Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-09-22 i Mercury

LAST WEEK, the Cabinet approved a new State-owned Enterprise (SOE) plan, which will lay the basis for private equity investment in state companies and listings on the stock exchange. It has already stirred significant debate and discussion – and rightly so, because full or partial privatisation by countries around the world has been met with mixed success. SOEs have long been a cornerstone of South Africa’s economic landscape. These entities play a pivotal role in driving economic growth, infrastructure development, and service delivery throughout the nation. But, over the last few decades, they have posed significant financial and operational challenges for government. With mandates encompassing a diverse range of industries, from energy and transportation to telecommunications and healthcare, SOEs have a far-reaching impact on the daily lives of South Africans…

Facing the No 1 team in the world at the Rugby World Cup is “as big as it gets”, says captain Siya Kolisi, and the Springboks are gearing up for a blockbuster of a match against Ireland in Paris tomorrow. But Bok fans, hoping to see their side don the green and gold against the Irish, will have to make peace with the fact that South Africa will wear their alternate white strip as Ireland will be in their emerald green for the Stade de France showdown (9pm kick-off). It is due to World Rugby looking to accommodate those with a vision deficiency who may otherwise battle to see which team is which. The jersey colour issue has been the subject of much debate locally, especially because the Boks are…

September 8 was International Literacy Day. It is absolutely paramount for every child to improve their literacy in order to further their education and advance their place in the world. Access to books is paramount. Some children have not seen the inside of a library. This is worrying. My appeal to parents is to play a critical role in their children’s future and encourage them to join libraries. They must enjoy going to the library. Every child should remember the saying: “Show me a child with a book in hand and I will show you a future leader.” I only hope and pray libraries do not become obsolete; if that does happen it will be a sad day. Libraries are the cornerstone of any community development, and reading in…

TOMORROW is the huge ’un as the Boks, current holders of the World Rugby title, take on Ireland, winners of the Six Nations competition and currently rated the world’s top side. The stakes could not be higher. And, coincidently, a camera shot in a million comes this way showing Springbok winger Makazole Mapimpi diving across the tryline (I think in the match against Romania). Shot in a million because close by and painted in gold on some boarding is the Springbok logo, in parallel with Mapimpi and in exactly the same soaring body posture. It’s uncanny. Could this be some sort of augury? The photo is accompanied by a voice-over pointing out that the Springbok emblem is known and respected all over the world. Noting also that when a name…

The Personal Injury Plaintiff Lawyers’ Association is working with various law societies formulating objections to the new draft of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) Amendment Bill. The Amendment Bill was published by the Department of Transport earlier this month for public comment. It proposes a complete restructuring of the RAF, moving away from a “compensation” to a “social benefits” structure. Advocate Justin Erasmus, chairperson of the Personal Injury Plaintiff Lawyers Association – representing about 300 personal injury lawyers – said the changes offered very limited benefits. Erasmus said one of the biggest concerns was loss of earnings. “Currently, a claim for loss of income is paid out in a lump sum. Under the new system, claimants will receive annuity (partial) payments that will eventually equal the lump sum. There…

The vote on the appointment of Kholeka Gcaleka as the new public protector is set down for October 19, after being postponed on two previous occasions because of a lack of venue for the sitting of Parliament. The term of the ousted public protector ends on October 14, and the vote in Parliament will happen five days after the expiry date. Gcaleka has been acting in the position since President Cyril Ramaphosa suspended former public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane last year after an inquiry was set up to investigate her fitness to hold office. The inquiry completed its work a few weeks ago and Parliament voted to remove Mkhwebane from office with a two-thirds majority. While the inquiry processes were taking place, the ad hoc committee, chaired by ANC MP…

Vodacom says more than a billion rand is going to be spent to improve connectivity for customers with R200 million of the amount set to be invested into energy projects to improve connectivity during load shedding. Imran Khan, managing executive Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal, said the service provider was making a significant investment into the region’s network. “By expanding access to reliable, quality connectivity through the deployment of more sites and network upgrades, we aim to provide an exceptional network experience to our customers. With this effort, we hope to bring the benefits of digitalisation to all communities we serve.” Khan added that R700m would go towards projects for radio access network, network capacity and upgrades, with R173m allocated to improving core network infrastructure. “Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal is investing over R200m into energy…

