Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-12-11 i Mercury

This is the first time Eskom gets a permanent head since the resignation of Andre de Ruyter exactly a year ago ESKOM has confirmed that Dan Marokane will be returning to the struggling power utility as its new group chief executive by no later than March 31 next year. This will be the first time that Eskom gets a permanent head since the resignation of Andre de Ruyter exactly a year ago. The Eskom board announced Morake’s appointment on Friday afternoon, saying he was returning to the power utility after he and three other senior executives were suspended following an ethical stand they took against State capture, fraud and corruption. Marokane, a qualified chemical engineer with an MBA, is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years senior leadership experience.…

AIRPORTS Company South Africa (Acsa) has assured the public that it was ready to welcome large volumes of travellers to its airports across the country this festive season, with contingency plans and strategies in place to deal with the busiest days of the year. Acsa is currently in its peak season, which started at the end of October and runs until the end of March next year, for which preparation started three to four months ago. The group is now ramping up to ensure smooth operations and a seamless travel experience during the busy December-January time frame. Acsa group executive for operations management Terence Delomoney on Friday said their peak season strategy will ensure that the airports were adequately resourced, positioned and capacitated to handle the huge volumes of passengers.…

ABSA GROUP’S second-half credit loss ratio was likely to improve noticeably from an elevated first half, but would remain above its through-the-cycle range targets, the bank group said in an update to its guidance on Friday. The announcement certainly attracted investor attention, as the share price fell 6.31% to R159.64 on Friday, which is a large percentage decline for a JSE-listed bank that counts among the four biggest lenders in the country. The JSE’s Banks Index closed only 0.92% lower. Also expected to impact earnings for the year by about 1% was the groups broad-based black economic empowerment transaction, which, given its effective date of September 1, 2023, was included in the 2023 financial results for four months. | Edward West…

A DUTCH-LED coalition of a dozen nations committed on Saturday to publish an inventory of their own fossil fuel subsidies within a year, with the aim of creating a clear strategy for eliminating them. Governments agreed at the 2021 UN climate summit in Glasgow to phase out “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies to help tamp down global warming. But individual countries were left to decide for themselves how to do this. Global subsidies for fossil fuels have since soared, rising by $2 trillion over the past two years to hit a record $7trln in 2022, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “We cannot phase out fossil fuels without tackling fossil fuel subsidies,” said Dutch climate minister, Rob Jetten, at the UN climate summit COP28 in Dubai. “We must ensure…

VARIOUS entities have called on Parliament to provide a better definition of property when it comes to the expropriation without compensation proposals – especially whether it covers intellectual property – when the Expropriation Bill returns to Parliament in February. As it stands, the bill includes intellectual property as part of a vague description of property, which could mean anything from patents, trademarks and copyright to art. The Expropriation Bill seeks, among other things, to provide for the expropriation of property for a public purpose or in the public interest. Also, to regulate the procedure for such expropriation of property, including payment of compensation, identifying certain instances where the provision of no compensation may be just and equitable for expropriation in the public interest, and to repeal the Expropriation Act of…

YOU’VE heard about an adrenalin rush. You know it, you’ve probably felt it. I’ve seen it in groups of all kinds. I detect its rumble in me more than I like to admit. You may have noticed it occurring within you under predictable circumstances and when you are in the company of very specific people. Symptoms of an ego rush: 1. Authentic conversation is replaced with verbal arm-wrestling. Perceived insults, rebuffs and refusals are saved for a return attack when the timing is right. It’s not a conversation, it’s war. Favourite topics for ego-storming are politics, religion, race and sport. 2. Superiority will be established and, until it is, provocations, subtle and gross, will occur. Things can get nasty quite quickly if the top dog feels threatened. Conversations are calculated…

