Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-08-03 i Mercury

An elated Desiree Ellis said Banyana Banyana’s first qualification for the Fifa Women’s World Cup last-16 had come as a result of all those who have contributed to the growth of the team. Banyana achieved the improbable yesterday, as they beat Italy 3-2 in their last Group G match at the Wellington Regional Stadium to qualify for the knock-out stage of the global showpiece for the first time. Their win, which was also their first in the tournament, was celebrated back home as their fans sent the team congratulatory messages on social media. Their local and travelling fans, including Joy “MamaJoy” Chauke in Wellington, also gave the team a hearty welcome at their hotel after the match, with drum beats, songs and chants. Speaking during her post-match press conference, Ellis…

Former president Jacob Zuma has quietly returned to South Africa after undergoing weeks-long medical treatment in the Russian Federation. His return was announced by the Jacob Zuma Foundation, of which he is the patron, yesterday morning. But it did not specify when exactly he returned. “The JG Zuma Foundation is glad to announce that its patron has recently returned from his medically-related trip to the Russian Federation,” it said. “The check-up and observations went well.” The foundation said that Zuma thanked all those who kept him in their prayers. It said his return comes as he was required to be present at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday where he has initiated a private prosecution. Zuma instituted the private prosecution against State advocate Billy Downer and journalist Karyn Maughan for…

At last a letter asking the question lots of people would like to know the answer to. Thank you, Clive Symons (The Mercury, July 28). No other country in the world would allow the accused to appear in court wearing hoodies and face masks to hide their identity as in the cases of the VIP assault and the Bester case. Also, in no other civilised country would murderers and rapists even be considered for bail. As Mr Symons says, let’s hope some action is taken and the perpetrators do not get away with an unprovoked attack on an innocent motorist.…

South Africans witnessed the awesome power and rise of the EFF at its 10th anniversary at the FNB Stadium recently. The event drew more than 100 000 followers, cementing the long-held view that the EFF will either co-govern or govern the country in 2024. At the next general election, the ANC will probably get about 45% of the votes and the EFF 15%. With a majority 60%, together they will take control of the country. Important Cabinet posts and the deputy presidency will probably be shared in a marriage of convenience. Next year could set the scene for governance by coalitions, an exercise fraught with uncertainty, a watershed year that will realign our politics for the next 10 years. The scope and depth of the events will change the political…

THE Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is proposing that the deposit to be paid by parties contesting for seats in the National Assembly and provincial legislature be increased by R100 000 to R300 000 if they participate in the elections next year. The electoral body wants parties that will contest for seats in the National Assembly, and at least one regional election, to cough up R225 000. It proposes that the deposit for parties contesting only one provincial election be R45 000. The amount proposed for an independent candidate wanting to contest for a seat in the National Assembly is R20 000 per regional election and R15 000 for provincial legislature. This is according to the notice inviting the public and interested parties to make comments before the IEC…

Police have launched a manhunt for at least two suspects who kidnapped and killed an officer. Police provincial spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Warrant Officer Nkosinathi Ntinga and his wife, who is also a police sergeant at the KwaMbonambi police station, were at their home at Phetane Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday when gunmen stormed the home. At the time, a senior administration clerk was visiting the couple at their home. “Information at police’s disposal indicate that two armed suspects barged into the house and robbed the police officers of their service pistols and cellphones, before forcing Ntinga and the clerk inside a vehicle which belonged to the clerk and drove off.” He said Ntinga’s wife was left in the house unharmed. “The clerk, who works at the Ntambanana…

South-South Co-operation creates a prosperous Africa South Africa, which holds the BRICS rotating presidency in 2023, will host the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg this month. The meeting will be the first physical meeting of BRICS leaders since the outbreak of Covid-19, which is of great significance. China believes that leaders of BRICS countries will gather again in South Africa to discuss plans for BRICS co-operation and draw a blueprint for BRICS development, which will surely inject new and strong impetus into BRICS co-operation. Over the past 17 years, adhering to the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win co-operation, BRICS countries have strengthened solidarity and co-operation, advocated fairness and justice, and sought common development. With its growing influence, BRICS countries have become a major platform for co-operation among emerging…

Donald Trump sought to spin his latest indictments into a 2024 campaign pitch yesterday, with the former US president arguing that government “corruption” and the legal attacks against him had plunged the US into decline. The twice-impeached Republican has remained defiant despite an accumulation of legal woes that could see him tried in court and sent to prison before the presidential vote late next year. The latest, a bombshell 45-page indictment unsealed on Tuesday, is the most serious set of charges he faces, accusing him of trying to overturn the 2020 election results. It was the third time officials have handed down criminal charges against Trump, who continues to argue that the election was rigged. In a post on his Truth Social platform, the 77-year-old Trump suggested the indictment was…