We all need to be able to tolerate, embrace and cherish our diversity as South Africans As we celebrate our rich and varied cultural heritage on Sunday, we also should remind one another that we are not there yet. What could help us get there is non-racialism. It would be fair to say that almost all South Africans share the vision of non-racialism and hunger for the day when it is fully materialised. But how should we understand non-racialism within the context of heritage? Non-racialism means we accept that there is only one human race with a rich diversity of classes, colours, cultures, creeds, confessions, genders, orientations and ability. Non-racialism means we respect and revere, acknowledge and accept, celebrate and enjoy every human being as a member of one human…

Siya Kolisi is one of the biggest sports stars in the world – so much so that some of his fans think he can even become the president one day. But he is thriving as the captain of the Springboks, and is leading the side in the defence of their World Cup title in France. The Boks are facing a massive showdown with Ireland in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, tomorrow night. A victory will ensure that South Africa will finish on top of their group and avoid host nation France in the quarter-finals. Ireland are ranked No 1 in the world, but Bok bosses Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber have come up with a left-field strategy to stop them in their tracks by selecting seven forwards among the reserves, which…

Anyone who saw Andile Phehlukwayo smash the Australian attack to all parts of the Wanderers in the closing overs of the ODI series decider last week would have sworn they had seen it all before – because they have. In just his second chance with the bat in international cricket, aged 20 at the time, Phehlukwayo took hold of the self-same Australians to close out a series win with a similar swashbuckling innings back in 2016. On both occasions, Phehlukwayo looked like a world-beater – a player with the all-round game and confidence that could potentially be the “X-factor” the Proteas have been missing since Lance Klusener’s retirement. Unfortunately for Phehlukwayo, and of course the Proteas, there has not been much in between those glistening knocks. Instead, it has been…

ETHEKWINI mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has welcomed the decision by the Pietermaritzburg High Court, which dismissed an application brought by the South African Property Owners’ Association (Sapoa) challenging the property rates on vacant land in the city. Kaunda told members of the executive committee this week that this showed that decisions taken by the municipality were prudent. The matter relates to the property rates increases that came into effect on vacant land in the 2022 financial year where the council took a decision to increase the rates randage by 100% for vacant land, and it escalated from 5.8966 cents to 11.7932 cents in the rand. The association had brought an application in two parts. The first part was an interdict application which high court Judge R Mossop recently decided on in…

THE SANDF is mourning the loss of seven lives after two tragic incidents in a matter of hours. On Wednesday, three crew members of the South African Navy submarine SAS Manthatisi perished at sea off Kommetjie, near Cape Town and four SANDF officers died in an accident in the Northern Cape. President Cyril Ramaphosa said earlier yesterday that their deaths were a sad loss for the nation. The SAS Manthatisi, which was en route to Cape Town, was conducting a vertical transfer (known as a VERTREP) exercise by means of an SA Air Force Maritime Lynx helicopter, when high waves swept seven crew members on top of the submarine into the sea. Rough seas affected the rescue and recovery operation on Wednesday, and while all crew members were recovered, three…

It is a disheartening reality that many of South Africa’s public officials are unqualified, incompetent and selected without any public scrutiny. In a recent response to a DA question, the minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation indicated the outcomes of performance assessments of MPs will be kept a secret. This is not only unconstitutional, but also reprehensible as it shows a lack of transparency and accountability. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s commitment to have performance agreements in place with his ministers was a step in the right direction, but it is an empty promise if the reports are not made public. It is only through public scrutiny that we can hold our public officials accountable and demand changes where necessary. We have heard of instances where departments have…

