his eighth successive win of the season at the Belgian Grand Prix yesterday with his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez in second. Verstappen also won Saturday's sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps to maintain his relentless charge to a third Formula One world title. "I knew we had a great car, it was just about surviving turn one," said Verstappen, who started in sixth on the grid despite topping qualifying after a penalty for a new gearbox. "It is a new spot P6 (to win from). We made all the right moves," added Verstappen. Perez, who led for much of the early part of the race, said: "It was a good race for the team. We had a great start, to get through Charles (Leclerc), and I was…

Australia openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja hit unbeaten fifties as the tourists reached 135/0 yesterday in pursuit of a mammoth target of 384 runs to win the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval. They kept Stuart Broad waiting for a farewell wicket after the England fast-bowling great made a shock announcement on Saturday that he was retiring after the match. Warner was 58 not out and fellow left-hander Khawaja unbeaten on 69 when rain ended play on the fourth day. Australia need 249 more runs to complete a 3-1 series win and a first Ashes campaign triumph in England since 2001. If Australia do manage to reach that target, it will be the eighth-highest fourth-innings total to win any Test and the second-highest in England, behind Australia's 404/3 at…

THE alliance partners in KwaZulu-Natal – the ANC, SACP, Sanco and Cosatu – concluded their summit yesterday with a declaration that they would work together to ensure services were delivered in the province. SACP provincial secretary Themba Mthembu, reading out the declaration after the three-day summit, said they had agreed that alliance partners must be part of the ongoing assessment of the performance of the government to make sure that it was providing services. “We recognise the important role of the alliance partners towards the attainment of the following outcomes: adequate access to water, electricity and other basic services; decent houses for all and welfare for the vulnerable.” Mthembu said all leaders deployed by the ANC to various structures within the state must bear the responsibility to ensure the ANC-led…

The Employment Equity Amendment Act has passed the constitutional and rationality test, and any opposition to it was merely aimed at protecting mainly white privilege in the country’s economic landscape, the ANC says. In addition to this, the governing party has insisted that non-sexism and non-racialism remain central in its pursuit of transformation and economic freedom. The stance comes after mounting opposition to the changes in the country’s labour legislation. The new law allows for economic sectoral targets to be set and for demographic targets for employers with more than 50 employees to be prescribed. It also seeks to empower the minister to regulate sector employment targets after consultation with sector stakeholders and advice from the Employment Equity Commission. Minority Front (MF) leader and member of the provincial Legislature (MPL)…

Durban hosted the BRICS Urbanisation Forum at the ICC from July 26-27. Delegates from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa engaged on the important topic of urban resilience and sustainability in the face of climate change, rapid urbanisation, social vulnerabilities and natural disasters. For eThekwini, which has experienced extreme weather events in the recent past with devastating consequences, the topic holds resonance. The learnings from these critical discussions will feed into the City’s strategies and plans to strengthen our resilience and sustainability. EThekwini has already begun its resilience journey, but needs a collaborative, all-of-society effort to be successful in its attempt to build resilience. On June 30, the City hosted a climate change workshop with representatives from all City stakeholders and the public. The purpose of this workshop…

Crime experts have called for the prioritisation of detective training and systematic strengthening of the SAPS after Police Minister Bheki Cele announced a shortage of detectives in South Africa. Cele announced in his last Parliamentary appearance that North West had the highest detective shortage at 32.89%, followed by the Northern Cape at 25.94%, the Western Cape at 24.34% and KwaZulu-Natal at 23.31%. Gauteng has the lowest detective shortage at 5.26%. Action Society’s Ian Cameron said the detective shortages in the country were a cause for concern. “You can’t merely take someone fresh from school and make them a detective. Detectives in South Africa lack training. Many are no longer working under supervision. There are too many dockets and too much pressure. “There should be a fast-tracked detective programme and the…

Police are searching for gunmen who opened fire on people in Bertha Mkhize (Victoria) Street in the Durban CBD on Friday afternoon. KwaZulu-Natal police said it responded to reports of a shooting just after 3.30pm. ALS Paramedics said its paramedics responded and found a chaotic scene. “Seven people had been shot and left lying on the road with mild to moderate injuries. ALS and Netcare911 paramedics stabilised the victims before transporting them to various Durban hospitals.” “The circumstances that led to the shooting are unknown at this stage,” KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said. Netshiunda added that various police units had been deployed to search for clues and a manhunt for the suspects has already begun. Police are investigating seven counts of attempted murder and have launched an investigation…

