Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-10-20 i Mercury

GERMAN textile group Falke, which is a fourth generation, family-owned business, has appointed Michael de Koker to manage their South African operations. The com- pany is run by the fourth generation of the Falke family and owned by cousins Franz-Peter Falke and Paul Falke, who have managed the business since 1990. The firm said in a statement yesterday that De Koker had a well-rounded background in the manufacturing, retail and distribution industries. “Having headed up some of the largest and well-known brands, specifi- cally Guess SA/Africa, being retail director of Guess Australia, and more recently, the CEO of a proudly South African clothing manufacturer, De Koker brings a wealth of experience to Falke South Africa. “De Koker worked for the Studio 88 group, Woolworths and other retailers and is…

EFF leader Julius Malema has again raised the issue of the country’s banks being bullies, taking to social media to voice his displeasure and saying “they think they are all powerful”. Malema on Wednesday took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to post: “But we should have two days of not banking against all banks in South Africa to show them the people’s power because they think they are all powerful against the people’s power.” This prompted responses from those who follow Malema on the social media site, ranging from those who raised the VBS banking issue, and those who supported suggestions of alternative banking mechanisms to others who questioned whether this would achieve anything. Parliament’s ethics committee recently found that there was no evidence that Malema had possibly breached…

CONGRATULATIONS to South Indians who have finished their Purattasi, which is a time for self-reflection and penance where abstaining from meat and alcohol is observed for a month. This is an annual prayer festival which provides a great opportunity for families to unite and bring back spirituality into our homes. The holy, prominent time in Tamil people’s lives encourages goodwill, kindness and charity. Goodwill is regarded as a sign of appreciation to fellow human beings. As part of my obligation, I visited various temples to share love and spiritually in uniting families. I was saddened and despondent to notice that most temples were virtually empty. During this period, let us be responsible and teach our children our rich culture. One has to observe when the Christians and Muslims…

We ALL know what a total flop Angie Motshekga is. In the 14 years she’s been minister of basic education, there has been no improvement in the quality of education whatsoever in the country. But once a year she goes on stage and performs her matric magic show, beguiling the masses with her pass rate. Even President Ramaphosa is fooled by her. He has utmost confidence in her and keeps her in his Cabinet. She’s an ANC stalwart. The facts speak for themselves. A 2021 survey found an astonishing 81% of Grade 4 pupils couldn’t read for meaning in any language. Numeracy levels across the grades were also dismally low. There was a serious shortage of teachers and a shockingly high pregnancy rate in schools. Even more shameful, many schools…

MSUNDUZI mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla says they are willing to defend the decision to sponsor Royal AM on any platform as the move was not driven by politics but informed by economics as having a Premier Soccer League (PSL) team yields massive spin-offs for the KwaZulu-Natal capital. He said they would continue bidding for other tournaments and teams to play in Pietermaritzburg. Thebolla was speaking at a media briefing aimed at highlighting the progress made since the start of the 2023/24 financial year. He said while the Royal AM matter was in court, he felt the need to clarify some points of the sponsorship deal, which he insisted was a collective council decision. He spoke of how the decision had been prompted by the relegation of Maritzburg United from the…

A probe into the fire that gutted Parliament last year has found that minimum physical standards of security measures were not adhered to, and that enabled Parliament to be breached without detection. Briefing the media on the internal investigation’s findings this week, secretary to Parliament Xolile George said the minimum security standards directly contributed to the security breaches on the day of the devastating fire that damaged the Old Assembly and New Assembly buildings. “Those issues allowed a person to gain unauthorised access. Not only that but he enjoyed unrestricted movement within Parliament without being detected for a number of hours beyond a day,” George said. He was referring to Zandile Christmas Mafe, who was charged and appeared before the Western Cape High Court over the incident. The investigation found…

A month-long intelligence-driven operation by the SAPS and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) resulted in a R70 million cocaine drug bust at Durban Harbour. National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said police had been monitoring a vessel making its way to South Africa from Brazil. “Members intercepted the identified vessel and mobilised various units to conduct a search and seize operation on the identified containers.” Mathe said that on Wednesday, 20-litre paint containers were seized. “Inside, police found 200 blocks of cocaine worth R70 million.” National Police Minister Bheki Cele, who is in KwaZulu-Natal, visited the crime scene and commended police on the bust. The National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Fannie Masemola, said the National Safer Festive Season Operations were gaining momentum. “Well done to the…