IN 1994, thousands upon thousands of South Africans queued to vote in South Africa’s first democratic elections. Recently, they waited in long lines for their social relief grants, courtesy of a government so out of touch that the minister responsible could offer only platitudes and a lame excuse about a glitch in the system. The callous response of the minister, who claimed that the matter was beyond her control, was almost as callous as the suggestion by Marie Antoinette – that if the poor had no bread to eat, then they should eat cake. As the political head of social development, the minister is in control, or at least she ought to be. But such is the indifference of ANC politicians to the plight of the poor that they have…

East Coast Radio (ECR) has announced that Jane Linley-Thomas is saying goodbye to the station after two decades on radio. It said Linley-Thomas embarked on her 20-year radio journey driven by childhood memories of listening to ECR on her way to school. She joined the station in 2003 at the age of 23 and had various time slots, including the weekend breakfast show, weekday breakfast slot and the weekday 12-3pm timeslot, which she considers the crown jewel of her career. Linley-Thomas explained her decision to step away from the mic. “Having started in 2003, it’s now time for me to go home. Home on weekends is where I need to be, where I can focus and create more intentional memories. “Although I am sad to leave, I’m excited to get…

As the legal challenge to have certain parts of the Political Party Funding Act (PPFA) declared unconstitutional goes ahead, the Western Cape High Court has granted ActionSA leave to intervene as a respondent. Non-profit organisation, My Vote Counts, is seeking to amend the PPFA, so that it provides for the disclosure of all private donations, not only those above R100 000, among others. “Without full transparency and full disclosure of all private donations to political parties, voters are unable properly to assess the influence exerted by private interests over political parties and cast an informed vote,” they said. ActionSA were this week successful in the high court, to intervene as a respondent, and have until October 19 to file its answering affidavit. ActionSA said it would propose that the Electoral…

The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) report on the water crisis in KwaZulu-Natal municipalities was an eye-opener for the local government. That is the view of KZN Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC, Siboniso Duma, who has conceded that the SAHRC report has caught them wanting. “It is for this reason that elected public representatives have a responsibility to demonstrate accountability and show a sense of urgency in the face of this crisis,” he said, responding to the SAHRC report. He affirmed their commitment to work with the SAHRC, public protector, auditor-general and others to strengthen service delivery and to also protect human rights. He also said they will be working closely with the Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu to ensure service delivery. The commission released a…

Gqeberha police arrested 10 suspects hours after a brazen R1 million jewellery heist at a shopping centre. Eastern Cape police said it is alleged that 10 suspects entered the jewellery store in a mall and pointed firearms at the staff on Wednesday morning. “Jewellery estimated to be worth R1m was taken. No one was injured,” said provincial police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu. Naidu said that through “brilliant” crime intelligence in the Eastern Cape, it was established that the suspects were heading for Gauteng. “The two vehicles involved in the robbery that were heading towards Craddock were identified through the intelligence network.” Naidu said that just before 10pm, a white VW Polo was stopped about 10 kilometres before Cradock. “Five males were arrested, and two firearms were recovered. Shortly after, a…

Iran has passed a law that, if a woman flouts the hijab imperative, she will be imprisoned for 10 years. On the other extreme, France has a law that bans the hijab in public. In other words, if a woman covers her head in public, she will be prosecuted. No one speaks about it with the same degree of condemnation as is the universal condemnation of Iran after the death of Mashia Ibrahimi last year at the hands of Iranian authorities. No one, so far, has commented about the politicisation of using a woman’s body to advance a political agenda. Compounding this is a failure on the part of the media to present both sides of the problem with views articulated clearly and objectively so people can engage in objective…

A call has been made for the SAPS to speed up security assessments on public representatives after another KwaZulu- Natal councillor was killed. ANC Moses Mabhida Region chairperson Mzi Thebolla said at the current rate of murders, municipalities would find themselves without councillors. He was reacting to the killing of councillor Mzwandile Shandu, who was gunned down in a suspected ambush on Wednesday in uMlazi. The councillor served in the Mkhambathini Local Municipality, Camperdown, under the uMgungundlovu District Municipality. The area falls under the ANC’s Moses Mabhida Region that includes Pietermaritzburg and surrounds. There had already been an attempt on Shandu’s life before. Last month, another councillor in the region, Mabhungu Mkhize, was gunned down in Imbali township, heightening fears about the killing of political figures. Thebolla said it was…