Management at the Aryan Benevolent Home (ABH) in Chatsworth says they are working with the City to find a solution to its mounting municipal debt. According to the eThekwini Municipality, the home owes R477 000. Naren Pattundeen, ABH’s CEO, said they were hoping that the City’s administration would understand the home’s financial challenges. “We understand our obligation. I am sure all will be resolved in good time as we continue to do our very best regarding the outstanding assessed balance.” Speaking to The Mercury last week, Pattundeen said he had been shocked when officials from the City arrived to disconnect the electricity despite knowing that the home was a public benefit organisation. While the power was restored the cutting of the electricity at the home came amid public outrage after…

Power utility Eskom has welcomed the arrest of an employee linked to alleged tender irregularities at Kriel Power Station. Eskom’s Forensic Department said it received a tip-off from a member of the public on October 28, 2022, about alleged corruption relating to a tender for the provision of coal yard lighting for 12 months at Kriel Power Station. “Investigations revealed that four service providers had responded to the request for proposals (RFPs). Subsequent to evaluations, the buyer approached the key evaluation process stakeholders to request the supplier submit another bid with an inflated price, with the understanding that the difference between the original price and new price would be shared among themselves,” reads the statement. The supplier subsequently submitted a second proposal with a new tender value that was nearly…

What does the 21st century scramble for Africa really entail? THE price of Russo-African relations, judging by events at the 2nd Russian African Summit in St Petersburg last Thursday, graced by our own President Cyril Ramaphosa, seems to be mixed, deflationary and typically over-aspirational. It’s a far cry from the 2019 inaugural summit in Sochi amid different global geopolitics and economic headwinds, hosted by a much more upbeat Russian leader, President Vladimir Putin, bereft of the shackles of an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which will deprive him from attending the 15th BRICS Leaders’ Summit in person in South Africa in August. The Russian strongman instead has confirmed that he would be attending the summit via Zoom, thus saving his South African host and…

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from high-risk areas of Beijing and another northern city as much of China was lashed by torrential rain yesterday. Deadly storm Doksuri has been sweeping northwards over China since Friday, when it careened into southern Fujian province after battering the Philippines as a typhoon. The Chinese capital and surrounding region were drenched over the weekend, with officials warning of potentially hazardous conditions including floods, swelling rivers, mudslides and landslides. More than 27 000 people in high-risk areas of Beijing have been evacuated, and another 20 000 were relocated from parts of neighbouring province Hebei’s capital Shijiazhuang, state media said. Hundreds of millions of people in northern China, including in Beijing, remain under a red alert, the highest level, for heavy rain through at…

Twelve people were killed and more than 100 injured when firecrackers kept in a warehouse exploded in southern Thailand, an official said yesterday. The firecrackers set off a fire on Saturday at the unauthorised warehouse at the Muno market in Su-ngai Kolok district in the southern province of Narathiwat bordering Malaysia, Narathiwat’s Governor Sanan Phongaksorn said. “There are 10 deaths plus the remains of two unidentified persons, which were sent for DNA checks,” Sanan said. He said 121 people were injured, two severely, while 111 had been discharged from hospital, he said. “But there should be no more deaths.” More than 200 houses surrounding the warehouse were damaged by the explosion, affecting 365 people. Some 19 people were still staying at a shelter and several families have moved to their…

MOSCOW: At least 10 people were killed in central Russia after strong winds toppled trees and heavy rains disrupted the electricity supply in hundreds of settlements, Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said yesterday. Ten people were killed and 29 more injured at a camping location near Lake Yalchik in the Mari-El region, the ministry said. Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case into the incident that killed three children. Storms disrupted the power supply in 520 settlements, damaged the roofs of 41 residential buildings and seven buildings that provide social services in eight different Russian regions. | Reuters…

London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has backed plans for new fossil fuel drilling off Britain’s coast, saying he would be “pragmatic and proportionate” about reaching net zero. His government is expected to approve the development of Rosebank, near Scotland’s Shetland Isles, as well as other sites in the nearby North Sea imminently. Environmental campaigners argue that stopping all new fossil fuel exploitation is essential if Britain is to decarbonise by mid-century. They accuse the British leader of lacking conviction on climate policies and playing politics with the issue. This, as he eyes a general election due next year amid a cost-of-living crisis. | AFP…

With the Rugby Championship trophy and Bledisloe Cup packed away for another year, the All Blacks return to New Zealand for a victory lap at Dunedin and the chance to tinker with selections in the dead rubber against the Wallabies. A year on from a first ever series loss to Ireland and calls for Ian Foster's head, the All Blacks have regained their swagger with a flawless 3-0 start to the season while boosting their case for a fourth World Cup title in France. The All Blacks’ 38-7 thrashing of the Wallabies in Melbourne on Saturday was the latest statement win, starting with Scott Barrett’s bone-jarring tackle on Tate McDermott which created a try in the third minute. Eddie Jones’ Australia bring a litany of problems to Dunedin, with injuries…