Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-11-08 i Mercury

THE SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) picket has caused the postponement of Grade 8 to 11 exams in some schools in the uMlazi and Pinetown areas in Durban. The Grade 12 exams are unaffected. Sadtu started picketing on Monday over safety of teachers, allocation of funds to schools and filling of teacher vacancies. The teacher union’s picketing has sparked mixed reaction from education stakeholders. Merebank Secondary school, in the Durban South area, said in a circular, that it had suspended Grade 8 to 11 exams from yesterday until further notice. “The National Senior Certificate exams will continue as scheduled. We regret the inconvenience, you will be informed of further developments timeously.” KwaZulu-Natal Parents’ Association chairperson Vee Gani said this was a crucial time for pupils writing their exams. “We met…

IF is the aim of the Deep State, new world order elite to convert the US into a Third World welfare state, the policies of the pliant Biden regime are proving successful. Since the November 3, 2020 coup d’état which installed Joe Biden as the resident in the White House, he has obediently served his masters. His first tasks included opening the US southern border to all comers and ending the energy independence that Donald Trump had achieved. Flooding the US with illegal aliens is a key aspect in creating social chaos and division into which rampant crime, drug cartels, child trafficking and terror groups are thrown into the toxic mix. The official figure of illegal aliens entering the US between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023 is 3.2…

WHILE fortunately it was possible to enjoy all the magic yet nail-biting moments of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, it was a huge disappointment for all South African supporters to see again the narcissistic attitude of our government. Instead of using the “family meeting” by our president for praise they turned it into an ANC manifesto for the election next year. It should have been a heartfelt praise for every member of the team – from players to support staff – who witnessed a true rugby miracle in the last three games that culminated in us winning of the cup. It should have been a show of support for all South African sportspeople who represent the country all over the world. However, the cold-hearted politi cians could not even find…

’TWAS somewhat eerie at the St Clement’s arts soiree this week to hear Barry Meehan reading from his dad Tom’s superbly written account of his World War II experiences … France, horrific bombing by the Luftwaffe … retreat … successful evacuation at Dunkirk …taken prisoner of war in North Africa … life in an Italian POW camp … You couldn’t help thinking about the current configuration – war in Europe … horrific war in the Middle East … China’s looming threat to Taiwan … and America’s involvement in various ways in all these conflicts and potential conflicts … You just couldn’t help wondering, as Meehan read his dad’s account of his experiences, if history might be trying to repeat itself. Heaven forbid! But the reading was unusual fare and enjoyable,…

Medical experts said that an increase in malaria cases in South Africa is expected in the summer months. The national Department of Health (DOH) has also called on members of the public to take precautions when travelling to high-risk malaria countries after 6 400 malaria cases were reported in South Africa from January to October 2023. The department said it would be increasing malaria screenings in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Professor Yunus Moosa from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) said it was expected that malaria cases will increase during this time of the year. “When members of the public are travelling to high-risk malaria countries there is the risk of contracting the disease.” Moosa said the provinces where the Department of Health was increasing malaria screenings were close to high-risk…

The mystery and controversies surrounding the Ingonyama Trust continue to capture everyone’s attention, and yet it remains one of the least understood public institutions in South Africa. The reason for this situation is that the true character and identity of this entity are buried in this country’s callous history and political misinformation designed to protect it. This article will hopefully demystify this oppressive structure as the black majority in South Africa, and especially in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), yearn for freedom and rights to land. Ingonyama Trust was established in 1994 by the erstwhile KwaZulu Bantustan in terms of the KwaZulu Ingonyama Trust Act, which stipulates that the land must be administered for the “benefit, material welfare and social well-being of tribes and communities”. The Ingonyama Trust is important because it controls…

NICOSIA: Cypriot police arrested 33 people after violence erupted at the island’s main migrant reception centre when fighting broke out between two ethnic groups, authorities said yesterday. Riot police were called to quell a disturbance on Monday at Pournara camp.Tear gas was used against the migrants after clashes broke out between dozens of mainly African nationals and Syrians. The interior ministry said orders have been given for the deportation of any asylum seeker found to be behind the outbreak of violence. Police said eight migrants were slightly injured during the fighting and were taken to hospital to receive first aid and discharged.…

NANCHANG: More than 10 Siberian cranes, a critically endangered bird species, were spotted yesterday at Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater lake, in east China’s Jiangxi Province. This is the first batch of migratory Siberian cranes seen at the lake this season, according to the Jiangxi Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve Administration. Staff also saw the rare birds in the air earlier in the day. Siberian cranes arrive at Poyang Lake in late October and travel north in late February or early March. About 98% of the global Siberian crane population now winters at the lake. Authorities have taken measures to protect the birds and the wetland.…