Let’s use our limited imagination and write a short novel based on our country’s ignoble past: Our story is based around 1960, the ANC moves away from the ineffective tool of using non-violence to topple Malan’s apartheid and in utter frustration kidnaps top ministers and some (innocent!) white civilians and takes refuge in Soweto, uMlazi, KwaMashu and in some unknown spaces. Some of the kidnappers bomb parts of Pretoria and Johannesburg, killing white and even a few black civilians as a protest, part of protests that somehow began in 1652. As retaliation, the white apartheid government launches an all-out offensive against not just a “virtual” enemy like the “ANC” (which is not just a physical “party” fighting for freedom for all races but predominantly an “idea”, a virtual, invisible concept…

It’s not often that you see South Africa taking on England in two major World Cups on the same day, but that’s what sports fans across Mzansi will be able to enjoy tomorrow. The bigger game is obviously the Rugby World Cup semi-final between the Springboks and the English at the Stade de France in Paris tomorrow night, as the winner of that fixture will have a chance to clinch the Webb Ellis Cup the following weekend. The Boks and England have a storied history at the World Cup, with the South Africans having won the 2007 and 2019 finals against their arch-rivals. So, the English will have a score to settle in tomorrow’s semi-final, but master Bok strategist Rassie Erasmus was already at it again this week when he…

It will be a case of “my cup runneth over” for sports fans tomorrow, and it is not just any cup, because the Rugby and Cricket World Cups have coincided to have the Springboks and Proteas playing old rivals England on the same day. Sports fans are looking forward to a feast that begins at 10.30am, with the Proteas aiming to hit back from a humiliating loss to the Netherlands by beating England in the 50-over World Cup in India. And not long after that game is predicted to end, the Boks play a semi-final (9pm kick-off) against England at the Stade de France in Paris. Unlike the Proteas, the Boks are in fine form. They upset hosts France in an epic quarter-final last week, and are tipped to beat…

The first non-violent obligation of the Bible is “Let there be Light”, followed closely by the 10 commandments. All of which was ignored by Moses when he purified the tribes of Israel by Holocausting 800 000 Midianites and giving 32 000 virgins to the army. Read Numbers 31. (4% of any population are virgins, you do the math.) Joshua ignored the same obligations when he crossed the Jordan River and killed Palestinians and occupied Canaan. (The Arab word for Palestinian is Philistine). This God said He would give them land from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River in Iraq. No violence required, just wait for the gift. This gift is repeated four times in the Bible. Now in 2023 this lack of obligation continues in the Zionist world, making…

My SON and his wife are asking me to consider moving into an elder care centre – where I can be very active – even though I am in good health. My husband has left me well off and we all know I can afford it. I feel it is because they don’t want to take care of me and that I will be a burden to them in later years. I am from a culture where we don’t do that. I took care of my parents until their deaths. Younger people have different views on these things. The cultures have changed. Summary of peer responses: Your son and his wife are asking you to consider this because they do care for you and want you to get the best…

Farmers who lost their horses during the outbreak of African horse sickness (AHS) will not be compensated by the government. This is according to Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza when she was responding to questions from DA MP Noko Masipa. Didiza said compensation in terms of the Animal Diseases Act was only applicable to animals destroyed under supervision of veterinary services pursuant to a control measure. She also said the animal diseases regulations provided for infected horses to be isolated for a certain period and destruction of infected horses was not prescribed. “The horses mentioned died and were not destroyed pursuant to any control measure or order. “Section 19 of the Animal Diseases Act, 1984, is therefore not applicable to these animals,” Didiza said. Asked about…

A joke doing the rounds after last week’s quarter-final is that France’s big mistake was to allow Eben Etzebeth to rest for 10 minutes (in the sin-bin due to a yellow card). The Springbok enforcer was colossal, and his captain Siya Kolisi said Etzebeth is the pillar of the team ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup semi-final against England in Paris (9pm kickoff). “Eben is the enforcer, the guy who makes sure the discipline is good among the team – and he is always there for anyone who needs help,” Kolisi said. “He will fight through anything to put on that green-and-gold jersey. He is the most experienced guy in the team. “He will fight through injury, and he inspires all of us. That really embodies what being a Springbok player…