Pope Francis urged Europe to act as a “bridge and peacemaker” to end the war in Ukraine yesterday, as he opened a five-day visit to Portugal for a major Catholic youth festival. The 86-year-old pope was welcomed with military honours in Lisbon, where one million pilgrims from across the world are expected to participate in World Youth Day festivities. The event – a week of religious, cultural and festive events held about every three years in a different city – comes as the Church reflects on its future and grapples with priest paedophilia scandals. During the first speech of his visit, Francis said Europe should ask itself where it was heading if it is “not showing the world paths of peace and creative ways for bringing an end to the…

SEOUL: Hundreds of scouts at a massive jamboree in South Korea suffered heat exhaustion, organisers said yesterday, with the peninsula battling a heatwave that has caused a reported spike in heat-related deaths. Around 43 000 people from across the world are currently taking part in the World Scout Jamboree, known as the world’s largest youth camp. The event is being held in North Jeolla province, with temperatures hovering at about 35°C. There were about 400 cases of heat exhaustion on the first night at the campsite, organisers said, adding that people were being treated at a makeshift hospital on the campgrounds. | AFP…

EFF leader Julius Malema has weighed in on Standard Bank’s decision to shut down accounts belonging to Sekunjalo-related companies, including Independent Media, and called for a mass mobilisation against the country’s banks. The bank served the company with notice that its accounts would be shut by August 21 following a judgment by the Competition Appeal Court in its favour. The bank had been initially forced to keep the company’s accounts open prior to the final judgment. The interim judgment, which was granted in September last year, was due to come to an end in March this year but was extended by six months. Shutting down the bank accounts will potentially mean that more than 1 000 employees at Independent Media and other media companies in the group, could find their…

The recent DA march in Cape Town against the amendments to the Employment Equity Act, signed into law by President Ramaphosa, may have been a political stunt by the opposition party but it has brought to the fore, once again, the struggle of South African youth to find jobs. Despite the high number of jobless youth in our country, the ANC does not see the big picture in this struggle. Instead of addressing the root causes of unemployment, the ANC has chosen to be obsessed with racial quotas in the workplace. Unfortunately, this blinkered vision will lead to the ANC’s annihilation at the polls. The ANC has been in power for over three decades, yet they seem to have forgotten about the plight of unemployed youth in our country. These…

US acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland has met with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national security adviser, Sydney Mufamadi, and other officials, with energy and other global matters being top of the agenda. Nuland met with Mufamadi, members of the Presidential Climate Commission and Director-General in the Department of International Relations and Co-operation, Zane Dangor. South Africa and US relations were recently strained following the Russian ship Lady R saga, in which US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety had alleged that weapons had been loaded on to the ship at Simon’s Town last December. Defence Minister Thandi Modise has denied this and also denied that South Africa had sold arms to Russia. She said the Russian ship delivered equipment that South Africa ordered before the Covid-19 pandemic. Finance Minister…

Several police units have continued to maintain a presence in the River- lea area in Joburg which has been engulfed by protests as community members demand action against rampant illegal mining. It emerged over the weekend that at least five people had been killed in a shoot-out between warring zama- zamas in Riverlea, south of Joburg. The community members said lawlessness had become the order of the day in the area, with bullets flying as rival illegal mining gangs, known as zama-zamas, fight for control. Gauteng deputy commissioner of police, Major-General Tommy Mthombeni, yesterday said the police had implemented a law-enforcement intervention to clamp down on illegal mining and arrest the operators. He said a long-term solution would be to seal the disused mine shafts, but the illegal miners reopen…

Breastfeeding guarantees a safe, nutritious and accessible food source for babies and young children. In many ways, it is the baby’s first vaccine and can prevent various diseases as well as malnutrition. There is considerable evidence that breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months also promotes the cognitive and sensory development of babies. The UN’s children’s fund (Unicef) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, starting within an hour of birth. Breastfeeding exclusively – without any other food – for the first six months also protects babies against infectious and chronic diseases. Family friendly policies enable parents and caregivers to provide the best start in life for children; they pay off in healthier, better-educated children, a better-equipped workforce, and lead to…