Our very own present lovers of satanic, legendary apartheid – and there are thousands of them, as clearly indicated in the lack of genuine empathy for the Gaza situation, and as illustrated by the cry-babyish sobbing by some personalities regarding the ding-dong pending move to cast out Israeli diplomats – need to be microscopically and carefully monitored once more. South African democracy is once again in real and imminent danger, if the rest of us choose to ignore both the tears shed during the death throes of our past discriminatory regime, as well as the reawakening of that ugly monster of colour. If we should fall into that dense quagmire of baaskap again, I am afraid there will be no life-line, no rescue this time. No respite. No nothing. Even…

AS A nation, we have weathered significant crises, and among the most daunting has been the battle against HIV/Aids. While victory remains on the horizon, our collective efforts have ushered in substantial progress. The Sixth South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, and Behaviour survey (SABSSM VI) is a testament to our resilience, revealing marked decreases in HIV prevalence and notable strides in viral suppression. Yet, this is not a time for complacency. It’s a call to intensify campaigns, particularly among younger generations, and redouble our commitment to combat this enduring challenge. The strides made in combating HIV/Aids are not just statistical milestones – they represent lives saved, families preserved, and communities empowered. It is crucial to recognise this battle as a historic crisis that has shaped our healthcare landscape, tested…

Ten months after the murder of Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane in Durban, police have yet to produce a person of interest. In September, Minister of Police Bheki Cele said they were close to arresting those involved in AKA’s murder. Cele said police had identified a person of interest but asked the public to give the police more time to do their jobs. Cele said the cars and firearm used in the murder had been retrieved. Forbes and Motsoane were shot and killed while standing outside a Durban restaurant in Florida Road in February. A video of the murder went viral on social media and now forms part of police investigations. KwaZulu-Natal provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said they would not be commenting on the…

Deputy chief electoral officer of the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) Masego Sheburi has warned that the recent judgment of the Constitutional Court will lead to a long ballot paper that will lead to delays in announcing the election results. Sheburi said the fact that independent candidates would need to get just 1 000 signatures in order to participate in the eelections would lead to more people contesting the elections. He said that this would mean they will no longer have a ballot paper with one column, but a lengthy ballot paper and this would mean that people would take longer to cast their votes at the polling stations. From a logistics point of view, the IEC will need more staff to man the polling stations and manage the…

Former eThekwini ward 101 ANC councillor Mzimuni Ngiba and his co-accused have again failed in their bid to be released on bail. Ngiba, Nkosinathi Ngcobo, Sandile Mzizi and Sifiso Mlondo made a fresh bail application on new facts in the Durban Magistrate’s Court. They were previously refused bail. They are accused of the 2021 murders of ward 101 candidate Siyabonga Mkhize and ANC activist Mzukisi Nyanga. The fifth accused, Phathisakhe Ngiba, did not apply for bail. Magistrate Melanie de Jager said the court had to be satisfied that facts relied upon in the second bail bid were new and that evidence that was not brought up in court in the first application could not be treated as new. De Jager said Mlondo did not bring any new facts as he…

Israeli forces yesterday fought Palestinian militants around southern Gaza’s main city, as the UN chief decried divisions that had “paralysed” the Security Council’s response to the over two-months-old war. Hamas, whose deadly October 7 attacks triggered the conflict, said yesterday that Israel had launched “very violent raids” targeting the biggest southern city of Khan Yunis and the road from there to Rafah, near the border with Egypt. Amid dire warnings of food shortages and mass displacement in Gaza as a winter chill sets in, Bushra Khalidi of aid group Oxfam warned that the plight of trapped Palestinians “is not just a catastrophe, it’s apocalyptic”. A source close to Hamas and Islamic Jihad said both militant groups were engaged in “fierce clashes” with Israeli forces near Khan Yunis. Palestinian militants reported…

The Philippines and China traded accusations yesterday over a collision of their vessels near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea as tensions over claims in the vital waterway escalate. The Philippine coast guard accused China of firing water cannons and ramming resupply vessels and a coast guard ship, causing “serious engine damage” to one, while China’s coast guard said the Philippine vessel intentionally rammed its ship. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for over $3 trillion (R57 trillion) of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China’s claims had no legal basis. Beijing and Manila have been playing cat-and-mouse around the uninhabited Second Thomas Shoal in the Philippines’ exclusive…