Two Namibian nationals were remanded in custody after making a brief appearance in the Bela-Bela Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo yesterday in connection with the alleged housebreaking at the Phala Phala farm owned by President Cyril Ramaphosa, in which millions of dollars of foreign currency were stolen. The suspects were arrested on Sunday and Monday on charges of housebreaking and theft. The alleged central figure in the theft, Floriana Joseph, who was employed as a housekeeper at Ramaphosa’s game farm, and her co-accused, Imanuwela David, are facing four counts of money laundering, conspiracy to commit housebreaking with intent to steal, theft, and housebreaking with intent to steal. State advocate Nkhetheni Munyai asked that the pair be remanded in custody so an interpreter could be made available as the accused were foreign…

Water is life and sanitation is dignity. Access to water is a basic human right and proper sanitation gives people dignity and ensures the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being – and it protects the environment from degradation. But how can we ensure that people have access to reliable water supply and dignified sanitation services that are not detrimental to the environment when vandalism is rife, destroying the infrastructure meant to provide these key services? Infrastructure vandalism is a serious challenge in our country. It negatively affects service delivery and socio-economic development. Infrastructure vandalism affects all facets of life and socio-economic development as it negatively affects among others electricity supply, rail transport – and worst of all the basic necessities of life which…

WHAT is the relationship between the ANC and the EFF, besides that the red berets are an offshoot of the governing party? Do the two political parties have a cordial relationship? There are no easy answers. In Gauteng, the provincial ANC enjoys good relations with the EFF. Not only that, but the two have gone into a coalition partnership in certain municipalities, like Joburg and Ekurhuleni. Yet, the ANC national leadership disapproves of that. Not long ago, the ANC national executive committee took a decision that the ANC should break its coalition partnership with the EFF in Gauteng, saying the red berets were eating into the ANC’s votes. ANC Gauteng leader Panyaza Lesufi was part of the meeting and did not object. According to media reports, the ANC in Joburg…

Doctor Nandipha Magudumana’s bail appeal was dismissed in the High Court in Bloemfontein yesterday. This comes after Magudumana’s legal representative approached the high court to challenge the ruling of the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court which had denied her bail. The high court found there was no fault with the ruling on bail which was made in the magistrate’s court and dismissed the appeal. During her bail application in September, the court had found her to be a flight risk and said she had demonstrated she had the “necessary means” and “know-how to leave the country” after she was arrested in Tanzania in the company of her lover, convicted rapist and murderer, Bester. Bester faked his death at the Mangaung Correctional Centre and escaped in May 2022. The court held that Magudumana…

The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was granted a freezing order by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria for assets valued at R29 million belonging to “a syndicate that stole” from Eskom. The order was granted last week, according to NPA Gauteng regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana. “The restraint order is to freeze properties and cash worth R29 million belonging to a syndicate that stole from Eskom. Mothelli Ben Theletsane, who has since passed on, was employed at Eskom on a contract basis and worked in a pre-paid environment, supporting Eskom's pre-paid vending system,” Mahanjana said. “He (Theletsane) operated as a supervisor in his role and therefore obtained intimate knowledge of the operations of machines, and he also acquired technical expertise on the ins and…

INTERNATIONAL Relations and Co-operation Minister Naledi Pandor used her National Assembly executive statement to restate her demands that the International Criminal Court (ICC) immediately issue an arrest warrant for key Israeli decision-makers, such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for violating international law during the Israel-Palestinian conflict. She said Israel’s massacre of women and children was an act that ought to have prompted the ICC to step in. Pandor said the attacks and kidnapping of civilians by Hamas was also in violation of international law. More than 10 300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory strikes following the Hamas October 7 attack which resulted in 1 400 Israelis killed and more than 240 taken hostage. “The actions we are witnessing daily by Israel are a violation of international…

TRUST Julius Malema to throw in a racial card in the middle of a triumphant moment such as the return home of the record fourth Webb Ellis Trophy. As if dealing with naysayers arguing that the win did nothing for the poor was not enough, the EFF leader said the Springboks’ name, colours and logo were a symbol of white supremacy and needed to be changed. The first Springbok colours were created during the 1906/7 tour of the Northern Hemisphere after captain Paul Roos decided that the team needed to create their own emblem and nickname to prevent the British press from creating one for them. In 2008, the government voted to replace the Springbok with the Protea as the official emblem of South African rugby. While the Springbok was…

