Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-08-16 i Mercury

FINTECH-focused digital consumer financial solutions group HomeChoice International (HIL) grew operating profit 25% in the six months to June 30 in a challenging consumer environment and lifted its dividend 9% to 70 cents per share. HIL’s fintech business grew revenue 29% to R872 million with its operating profit up 44%. Digital revenue now comprises 57% of group revenue. The fintech operations offer financial services and retail products to more than 1.7 million mobile-savvy, mass-market, mainly women customers in South Africa, as well as payments products through 2 570 retail partners with more than 5 900 points of presence country-wide. Retail sales operation sales fell 26% to R594m at its 14 stores, a setback after it had started to recover post the Covid pandemic, but credit…

A DECISION by eThekwini Municipality to host staff excellence awards has come under fire from opposition parties who say the awards are undeserved and a “slap” in the face of struggling ratepayers. The municipality’s council meeting approved the spending of R1.7 million on the eThekwini Municipality Service Excellence Awards yesterday. The awards were originally named the eThekwini Municipality City Stars Awards, but ANC councillors called for the name to be amended during the council meeting on account that “the name sounded like a soccer club”. However, opposition parties were unimpressed by the proposed event, pointing out that service on the ground did not speak to any excellence within the municipality. Some even used mayor Mxolisi Kaunda’s words against him, saying he had previously described the City’s workers as lazy. The…

“My son (almost finished with ‘top’ high school) has very good marks and is a top achiever in sport, and yet he is totally unmotivated – and it is getting worse. He says there is no future in this country for boys like him. He was very motivated until a few years ago, when he started talking about going to England and trying to make his future there, even though we have no connections with England. It’s getting so bad that he is starting to want to miss days at school. What can I do? I am a single mom and he is my only child.” The “like him” is difficult for me to understand. I will need more explanation about how he views himself. Nonetheless, begin with visits to…

Nick Mallett has written an interesting little book, Insights into The Rugby World Cup, however there are three matters that need addressing. On page 29, he makes the outrageous statement that, “Thankfully the game is no longer exclusively for Afrikaners ...” What utter, egregious nonsense! The best team ever to leave our shores was the 1937 Springboks to New Zealand, dubbed the “Invincibles”, and nine of the 22 team members were English speakers: Dai Williams, Freddy Turner, Louis Babrow, Tony Harris, Ebbo Bastard, Harry Martin, C Jennings, Pat Lyster and Jimmy White. In 1949, the Springboks, who thrashed the All Blacks 4-0, had Basil Kenjon, Okey Geffin, Cecil Moss and Edwin Geraghty. And in 1951, the marvellous Springboks to Britain had Stephan Fry as Captain, Paul Johnson, Des Sinclair, Dennis…

Former public protector Thuli Madonsela has said it is important for South Africa’s Draft Marriage Bill, which aims to modernise and expand the legal framework surrounding marriage in South Africa, to be grounded in social justice. Madonsela suggested the bill be put through its paces using a social justice test formulated by Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Social Justice. She was speaking during a virtual round table she hosted for academics and officials from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to discuss the social justice implications of the draft bill. Madonsela said: “This test would check whether the bill uses whatever opportunities are available to advance equality between those who are getting married and within the communities and different cultural groups that will be impacted by this law.” A key feature…

Luyanda Mboniswa, who murdered former first lady Marike de Klerk in December 2001, has been granted parole. The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said Mboniswa’s parole would be effective from August 30. He was convicted of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and housebreaking, and sentenced to life imprisonment. De Klerk, the former wife of late former president FW de Klerk, was strangled to death in her Cape Town apartment. Mboniswa was a 21-year-old security guard at De Klerk’s residence at the time. He was sentenced in May 2003. “In compliance with the Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998, Mboniswa was considered for parole placement, having served the minimum required time,” said Singabakho Nxumalo, DSC spokesperson. “The parole-placement process started from the preparation of the profile by the Case Management Committee…