New York: Donald Trump has nudged ahead of Joe Biden in national polling for the 2024 presidential election, a survey revealed, a day after the US president branded his predecessor as “despicable”. The Wall Street Journal poll shows Biden with the lowest approval rating of his presidency, a finding broadly in line with other recent studies that have sparked concern in Democratic circles less than a year before voters go to the polls. It shows Trump leading Biden by four points, 47% to 43%, the first time this survey has shown the former president is favoured in a head-to-head test of the likely 2024 White House match-up, the WSJ said. When five third-party and independent candidates are included, Trump’s lead hits six points. | IANS…

Tehran: Iran has reinforced its air defence capabilities by adding combat drones equipped with air-to-air missiles to its arsenal, state media reported yesterday. “Dozens of Karrar drones armed with air-to-air missiles have been added for air defence in all border areas of the country,” the official IRNA news agency said. The drones, with an operational range of up to 1 000km were exhibited yesterday during a televised ceremony organised at a military academy in Tehran. The Karrar interceptor drone, the first version of which was unveiled in 2010, has been equipped with a “Majid” thermal missile with a range of 8km “made entirely in Iran”. | AFP…

Sharks coach John Plumtree says that a period of “feeling each other out” between himself and his returning Springboks is starting to yield a healthy harvest such as the outstanding performances by Lukhanyo Am and Eben Etzebeth in the 45-5 defeat of Pau on Saturday. Am and Player of the Match Eben Etzebeth both scored two tries as the Sharks emphatically put behind them the big URC loss to the Bulls. “As a leader, Lukhanyo is getting used to me and I am getting used to him. We are starting to have a good understanding of how we both operate. I was pleased to see him doing well,” the coach said. Am has been growing in form over the past few weeks and his exciting partnership with Francois Venter at…

Perpignan(12) 12 Penalties: Perez (4) Emirates Lions(16) 28 Try: Maxwane; Conversion: Hendrikse; Penalties: Hendrikse (7) A motley crew of Lions went to the Pyrenees-saddled city of Perpignan in southern France unheralded but will return to South Africa tomorrow as unlikely heroes, after they ensured the team started their EPCR Challenge Cup campaign with a workman-like victory over the embattled Top 14 club. An untested Perpignan, also full of fringe players, suffered from an unshakable malaise yesterday afternoon and were unable to construct any pressure despite enjoying home-ground advantage. Try as they might while attempting to move the Lions around with sweeping backline moves, particularly in the first half, they suffered from an infuriating inability to make anything stick. Their inaccuracy kept the visitors in the game,…

FRIDAY’S scheduled meeting of Tongaat Hulett’s lenders to decide the future of South Africa’s biggest, but indebted sugar group was put on ice due to court applications against the company brought by the Sugar Association of South Africa (Sasa) and rival foods group RCL. RCL subsidiary RCL Food Sugar & Milling, and Sasa launched the applications to prevent the meeting of Tongaat’s creditors to vote on two bids for Tongaat, one from RGS Group Holdings (which comprises mainly a family sugar and foods business from Mozambique) and Vision Investments (which is linked to businessperson and ANC funder Robert Gumede) who wish to bring Tongaat out of business rescue. This followed the rejection by the High Court last week of an application earlier this year by Tongaat’s business rescue practitioners (BRPs)…

SOUTH Africa needed to encourage the manufacturing of local goods rather than export raw material and then buy back the finished products, says South African Association of Ship Operators and Agents (Saasoa) chief executive Peter Besnard. It was imperative the country encourage investment, reopen factories, create employment and cast aside or amend the rigid labour-related regulations in place, he said in an interview with Business Report. The mindset of all South Africans needed to change, Besnard said. “As you are aware, the Covid-19 pandemic plunged the country into utter despair, completely derailing many industries. “To the extent that some have been unable to recover and were forced to wind down their plants, and with it (brought) further unemployment woes to a population that has increased to 60 million.” The…