Tokyo: Excessive levels of radioactive cesium were detected in mushrooms grown in Japan’s Yamanashi prefecture, a government report revealed yesterday. The sample of Cortinarius caperatus, an edible mushroom, in Narusawa village, showed a level of 150 becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg), stated the report published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on its official website. The ministry publishes test results of radioactive substances in foods following the Fukushima nuclear power plant incident in 2011. The permitted cesium level in food products stands at 100 Bq/kg in the country, reported Xinhua news agency.…

Beijing yesterday confirmed there had been Chinese casualties after ethnic armed groups fighting Myanmar’s junta seized outposts in the country’s north along the border with China. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin did not say whether the Chinese were killed or wounded, or where precisely the incident had taken place. Local media in Myanmar reported on Saturday that one Chinese person was killed and another two wounded after the military shelled the town of Laiza, home to the headquarters of ethnic armed group the Kachin Independence Army. The reports said one shell had landed on the China side of the border. Yesterday, Wang said Beijing “expresses strong dissatisfaction with the escalation of the armed conflict and the casualties caused to Chinese personnel”. China, he said, “has lodged solemn protest with…

“Suid Afrika, hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie (South Africa, they don’t know what we know)” is the phrase coined by South Africa’s UFC fighter, Dricus du Plessis, after his shocking stoppage win over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 earlier this year. The line went viral as South Africa’s fans and our world-class athletes, including the Springboks, borrowed the phrase to celebrate the rugby team’s success at this year’s Rugby World Cup. Now, Du Plessis can finally show the world what he knows when he steps into the UFC Octagon to fight for the coveted 185-pound UFC title. UFC president Dana White confirmed yesterday on social media that Du Plessis would get his shot at the title when he faces current champion Sean Strickland on…

The National Department of Basic Education (DBE) says it has received numerous complaints over the use of the term “Mandatory Palestine” in a question that appeared in the Grade 12 maths literacy Paper 1 that was written on Friday. The question states: “Timothy will fly from the United States of America to Mandatory Palestine to play in a tournament. Before he leaves, he wants to exchange $2 580 for new Israeli shekel (NIS). The currency used in Mandatory Palestine is the new Israeli shekel (NIS).” The Palestine Solidarity Alliance (PSA) said it was concerning that the messaging in the exam paper undermined the dignity of the Palestinian people and legitimised the illegal military occupation of Palestine. “This term was used by Britain as the colonial power in its subjugation…

TRANSPORT Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga yesterday recounted the traumatic early Monday morning robbery when she, her brother and her bodyguards were held up on the N3 between Vosloorus and Heidelberg and a gun was pointed at her head. Police confirmed they were investigating the circumstances surrounding the robbery where personal belongings and two SAPS service pistols were stolen. Speaking at the transport portfolio committee yesterday, Chikunga described the experience as “very traumatising” and “devastating”. The robbery took place at around 3.30am when the vehicle she was in had a puncture. “We drove for quite a long distance but ultimately we had to stop because the (tyre) was getting damaged to the extent that the rim was on the road,” she said. Chikunga said the bodyguards were attacked after they had changed…

Israel, the US, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, India and Morocco had just formulated an amazing “normalisation” programme, which, with the added component of “G20” factors, would not only make trade among participating countries far easier, but also possibly enrich the pockets of the usual ‘private’ individuals in government circles. A permitted mandatory deduction informally known as ‘collateral commission’. Alas! This terrible upheaval in Israel and occupied Palestine has just put paid to all these plans. Sad, right? I mean how could the Arab countries ever forgive what was done to their mainly Muslim Palestinian brethren, eh? How can any right-thinking Arab ever enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep after realising that they were, after their normal circumcision, also just castrated by international politics to merely stare helplessly at their multi-billion dollar…

“My daughter was previously married and has two children from that marriage. Her two boys are five and eight. My daughter married again, a man with twin sons, nine. Together, in the new marriage, they have a girl. My daughter has an ex-husband who loves his children. Her new husband has an ex-wife who loves her twins. There are periods when this ‘blended’ family seems to work, but it seems things are unravelling and the marriage will soon end. My daughter is asking for help.” My heart goes out to all the participants in the difficult circumstance. Blending families are among the hardest challenges any couple in second and third marriages will face. There are always multiple levels of loyalties and commitments, pushes and pulls, recognised and unrecognised. There will…