The families of two Durban women have appealed for help to find them after they went missing last week. The women were last seen getting into a car on August 9 at eThembeni crèche, where they work, in uMgababa, south of Durban. According to information received, Monica Xulu, 70, and Zanele Mbuso, 62, had gone shopping and returned to the crèche to drop of their groceries before they left again in a white car with Gauteng registration plates. Zanele Dlamini, Mbuso’s daughter said that her mother was not a person who disappears without telling anyone where she was going. “My mother is someone who is used to doing things for herself and on the day of the incident it was just a normal day as she went to go get…

Gender equality in education, employment contribute to economic growth, development August is Women’s Month, a time to reflect upon and evaluate the progress women in South Africa and BRICS have made over the past 67 years. On August 9, 1956, 20 000 South African women representing all communities marched to the apartheid government offices in the Union Buildings in Pretoria. For the past 67 years, August 9 has been commemorated as Women’s Day in South Africa. It marks the day the women of South Africa stood up to the apartheid regime to protest the extension of pass laws to African women. On July 31, 2014, the Women’s Movement in South Africa, in conjunction with government, declared August Women’s Month. This declaration was in response to the ongoing struggles…

Paris: Two American tourists were found sleeping off a heavy night in the heights of Paris’ Eiffel Tower after dodging security the night before, the monument’s operator said yesterday. Security guards roused the men “in the early morning” as they were making their rounds before the French landmark’s 9am opening time, publicly owned Eiffel Tower operator Sete said. They “appear to have got stuck because of how drunk they were,” Paris prosecutors said. The inebriated Americans had spent their illicit night under the stars in a spot normally closed to the public between the tower’s second and third levels, but “did not pose any apparent threat”. | AFP…

Yangon: Myanmar authorities have arrested nearly 150 Rohingya suspected of trying to flee the country. This was according to an official yesterday. The mainly Muslim Rohingya are seen in Myanmar as interlopers from Bangladesh. They are denied citizenship and require permission to travel. The military launched a crackdown on Rohingya in 2017, and thousands now risk their lives each year making perilous journeys from camps in Bangladesh and Myanmar to reach Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia. The 127 Rohingya men and 18 women were arrested on Friday near the village of Waekhami in southern Mon state. | AFP…

The Libyan capital’s most powerful armed factions battled in several districts overnight on Monday and into yesterday morning in the city’s worst violence this year, raising fears of a wider escalation. Dark smoke hung over parts of the city early yesterday and the sound of heavy weapons rattled through the streets, a Reuters journalist in Tripoli said. Residents and local media reported fighting in different parts of the capital. The Health Ministry appealed to citizens to donate blood to help casualties. Usama Ali, a spokesperson for the ambulance service, said 19 people had been injured and 26 families evacuated from a strife-hit district. Ali did not say if any had been killed. Libya has had little peace or security since a 2011 Nato-backed uprising. | Reuters…

Captain Millie Bright says England thrive in big games and will not be intimidated by the Sydney crowd when they face Australia in their Women's World Cup semi-final today. England have been in this position before in 2015 and 2019, losing 2-1 on both occasions, with a third-place finish their best World Cup so far. But coach Sarina Wiegman led them to the European title last year on home soil and Bright said they were well prepared to handle another blockbuster game in front of an expected 75 000 partisan fans at Stadium Australia. "We are just super-excited to play in front of a really intense full stadium. That's what we want, that's what we expect now," the 29-year-old defender said yesterday. "At these big tournaments, especially a semi-final, we…

A DURBAN resident has lodged a criminal complaint with the police against Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and DA federal leader John Steenhuisen over statements made against Russian President Vladimir Putin. Srinivasen Naidoo said Winde allegedly engaged in action that was prima facie evidence of an act of terrorism by calling for Putin’s arrest if he set foot in the Western Cape. In April, Winde tweeted that if Putin set foot in the Western Cape during the BRICS Summit, the provincial government would arrest him. “If the South African Police Service is not instructed to act, we will,” he tweeted. Naidoo said Steenhuisen publicly supported Winde’s stance. In an affidavit seen by the The Mercury’s sister newspaper, the Cape Times, Naidoo called on the police to investigate the allegations of…