Without even knowing it, you can cause significant damage to the skin on your face, which can have long-lasting effects. This could be due to you going out into the sun without wearing SPF (sun protection factor), popping your pimples, sleeping with make-up on, or even not washing your bedding regularly. You can also just be born with bad skin genes or bad eating habits can start to show up on your face. Whatever the cause, there are a variety of reasons for acne-prone, pigmented or dry skin. In some cases, the condition of the skin can be so bad that topical skincare is not enough to help with the deep-seated damage. But new technologies and skincare innovations have made it possible to penetrate deeper into the skin’s layers, in…

THE Business Rescue Plan to restructure the SA Post Office has been approved and will see the reduction of the branch network to about 600 branches that will be staffed by about 5 000 employees in the country. According to unions, this could see 6 000 employees being retrenched. This is according to a statement released on Thursday by Joint Business Rescue Practitioners of the Post Office, Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons. The practitioners said they were pleased that their plan was voted for by the majority of creditors during a meeting last week. Rooplal said they believed that their strategy could restructure the Post Office into a future-proofed business that could provide inclusive communications for all. He said the entity fulfilled an important social mandate intended to provide…

THE wrangling continues in Old Blighty. Former prime minister Boris Johnson has been appearing at the Covid inquiry wearing a woolly grey hat with the letters “GTFC” on it. They turn out to stand for Grimsby Town Football Club. Now more than 700 people have signed a petition saying Bojo is “bringing Grimsby into serious disrepute”. It adds: “Johnson has no formal connection to the club. He has never lived in Grimsby. He is using the town to add lustre and glamour to his own shattered life.” The petition ends with a quip that Bojo should stop wearing the hat and adopt one “more suited to his lowly status”, recommending Manchester United. Eina! When you’re down, you’re down. They keep on kicking. Bright kid STILL with Sky, a California teenager…

We WELCOME the Constitutional Court’s decision to declare the Electoral Amendment Act constitutional and valid. The ball is now firmly in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s court to announce the date for the general elections. South Africans are waiting with bated breath to hear the date for the elections. Next year’s elections are the most crucial elections since this country held its first democratic elections in 1994. Firstly, for the first time, independent candidates will be allowed to contest general elections. This is a milestone in our democracy. Allowing independent candidates to contest elections is a positive step in terms of accountability. Communities will now be able to hold to account the errant MPs. In the current system it is not easy to hold the MPs to account since they account to…

State arms manufacturer Denel has a new boss after Tsepo Monaheng’s appointment as the new CEO of the company. Monaheng is currently the CEO of state-owned forestry company Safcol, and Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan said that Monaheng will take over at Denel after he has completed his commitments there. Denel has over the past few years been struggling to stay afloat and is one of the state-owned entities (SOEs) that has received billions in bailouts. Denel acting CEO Mike Kgope told the parliamentary committee on public enterprises recently that the company had an order book of R23 billion in 2016, but were sitting with an order book of R8.7bn this year. He also said they had about 5 000 employees in 2016, but the figure was…

Imanuwela David, the man accused of being the mastermind behind the February 2020 theft at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo has been denied bail. David, 39, is charged alongside siblings Froliana Joseph, who was a domestic worker at the Phala Phala farm and her brother, Ndilinasho Joseph. The Joseph siblings were released on bail last month. The State did not oppose bail, and it was set at R5 000 for Froliana and R10 000 for Ndilinasho. As part of their bail conditions they were ordered to hand in their passports, and they may not leave the Bela-Bela area without informing police. On Friday, Bela Bela Magistrate Predeshni Ponnan ruled David had not shown it was in the interests of justice for him to be released on…