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) miraculously escaped a disclaimer when it landed a qualified audit opinion for the 2021/22 financial year. The finances of the fund are such that Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke was unable to obtain sufficient audit evidence that benefit payments for the Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) for the year under review and the previous years were properly accounted for due to the status of the accounting records. “I could not confirm the amount of benefit payments for the Covid-19 TERS by alternative means as the public entity’s records did not permit the application of alternative audit procedures. “Consequently, I was unable to determine whether any adjustments were necessary to Covid-19 TERS benefit payments stated at R3.08 billion (2021: R57.4bn) in note 20 to the financial…

A sergeant from the SAPS National Cold Case Unit, Vusumuzi Mogane, says accused Bongani Ntanzi confessed voluntarily regarding his alleged involvement in the murder of soccer star Senzo Meyiwa. Mogane is one of the officers who arrested Ntanzi in June 2020. He was under cross-examination in a trial-within-a-trial in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. The trial-within-a-trial is being heard to determine if the alleged confessions made by Ntanzi and Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya were done freely and voluntarily. The two accused claim they were severely assaulted and forced into making confessions. Mogane said Ntanzi volunteered to tell the lead investigating officer, Brigadier Gininda, the truth after police discovered he had lied about his whereabouts on the day Meyiwa was killed. Advocate Thulani Mngomezulu, representing Ntanzi, told Mogane that after speaking with the…

THE SABC has recorded nearly R500 million in net losses six months into the 2023/24 financial year, Deputy Minister Communications and Digital Technologies, Philly Mapulane said yesterday. He revealed this during a briefing by the board and management to the communications and digital technologies portfolio committee on the public broadcasters’ corporate plan. The tabling of the plan in Parliament was delayed after the board was given an opportunity to develop it as they were only appointed in April. Mapulane said the department had information on the latest financial performance of the SABC, and officials were analysing the public broadcaster’s third quarter financial report. “Already there is information we received that there is a net loss of about R464 million a year to date. “While the corporate plan is projecting…

The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into government operations has become a necessity of modern government and holds immense potential to transform public service delivery, making it more efficient, accessible and citizen-centric. However, when assessing the state of the public sector ICT within the South African context, it is clear that the nation stands at a crucial crossroads, particularly as it confronts, and adapts to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The 4IR, with its opportunities for big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and automation presents both upside and downside risks for the government, which it must appropriately, simultaneously assimilate and regulate, to ensure that technological progress benefits society. The 4IR was already on the national agenda of South Africa and many countries across the globe before…

NIGERIA: Gunmen from criminal gangs have killed 13 Islamic seminary pupils during a ceremony celebrating the birth of Prophet Mohammed in north-west Nigeria’s Katsina state, a local official said yesterday. Katsina is one of several states in Nigeria terrorised by criminal gangs, known as bandits, who raid villages, kill and abduct residents as well as burn homes after looting them. The gangs, who have camps in huge forests straddling states, have been notorious for mass kidnappings of students from schools in recent years. Several gunmen on motorcycles stormed Kusa village around 9.30pm on Sunday, opening fire on schoolchildren celebrating Maulud.…

ROME: Italian police seized over €10 million (R196m) from 11 companies for alleged tax fraud in connection with a probe into mafia infiltration of contracting works awarded by the country’s railway operator (RFI), authorities said. The 11 companies provided maintenance, vehicles and staff to RFI stations across the country for years. Authorities believe they were all fictitious and connected to “people closely linked to the ‘Ndrangheta gang” based near Crotone. Finance police pieced together “the false invoices issued to RFI to circumvent anti-mafia legislation”. ‘Ndrangheta, is now seen as Italy’s richest and most dangerous criminal ring.…

Fighting raged in Gaza yesterday, one month on from Hamas’s shock October 7 attack, which has provoked a furious response from Israel aimed at destroying the Islamist group. More than 1 400 people, most of them civilians, were killed in Israel during the attack, in which Hamas took more than 240 people hostage, according to Israeli officials. In Gaza, over 10 300 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, have been killed in Israel’s retaliation, the Hamas-run health ministry has said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late on Monday that his country would take “overall responsibility” for Gaza’s security for an unspecified period after the war with Hamas ends. “Israel will, for an indefinite period ... have the overall security responsibility,” he said in a television interview with ABC News. “When we…

Now that Cape Town Spurs got the monkey off their back by recently notching their first win of the Premiership season, they are ready to make their morale-boosting win over Orlando Pirates count. Next up for Spurs will be Kaizer Chiefs this evening at the FNB Stadium, where the landscape will be a throwback to the days of the Covid-19 pandemic when fans were barred from stadiums as a health measure. Spurs interim coach Sean Connor has urged his Urban Warriors to up their game now that they have broken their league duck. He said: “I have just said to the players that it’s just one game and we’ve started a process. The most important thing going forward will be how we respond to this win.” Connor will need his…