THE recent fuel hike has, once again, placed a heavy burden on not only the poor, but on all facets of the economy. Unfortunately, there is another fuel hike on the horizon to make things even more difficult. Our incompetent, inefficient and uncaring government is powerless to call a halt to this ever-increasing burden. I would like to quote an ANC statement from September 16, 1993, in which the ANC demands the suspen sion of a petrol price increase. “The ill-considered and uncaring decision to increase the petrol price only confirms the NP government does not have the interest of the majority of South Africans who are poor and struggling desperately to make ends meet. Now is the time for them to establish the tradition of a government that cares…

KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Transport has created a monster it cannot control, as a result of its own failures to address ongoing issues relating to the taxi industry. This week’s incident in uMhlanga Rocks – in which taxi owners and drivers blocked entry and exit to the popular tourism hub – is a case in point. Traffic was brought to a standstill and havoc reigned as the lives of innocent people were put at risk by armed men waving firearms in the busy streets. KZN Transport and Community Safety MEC Sipho Hlomuka cannot allow taxi operators to be a law unto themselves, to the detriment of the safety of others. This incident must be thoroughly investigated. There is more than enough footage to support such a probe. The MEC and its…

THE healthiest (high-functioning) men and women: Have regular, willing and meaningful contact with their parents no matter what geographical distances may exist between them or what domestic upheavals may have occurred in the past. Know that long-term and enduring emotional wellness is close to impossible when people shut out appropriate connections with family of origin and with long-time relationships. Are inner-directed despite the hierarchy in which they live and work. Take full responsibility for their thoughts, feelings and actions and are extremely slow to blame circumstances for their predicaments. Less healthy (lower-functioning) men and women: Often cut off their parents or blame distance or work pressures for their lack of contact with their parents. Often believe the falsehood that shutting out the past or seeking a fresh start is possible…

UNISA has chosen to remain mum on findings of “serious governance issues and maladministration” made in an independent assessor’s report earlier this year. In May, the Unisa council admitted the institution had “serious governance” issues, but maintained there was no chaos. During a media briefing on the general state of the university, the institution said the assessor’s report would not be discussed in the public domain, adding that it “differed” with the findings. “Management reiterated the university’s stance on the independent assessor’s report and its predecessor, the ministerial task team (MTT) report. “While the university co-operated with both processes and respected the reports, it differed with the findings of both reports that the institution was collapsing. “However, due to the issues pertaining to the independent assessor’s report and minister’s notice…

Two suspects allegedly linked to the mass shooting incident in Richards Bay were shot and killed at the upmarket Zimbali Estate in Ballito, KwaZulu- Natal police said yesterday. “Officers from the KwaZulu-Natal Stability Unit operationalised intelligence regarding the whereabouts of suspects who were alleged to have been linked with the killing of five people at a parking lot in Richards Bay CBD on Tuesday morning,” spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said. He said police pounced on the residence on Wednesday afternoon. “Before they (officers) knew it they found themselves under gun fire from the suspects,” Netshiunda said. “Police retaliated and at the end of the shoot-out, two suspects were found to have sustained fatal gunshot wounds.” The suspects are aged between 30 and 41. “Six firearms and over 1 000 rounds…

As we approach Heritage Day, it is customary to reflect on the rich tapestry of cultures and histories that make up our nation and our world. This year, instead of dwelling on the challenges that often divide us, let us take a different path – one that celebrates the beauty of our shared humanity. I would like to encourage everyone to take just three minutes on Heritage Day to ponder what we all have in common with every other person on this planet. Whether they are friends, family, neighbours, business colleagues, or even just distant acquaintances on social media, we share a fundamental connection that transcends our differences. Society tends to emphasise our distinctions—be it in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, culture, gender, or wealth. These divisions are often seen…