The rock and surf fishing is seeing more inedibles on the catch reports week by week. The north coast has seen the bulk of the inedible catches. The usual spots like Tugela and Mtunzini have been the places to go if you are looking for something to test your drag. Remember that these spots should be fished in a group as there have been incidents in the past. Bloody baits like mackerel and bonito have been the most successful. There have been some good edibles around most of the north coast. Look for some protected bays and gullies for the best results. The central coast has seen a bit of edible action. There have been a few garrick taken at Blue Lagoon on livebait. These are highly-pressured fish so please…

THE CEO of the SA Local Government Association (Salga) is earning an annual salary of R3.8 million in spite of most municipalities in the country being in a distressed or dysfunctional state. The salary came into the spotlight recently after it emerged that former Salga CEO Xolile George, who is currently the secretary of Parliament, got a significant pay hike a year into his position at Parliament. But Parliament announced that this reviewed remuneration package “was set below (by about 26%) what he earned in his previous position as CEO of Salga”. His salary at Salga was reportedly more than R5m. Salga confirmed this week that current CEO Sithole Mbanga earns R3.8m per annum which includes basic salary, medical aid and other benefits. Salga is an “autonomous association of all…

A CLOWN who has been stalking the streets of a Scottish village is playing games with the residents, according to Sky News. The masked character, wearing a clown outfit, left boxed clues around Skelmorlie last Friday and challenged the villagers to solve a riddle. The locals teamed up to find all the red boxes, whose riddles eventually led them to the North Ayrshire village’s community garden. A small black cash box awaited their discovery. But instead of treasure inside, the villagers were greeted with their own reflection via a mirror that had the word “clown” written on it. Isy Agnew was one of the villagers who solved the whereabouts riddle after waking up to find a red balloon outside her door and a box that had in it a key.…

I note that (in) The Mercury’s October 10 editorial you extol the performance of the SA National Roads Agency Ltd. You are correct in this assessment and in fact, apart from perhaps the provincial roads authority in the Western Cape, Sanral is the only roads authority in our country which provides and maintains roads to acceptable world standards. This is not opinion only; the road conditions in South Africa are regularly monitored by professional roads bodies. The performance of Sanral over the past 25 years, since its creation in 1998, despite its current board having no real road engineering experience, is primarily due to the competence of its professional engineers. This is a lesson other SOEs (State-Owned Enterprises) might take note of. Perhaps a short explanation of the Sanral story…

The acting head of Metro Police in eThekwini, Sibonelo Mchunu, has warned community members not to fall for scams from people promising them jobs in the unit through the “back door”. He was speaking after the unit arrested one of their own in a sting operation on Wednesday on allegations that the officer had promised a recruit a post in the unit, for a price. The member, who has been on the job since 2022, had allegedly told the recruit who had been unsuccessful in the recruitment process that a spot could still be made available if they were willing to pay about R20 000 in bribe money. Metro police have been on a recruitment drive this year. They are looking to recruit close to 500 new members as the…

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) has announced that it is cancelling all contracts with direct payment service providers who were appointed to disburse student allowances on behalf of the scheme. This comes after Werksmans Attorneys report into the contracts and the involvement of NSFAS CEO Andile Nongogo. The report found there seemed to have been a conflict of interest in the appointment of the four fin-tech service providers, including eZaga, Coinvest Africa, Tenet Technology and Noracco Corporation, appointed to handle the direct payment of student allowances. NSFAS board chairperson Ernest Khosa, joined by other board members and acting CEO Masike Ramorwesi, shared some of the outcomes of the report at a media briefing this week. Legal heavyweights advocate Tembeka Ngukaitobi SC and Sandile July from Werkmans Attorneys led…

Minister of Social Development Lindiwe Zulu says she will approach Cabinet to approve the draft policy on the Basic Income Grant before it is fully implemented. Zulu said moves are already afoot to extend the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant of R350 to the unemployed until 2026. This would give government time to work on the basic income grant. Unions and civil society have proposed the basic income grant be more than the current R350 grant and said it would be able to sustain many people who are not in the labour market. The SRD grant was introduced in 2020 when Covid-19 hit the country and the government said at the time it was meant to cushion the poor and vulnerable. The government has extended it several times after…