Hundreds of people marched through major Nigerian cities yesterday on the first day of a nationwide strike called to protest the removal of a petrol subsidy and demand a new minimum wage but businesses remained open, though with reduced traffic in some spots. Since being sworn into office on May 29, President Bola Tinubu has embarked on the country’s boldest reforms in decades, scrapping the popular but expensive subsidy, which cost $10 billion (about R185bn) last year, and relaxing the foreign exchange regime. While the reforms have been welcomed by investors, unions say they have led to soaring costs at a time when Nigerians are already grappling with the highest inflation in nearly two decades. Placard-carrying protesters led by union leaders marched in Lagos, the oil-producing state of Bayelsa and…

Deadly rains that pummelled China’s capital in recent days were the heaviest since records began 140 years ago, Beijing’s weather service said yesterday, as a massive clean-up operation began. Millions of people have been hit by extreme weather events and prolonged heatwaves around the globe in recent weeks, events that scientists say are being exacerbated by climate change. And the Beijing Meteorological Service said the capital had just experienced the “heaviest rainfall in 140 years”, when city authorities started keeping records. “The maximum (amount) of rainfall recorded during this storm, which was 744.8mm, occurred at the Wangjiayuan Reservoir in Changping,” the service said, adding the largest volume previously recorded was 609mm in 1891. At least 11 people had died in the rains in Beijing, state broadcaster CCTV said, with more…

NEW DELHI: India has found multiple deficiencies among drugmakers following inspections across the industry, including a lack of raw materials testing, the health ministry said yesterday. Indian authorities have stepped up scrutiny of drugmakers after some cough syrups made in the country were linked to the deaths of at least 95 children overseas. Recent inspections of 162 factories and 14 public laboratories found issues including an absence of raw materials testing and a lack of measures to avoid cross-contamination. Drugmakers have been given 12 months to transition to upgraded manufacturing requirements. | Reuters…

Minister for Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams paid tribute yesterday to Pheliswa Mthethwa for a sterling tenure as the CEO of the National Empowerment Fund (NEF). Mthethwa will be vacating the helm of the development financier when her contract ends in December, having driven the growth and institutional maturity of the entity whose legislated mandate is to grow black economic participation across South Africa. Mthethwa is leaving behind her a healthy organisation, which has approved more than R13.75 billion in investments for black entrepreneurs and R12.6bn in company investment to support emerging black industrialists, created more than 124 276 jobs and put together 8 679 public engagements on how to save and invest mainly in poor black townships, rural areas and cities. Mthethwa said, “As I serve out the…

Artificial intelligence (AI) can detect breast cancer in mammograms as effectively as experienced radiologists, according to a new study that some experts are calling a game changer for the field of oncology. The emerging technology could cut radiologists’ workload by about half, freeing them for more advanced diagnostic work, the study found. The preliminary analysis of a long-term trial of 80 000 women in Sweden, published this week in the journal Lancet Oncology, showed that AI readings of mammograms actually detected 20% more cases of breast cancer than the “standard” reading by two radiologists. The AI assessments were verified by one or two radiologists, depending on the patient’s risk profile. This led the researchers to conclude that using AI in mammography screening is a “safe” way to help cut patient…

Tyger Tyger burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? THE wild tiger population of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has increased 27% since 2015. The news has been welcomed as the world continues to grapple with the increasing loss of species due to issues such as climate change. As a top predator, tigers are considered essential for preserving the complex systems that underpin the natural world. However, there have been concerns about tiger attacks in areas where conservation efforts are having success. Well, I guess you can’t have it both ways. Folks just have to keep out of the domain of William Blake’s tyger. What a quote! Here’s a quote to beat ’em all: “There is reason to question…

Why are we shocked out of our wits as we prepare to once again pack for Perth? Julius’s stirring up of racial emotions and appealing to the “majority” to remove the minorities from the country as a sure cure for poverty is nothing new. Roman Mark Antony just about wiped out all the anti-Caesar conspirators with simple but very effective rhetoric. Adolph Hitler achieved the prime spot of the dictator of Germany by simply standing on a podium and shouting “Shame” to the governing powers that not only lost the (First World) war but succumbed and agreed to pay the entire cost to life and limb that the Kaiser had caused to the alliance of France, US and Britain, for instigating that war. Hitler continued installing and entrenching his position…

A man is expected to appear in the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court this week in connection with the R2.2 billion corruption case at the Kusile Power Station, the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Investigating Directorate said. This brings the total number of accused charged in the case to 16. Among the accused is former acting Eskom chief executive Matshela Koko. The Investigating Directorate (ID) said the suspect was expected to appear in court after being arrested yesterday morning. “The accused stands charged on money laundering, linked to Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga,” ID spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said. Former ABB South Africa (ZAABB) employees, Mohammed Essop Mooid- heen and Vernon Pillay, their wives Raeesa Mooidheen and Aradhna Pillay, Eskom subcontractor Impulse International (Pty) Ltd (in liquidation) and Indiwize Construction, are…