The appointment of Narendra Modi as the president of the G20 and the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) again confirms that only muscle, political and economic power count for pivotal leadership in a world that has been emaciated and amputated of all appendages of honesty, integrity, morality, dedication and sincerity. Internationally-renowned activist and award-winning author Arundhatii Roy has again posted that the Indian prime minister cares not about the wilful murder of Muslims and those of “low” castes. He even encourages the wanton discrimination against Muslims, first in occupied Kashmir and now in another state, Haryana, which shows clearly that if this trajectory is pursued even slightly further, it spells the end of a country that once boasted of Ahimsa, the cornerstone of spiritual Hinduism. Any reference to Google and YouTube…

Once again DSW have short delivered our black refuse bags. Instead of 26, as stated on the packaging, there were only 24. Previously we have had between 20 and 24 delivered, which is why we make sure to count them, and each time they are short. Despite our complaints to the Metro their suppliers continue to defraud us, the ratepayer, and the Metro that does nothing about this. Why hasn’t DSW addressed this, even though they have been informed? Given the rampant crime allegedly at DSW, maybe there is something more sinister at work, perhaps cahoots between the supplier and the DSW staff. One can just imagine that if the shortage is extrapolated over the millions of bags delivered, how much the supplier is making fraudulently.…

A cellphone cost a miner his job after he was fired for carrying the device while entering an underground area which prohibited cellphones due to the risk of explosion. Neo Motswadi was fired as it was found that he had transgressed the rules regarding cellphones. While he did admit that he had his phone with him, he felt that he was dealt with unfairly by being fired. He took the issue on arbitration to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), but the arbitrator upheld his dismissal on a charge of misconduct for breaching a workplace rule against the possession of contraband in a demarcated non-contraband area. Aggrieved by this, he turned to the Labour Court in Joburg to have the arbitration award set aside. The arbitrator found that…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has approved a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) inquiry into the R1 billion alleged corruption network at Gauteng’s Tembisa Hospital. This investigation was prompted by the murder of whistle-blower, Babita Deokaran, who was assassinated shortly after revealing irregularities. Vincent Magwenya, the spokes- person for the Presidency, confirmed that the president gave the go-ahead for the investigation last week. This decision comes nearly two years after Deokaran was shot dead near her residence in Johannesburg. She had raised concerns about questionable transactions at the hospital and had cautioned that her life might be at risk due to her revelations. Once the SIU’s mandate is officially published, its team will employ a comprehensive set of investigative tools. This includes forensic examination of communication and financial records, and the authority…

POLICE have arrested one person in connection with the mass shooting that took place in uMlazi township, Durban. Police had initially said that six people were killed in the shooting on Friday night in Q Section just before midnight. However, yesterday the number was revised to seven killed with one person injured. Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the suspects stormed a house and shot the people inside before proceeding to a nearby informal settlement where they shot people in a shack. The suspect was caught at a shopping mall in Durban on Sunday by a multi-disciplinary team and is expected to appear in the uMlazi Magistrate’s Court this week. Meanwhile, two people were shot dead at a restaurant premises in the Blue Lagoon area on Monday. Private security company,…

Over the past few weeks, there has been growing discontent over the distribution of funding at various South African universities. The issue at hand is the funding debacle at the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). In this piece, I critique the shortcomings of NSFAS and its effects on the wellbeing of students that depend on it. As such, my position within this editorial is one of a fellow student who empathises with the affected students, many of whom are solely dependent on NSFAS for their studies. It is very alarming that seven years from #FeesMustFall, we find ourselves discussing access to higher education and the affordability barrier. Even more baffling is the utter disregard of students. A quick history: In 2018, NSFAS was converted to a bursary scheme to…