A luxury 60-seater bus careened off the R37 Long Tom Pass in Mpumalanga on Friday, resulting in seven deaths and leaving 52 people injured. Emergency services, including Emer-G-Med paramedics, rushed to the scene and, upon arrival, found the wreckage of the bus on the cliff side of the mountain pass, prompting the establishment of an on-scene triage area. “Specialist rescue personnel descended to the wreckage and the injured were brought back up to the roadside,” Emer-G-Med said in a statement released on Friday. Three people were in a critical condition and were airlifted by the Netcare 911 aeromedical helicopter to specialised facilities for urgent care. The other commuters suffered injuries ranging from minor to critical severity. Seven people succumbed to fatal injuries and were declared dead on the scene. The…

RECENTLY, I penned an article reflecting on the “political legacy” of the late Prince, Chief, Traditional Prime Minister of KwaZulu, President Emeritus of the IFP, and Member of Parliament, Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi: decide which title you want to use. The man loved titles and thus clung to power until he drew his last breath. Nonetheless, IFP MP and spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa, who I regard as a pontificator out of foolish bravery and inability to read for comprehension, took it upon himself and wrote a propagandist response to the article, distorting my views. Nonetheless, history is my best teacher to never waste my precious time engaging indoctrinated persons who have never demonstrated an iota of thinking power; however, pontificators don’t know the Italian renowned white supremacist who assisted the IFP in…

Egyptians began voting yesterday in a presidential election set to hand Abdel Fattah al-Sisi a third term in power, as the country grapples with an economic crisis and a war on its border with Gaza. If Sisi wins a new six-year term, his immediate priorities would be taming near-record inflation, managing a chronic foreign currency shortage and preventing spillover from the conflict between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers. Voting is spread over three days, with results expected on December 18. Patriotic songs played as polling stations opened yesterday in Cairo, where pictures of Sisi proliferated in the weeks leading to the election. Riot police were deployed at entrances to Tahrir Square in the capital’s centre. Critics see the election as a sham after a decade-long crackdown on dissent. The government’s…

The president of the UN’s COP28 climate talks urged negotiators to compromise yesterday, as efforts to reach a deal on phasing out fossil fuels met resistance from top oil exporter Saudi Arabia. Less than 48 hours before today’s scheduled deadline, UAE COP28 chief Sultan Al-Jaber said: “I want everyone to show flexibility to act with urgency and to find the common ground. The time has come for us to shift gears. The time has come for us to deliver.” Jaber organised a majlis, a traditional Gulf Arab meeting held in a circle, with ministers in a bid to reach a compromise. “Failure is not an option. What we are after is the common good. What we’re after is what in the best interest of everyone, everywhere,” he said. “We…

ABUJA: Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said yesterday that the West African bloc Ecowas should try to re-engage regional countries under military rule and support them to achieve “realistic and short” transitions to democracy. Niger in July became the latest Ecowas member to undergo a coup when soldiers from the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum and set up a transitional government. Speaking at an annual summit in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, Ecowas chairperson Tinubu said that the bloc should re-engage “with countries under military rule on the basis of realistic and short transition plans that can deliver democracy and good governance”. | Reuters…

Washington: At least six people have been killed and 23 others injured after severe storms tore through the US state of Tennessee. Three people, including a child, died after a tornado struck Montgomery County on Saturday afternoon, while three more deaths were reported in the suburbs of Nashville, the capital of Tennessee. The weather was part of a cross-country system expected to bring severe thunderstorms, high wind and tornadoes. The storms came nearly two years to the day after the National Weather Service recorded 41 tornadoes through a handful of states, including 16 in Tennessee and eight in Kentucky. | IANS…

Consumers in South Africa should brace for exorbitant electricity prices by the end of 2025 after the high court paved the way for Eskom to increase tariffs by a cumulative 33.8% in the next two financial years. The National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) on Friday welcomed the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, judgment dismissing the challenge against the revenue determination and tariff approval of Eskom’s fifth Multi-Year Price Determination (MYPD5). The high court dismissed the judicial review applications on Nersa’s revenue determination and tariff approval of Eskom’s MYPD5 application for the 2023/24 and 2024/5 financial years. The first tariff increase in the MYPD5 of 18.65% came into effect on April 1 for direct Eskom customers and July 1 for municipal users, and a second tariff hike of 12.74% is earmarked…