JUSTICE and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola has tabled a bill that would allow for the expungement of criminal records of people who were convicted of breaking lockdown regulations during Covid-19. Thousands of people were arrested by the police and other law-enforcement agencies for violating restrictions. The measures were imposed during the national State of Disaster. President Cyril Ramaphosa had announced a number of restrictions after the lockdown was implemented in March 2020. The people who fell foul of the law were convicted. Lamola has tabled amendments to the Judicial Matters Bill that would allow for the expungement of criminal records related to Covid-19 measures. He said the bill was now before the National Assembly’s portfolio committee on justice and correctional services, which would then process it. “The proposed…

THE Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has announced that it will investigate what it has called serious allegations of maladministration in the Office of the Premier in KwaZulu-Natal. The investigation will cover the period from April 2007, the term of the ANC’s first premier for KZN, Sbu Ndebele, and his successors Dr Zweli Mkhize, Senzo Mchunu, Willies Mchunu, Sihle Zikalala and current premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube. The investigation will focus on a number of areas, including: The appointment of consultants in some of government’s key projects, including Operation Sukuma Sakhe. The irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by the Office of the Premier, provincial office of the state over the years. Any irregular, improper or unlawful conduct by the contractors, employees, or officials of the Office of the Premier and suppliers, service…

SOUTH Africa will use its chairing of the upcoming BRICS summit as an opportunity to champion the continent and the larger global community’s interests. Professor Anil Sooklal, Ambassador-at-Large for Asia and BRICS and South Africa’s BRICS Sherpa, speaking at a BRICS dialogue event at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Howard College Theatre yesterday, said the bloc was leading the rise of developing countries across all continents. South Africa is set to host the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China at the 15th BRICS Summit from August 22 to 24. “BRICS has impacted the world geopolitically and geo-economically. We do not have to borrow any more in dollars. We can borrow in rand and pay in rand. “Brazilian President Lula da Silva, he went on a state visit to China in…

With their track record of fighting crime, it is hard to believe that Police Minister Bheki Cele and his top brass are the right people for the job. But none of them, including most of his Cabinet colleagues, will ever concede to their monumental failures, even when they are there for all to see. Take, for example, the ongoing crisis with illegal miners, who not only wreak havoc on the country’s economy, but also on the communities bordering the mining shafts. Almost weekly our news pages are filled with stories of zama zamas either killing each other, or their illegal activities leading to the deaths of innocent people. A recent shooting among rival zama zamas led to the discovery of five bodies in Riverlea in Johannesburg. It’s hard to blame…

Russian drones damaged infrastructure at a Ukrainian port on the Danube river yesterday, as Moscow targeted facilities vital for grain shipments. Türkiye, which along with the UN brokered the deal to allow Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, urged Russia not to take steps that would escalate tensions. Russian drones struck a grain elevator in the port of Izmail which sits across the Danube from Romania, damaging silos, warehouses and administrative buildings, Kyiv said. Izmail is now the main export route for Ukrainian agricultural products via neighbouring Romania, following Russia’s withdrawal last month from the Black Sea grain agreement. The deal had allowed around 33 million tons of grain to leave Ukrainian ports, easing fears of food shortages. Russia has been pounding the seaports in the Odesa region that were…

NIAMEY: West African regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), sent a delegation to Niger yesterday to negotiate with the military officers who seized power in last week’s coup, while regional defence chiefs met in Nigeria. Ecowas has imposed sanctions on Niger and said it could authorise the use of force if the coup leaders do not reinstate elected President Mohamed Bazoum within a week from last Sunday. Ecowas has taken its hardest line yet on Niger, prompting Mali and Burkina Faso, countries also ruled by juntas, to say that any intervention in Niger would be considered a declaration of war against them too. | Reuters…

LONDON: An increasing number of people are sleeping rough on the streets of London with campaigners calling on the British government to tackle the root causes of the problem. UK mortgage rates and rents have been soaring since decades-high inflation fuelled the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. Figures released this week by the London Assembly recorded 3 272 people sleeping rough in London between April and June. This marks a 9% increase compared to the same period last year. Just under half of the people sleeping rough in London in April-June 2023 were on the streets for the first time, said the report. | AFP…