TOKYO: Nearly 900 flights in Japan were cancelled and 240 000 people were ordered to move to safety as a slow-moving typhoon crossed Japan’s main island of Honshu not far from the ancient capital of Kyoto, cutting off power to tens of thousands of homes. Typhoon Lan, approaching from the Pacific Ocean, made landfall early yesterday at the southern tip of Wakayama prefecture, about 400km south-west of Tokyo, bringing heavy rain and powerful winds across a wide swathe of central and western Japan as it moved north. Authorities issued flood and landslide warnings as rivers rose to the top of their banks, with parts of some bridges washed away. | Reuters…

Donald Trump has been indicted on charges of racketeering and a string of election crimes after a sprawling, two-year probe into his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden in the US state of Georgia. The case – relying on laws typically used to bring down mobsters – is the fourth targeting the 77-year-old Republican this year and could lead to a watershed moment, the first televised trial of a former president in US history. Prosecutors in Atlanta charged Trump with 13 felony counts – compounding the legal threats he is facing in multiple jurisdictions as a firestorm of investigations imperils his bid for a second White House term. Eighteen co-defendants were indicted in the probe, including Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who pressured local legislators over…

Russian air strikes hit two western regions of Ukraine bordering Nato member Poland and other areas yesterday, killing three people and wounding more than a dozen, Ukrainian officials said. Local media said the attacks were the largest air assault on the Lviv region since the Russian invasion in February 2022. The fatalities were reported in the north-western region of Volyn. Officials said an industrial enterprise in the regional capital Lutsk was struck in the overnight attack. Several people were hospitalised, Governor Yuriy Pohulyaiko said. Fifteen people were also wounded in the Lviv region, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi said. Six missiles damaged dozens of buildings and a kindergarten playground in and around the regional capital. Kozytskyi said the youngest victim was age 10. Both Volyn and Lviv border Nato member Poland and…

The amount of young players in the Proteas white-ball squads displays South Africa’s intention to widen the talent pool and adjust to the ever-dynamic cricket landscape. The world of cricket has changed immensely following the inception and success of the IPL and many other franchise T20 tournaments around the world. The success of these leagues has tested every country and to this day, every nation continues to adapt to the change. At the moment, almost every month of the year has one major global T20 tournament and that means more often than not, each country’s top players have offers to play in these leagues and earn big paychecks. This leaves the smaller countries, including SA, with no choice but to release players and to also schedule their international season in…

THE National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) is expected to meet next week to discuss a request to have the results of the recent KwaZulu-Natal conference nullified over allegations of gatekeeping and ghost delegates. The KZN ANCWL last week elected Social Development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza as its new provincial chairperson and Education MEC Mbali Frazer was elected deputy chairperson. Senior ANC councillor Zama Sokhabase was elected secretary, the deputy secretary is Member of the National Assembly Fikile Masiko and Maphumulo Municipality mayor Matozi Dlamini was elected treasurer. Khoza narrowly beat Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi to become chairperson. The conference, which started on August 4, and was meant to last three days, was delayed and eventually ended on August 7. Last week eThekwini…

Water supply challenges currently being experienced at the Umkhanyakude’s Bethesda Hospital are not uncommon in KwaZulu-Natal, with recent pipe damages in Isipingo also exposing the vulnerability of Prince Mshiyeni Hospital and its lack of sufficient water capacity in times of outages. Hospitals are not immune to the infrastructure collapse that characterises municipalities and provinces governed by the ANC. KZN’s water and sanitation infrastructure is in a state of peril with no visible attempts by the government to focus on the essentials. The other critical service of electricity is equally perilous for many facilities that do not have functional backup and alternative sources. The situation at Bethesda Hospital has brought into sharp focus the extent of repairs, upgrades and replacements needed at many such sites in KZN, if the ANC’s much-vaunted…

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the breakdown in the effective functioning of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Once known as one of the country’s foremost tertiary institutions, it is now in a state of complete disarray. Student protests and constant disruptions to lectures have become the norm, resulting in the closure of the university for contact lessons once again, and students having to revert to virtual classes. Perhaps the minister should consider placing UKZN under administration. At the core of the current strike is NFSAS-funding issues, and it is mind-boggling to understand how protests at the university will address these. It is equally perplexing why the students do not go to the NFSAS offices or to the office of the minister of higher education. It is…