POLICE Minister Bheki Cele has expressed confidence that the additional 10 000 police officers who will be on the ground this week will deal a “heavy blow” to crime this festive season. This, as police strategic interventions such as Operation Shanela saw police go head-to-head with alleged hard-core criminals with more than 62 criminals killed during shoot-outs with police. Thousands of suspects have also been arrested for various serious crimes with the latest incident being yesterday morning when a high-profile taxi boss allegedly linked to various crimes in and around Cape Town was arrested at a hiding place in Pretoria. He will appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court today facing charges of possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition. Speaking at a police ministry festive season media briefing yesterday about continuing…

It is disappointing to note the posturing of what are called the key industry role-players on the subject of taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages (The Mercury, December 7). By claiming they understand the government’s rationale in combating obesity they fail to distinguish between the ostensible reason for the tax and the real reason for it. The insatiable demand of bloated, socialist governments for revenue is the reason they increasingly apply taxes more and more comprehensively. Sugar tax is just revenue greed. By their own admission, nutritionists, dieticians and those in the health industry acknowledge that the general public is largely unaware and indifferent in attitude towards sugar taxation legislation. Sales of sugar-saturated soft drinks are as popular as ever, proving that sugar tax is not deterring consumption. If the government was…

A written parliamentary reply to questions by the DA has revealed that KwaZulu-Natal schools have a staggering total of 3 198 critical vacancies. The reply – from provincial Education MEC, Mbali Frazer, further confirms that: 685 of the posts are for principals 389 are for deputy principals 1215 are for departmental heads and; 909 are for teachers. These are government-funded vacancies, which have not been filled, to the detriment of KZN’s learners. Not filling these vacancies does not bode well in ensuring quality education. Larger class sizes and a lack of school leadership such as permanent principals and senior management teams results in instability and infighting. It also leads to unhealthy and possibly corrupt filling of vacancies. In instances where posts are unfilled for prolonged periods, some individuals remain in…

Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs Minister Barbara Creecy has revealed that 1 383 animals were donated by conservation management authorities to communities over the past two financial years. Creecy said that 837 game animals were donated in 2021-22, with 742 being from SANParks and 95 from the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA). She also said that 546 game animals were donated in 2022-23, with SANParks donating 354, ECPTA donating 122, Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife 60 and the Department of Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs 10. The minister was responding to parliamentary questions from Freedom Front MP Tamarin Breedt, who enquired about game donated to communities, emerging farmers and other persons, among other things. Breedt also wanted to know the details of follow-up evaluations of the success…

As the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children campaign ended, non-profit organisation Sonke Gender Justice announced that it has suspended a staff member over allegations of sexual offences. In a statement, Sonke Gender Justice said: “Sonke has noted allegations against one of its staff members who is alleged to have committed a sexual offence against a young woman in the Western Cape. “Sonke Gender Justice views this matter in a serious light and has suspended the staff member with immediate effect while it investigates and will ensure that the individual is held accountable for the (alleged) crime.” According to the organisation, the allegations were in violation of its policies and undermined its commitment to end the scourge of violence against women. “We trust that the…

A Gauteng woman who stole more than R500 million from her employer and lived the high life has been sentenced to an effective 50 years behind bars. Hildegard Antoinette Steenkamp, 50, was sentenced in the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday. According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks), Steenkamp was convicted on 336 charges of fraud. Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said Steenkamp worked as an accountant for a multinational medical equipment supplier that is based in Midrand. “She allegedly duplicated payments by transferring money directly into her late husband’s bank account.” Steenkamp was found to have siphoned over R500m from the company’s account since 2017. It was earlier reported that the court heard how Steenkamp spent R65m over a five-year period at a…