At least 67 Pakistani nationals were denied entry into South Africa at the OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday and were sent back home at their own cost. Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi welcomed the interception of the Pakistani nationals who wanted to enter the country without complying with the immigration laws. Motsoaledi said the Pakistanis were denied entry in the early hours of Sunday after they failed the immigration test, which included questions on how long their visas entitled them to be in the country. “They have been sent back to Pakistan – at their own cost. This is a result of a sting operation put together after observing certain trends that were suspicious and did not make sense. “They were interviewed by immigration officers and were asked…

THE “excessive” procurement of goods without going out to public tender has raised concerns about possible abuse of this process by departments in the eThekwini Municipality. Councillors raised concern yesterday in a council meeting following revelations that millions of rand were spent by the City with contracts secured via the Section 36 procurement process. Section 36 contracts allow for the procurement of goods on an emergency basis, without adhering to the normal tender procurement processes. A report before the committee noted that R915 million was the total value of the tenders issued in June this year. “During considerations, reservations were expressed in respect of Section 36 tender awards which were reported to be 65.4% of the total value of the tenders issued in the month of June with city…

Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu says the country will need R90 billion a year to fix the country’s neglected infrastructure. He said the government was doing all it could to ensure there was constant water supply to communities. But in instances where there was no water supply, water tankers were being used. Mchunu, who was replying to a written parliamentary question from EFF MP Khanya Ceza, said there were allegations that water infrastructure was being deliberately damaged and vandalised to force municipalities to hire water tankers. He said the government was working on a long-term solution to supply water to a number of communities. “It is estimated that the water and sanitation sector requires R90bn a year for the next 10 years in order to achieve…

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s counter-terrorism unit yesterday announced the arrest of an alleged Islamic State (IS) loyalist suspected of planning an attack on the headquarters of the police’s security division. The man was detained in a raid on his house outside the capital Jakarta on Monday during which an IS flag, ammunition and 16 weapons were discovered, mostly handguns and modified air rifles, according to Aswin Siregar, spokesperson for Indonesia’s Densus 88 counter-terrorism taskforce. The suspect, an employee with a state railway company, told authorities of his plan to attack the police facility, but gave no time frame or motive, Aswin said. | Reuters…

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s population rose 2.1% from the middle of last year to June this year, provisional government figures showed yesterday, marking the first significant uptick since a downward trend began in 2020 due to a number of stringent Covid-19 measures. The number of people living in the city increased by 152 000 in the period, pushing the special Chinese administrative region’s population to 7 498 100 at mid-2023. It was the highest figure since 2019 when the city’s mid-year population hit 7 507 900. The government attributed the rise to the relaxation of Covid-19 measures since the second half of 2022 and the resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world. | Reuters…

RESCuers searched yesterday for people feared missing in floods and landslides that have killed at least 65 in India, including 11 who died in the collapse of a popular temple. Days of torrential downpours have washed away vehicles, demolished buildings and destroyed bridges in the Himalayas. Flooding and landslides are common and cause widespread devastation during India’s treacherous monsoon season, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity. At least 52 people have been killed in Himachal Pradesh since Sunday, with thousands more stranded after disruptions to roads, power lines and communication networks. “The suffering of those affected cannot be relieved with money, but the government will provide all possible help to them in this hour of distress,” state chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said in a…

Military chiefs from the West African bloc Ecowas will meet in Ghana tomorrow and on Friday to discuss possible intervention in Niger, military and political sources in the region said yesterday. The meeting – originally scheduled for Saturday but then postponed – came after Ecowas leaders last week approved deployment of a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger, whose president was toppled on July 26. Their summit, held in the Nigerian capital of Abuja last Thursday, also reaffirmed the bloc’s preference for a diplomatic outcome. President Mohamed Bazoum’s election in 2021 was a landmark in Niger’s history, ushering in the country’s first peaceful transfer of power since independence from France in 1960. His ousting unleashed a shock wave around West Africa, where Mali and Burkina Faso – likewise…