The Association of Private Security Owners of South Africa (Tapsosa) says a risk-based approach should be undertaken regarding women in the security industry being assigned night shifts. This comes after three women security officers were attacked and raped at the Department of Transport offices in Merebank in Durban a fortnight ago. Police said eight suspects had been arrested for the attack. After a two-day private security industry pricing and compliance summit last week, Tapsosa treasurer-general Thulani Skhosana said security companies should conduct comprehensive risk assessments for each site before assigning women to work night shifts. “One of the resolutions was that in terms of where we get contracts, we need to conduct a risk assessment,” said Skhosana. Tapsosa president Jones Maphalaphathwa condemned the brutal attack. Maphalaphathwa urged law-enforcement authorities to…

Three suspects have been arrested after the recovery of eThekwini Municipality copper cables. Hawks members from Durban Serious Organised Crime Investigation working together with police units and eThekwini Municipality officials arrested three suspects aged between 23 and 51 for possession of property suspected to be stolen on Saturday. KwaZulu-Natal Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo said police were alerted to stolen copper cables that were kept in Montclair. “Upon arrival, four sealed wooden drums of eThekwini Municipality copper cables and 11 carrying cables to the street value of approximately R250 000 were found,” Mhlongo said. “The owner of the house and two foreign nationals were placed under arrest. They are expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court tomorrow (Monday).” | Thobeka Ngema…

THE meaning and purpose of yesterday’s International Human Rights Day commemoration was nothing short of rhetoric, especially when millions of innocent Palestinians are victims of Israeli human rights violations that the world powers, including the US and Britain, are seemingly endorsing. The commemoration came just 24 hours after Britain abstained while the US vetoed a UN resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and a halt to the war that has killed more than 17 400 Palestinians and about 1 100 people in Israel since October 7. The same nations do not hesitate in punishing any country they deem to be in violation of human rights. To them, the meaning of human rights differs depending on who you are and where you are from. Ask our neighbours Zimbabwe…

With his hands on all the levers of power in Russia, Vladimir Putin appears unbeatable in a presidential election but opposition activists scent a chance to show he is vulnerable. Putin declared his candidacy for another six-year term on Friday and there is no serious rival to challenge him, with opposition leader Alexei Navalny serving more than 30 years in prison and other critics also jailed or in exile. With the Kremlin in full control of state media and able to decide who can and cannot run, the Navalny camp says this is not a real election. But it sees the 100-day campaign window as a rare opportunity to draw Russians into a political conversation and convince them that the Ukraine war and the economic strains it has brought are…

Los Angeles: Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters spent his day off from his band’s Australian tour to give back to those in need amid a local heatwave. A charity foundation that helps feed the hungry, said that Grohl was among the volunteers who prepared and served an array of BBQ staples at Melbourne’s Federation Square. Grohl spent 18 hours preparing meat, served guests for more than two hours and handed out 430 meals. Earlier this year, he provided 450 meals to shelters in Los Angeles during a storm. | IANS…

HONG KONG: Three Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were arrested yesterday, just before voting began in a “patriots only” district election that has marginalised formerly popular opposition figures in the city amid a national security clampdown. The pro-China government has been seeking to boost turnout, as some observers see large numbers spurning the polls, in contrast to the last council elections in 2019, during Hong Kong’s mass pro-democracy protests, which drew a record 71% turnout and a landslide victory for the democratic camp. Police said they had arrested the three for “attempting to incite others to carry out acts that disrupt district council election”. | AFP…

SAN FRANCISCO: Social media platform X yesterday showed the account of US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to have been reinstated after a poll organised by owner Elon Musk backed his return after a ban of nearly five years. “The people have spoken and so it shall be,” Musk posted in reply to a poll on Saturday on whether to reinstate the Jones account. Close to 2 million votes were cast, with 70% voting in favour of Jones’ return. Jones’s account with username “@RealAlexJones” now shows his last post from September 6, 2018, the day the former Twitter, permanently banned his account and website Infowars, saying the accounts had violated its conduct policies. | Reuters…