Indholdsfortegnelse for 2023-12-22 i Mercury

Opposition parties in KwaZulu-Natal said they disagreed with the view of former statistician-general Pali Lehohla who said that the country should consider postponing next year’s elections as it is overwhelmed by social and political problems. Opposition leaders say the dire social problems warrant the need for elections to change the circumstances of those worst affected by these challenges. General elections will be held next year to elect a new National Assembly, as well as the provincial legislature in each province, with the election date expected to be promulgated by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Lehohla on Wednesday said there could be chaos in government if the elections were not postponed. “The idea of a national agenda of South Africa, is completely diluted. We cannot say which direction we are going, be it…

Durban ratepayers are gearing up for another legal battle against the eThekwini Municipality after the City demanded that residents cough up thousands of rand accrued as a result of a suspected water billing error. At the heart of the suspected error is that houses valued at more than R250 000 had received free basic water when they were not supposed to. This has apparently been going on since 2020 and the municipality has now demanded they pay back the money. The Mercury has seen at least one municipal bill outlining the issue. One homeowner with a house valued at R1.9 million had been told he owed the municipality R4 856 as a result and must pay R482 towards the debt. The eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement (ERPM) said in a statement…

I WONDER how many of your readers are aware of the fact that Home Affairs is in meltdown? Probably not many, unless, like me, they have had regular dealings with them. I have been coming to this country as a tourist for more than 20 years. I normally apply for a renewal of my Retired Person Visa 60 days before expiry, and on November 16, 2022, I did so again. Since that time, despite repeated attempts to establish the state of my application, I have heard nothing. It seems that Home Affairs can’t cope! I left the country at the end of April 2023 – as I usually do, being a mere “swallow” – and avoided the usual penalties for allowing one’s visa to expire, as I could prove that…

“My brother’s family (wife and four children) spend a fortune on Christmas and gifts. My husband and I (and two children) cannot compete. “While they say (100 times) it is the thought that matters, it is hard to believe. Prices are openly discussed. Last year’s gifts, given by other relatives, are occasionally objects of jokes. It is all done with much laughter. “What can we do? We are expected at the home early on Christmas morning to bring and to open gifts. We have done this for years.” You don’t need me to tell you that you can make alternative plans for you and your family. Since you have a long-standing tradition with your brother, I’d suggest you take your brother’s family at their word (“it’s the thought that matters”).…

MORE than 25 600 cases of domestic violence were recorded at police stations visited by the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service over a six-month period ending in March 2023. This according to a report by the secretariat, which is mandated to monitor and evaluate SAPS compliance with the Domestic Violence Act, tabled in Parliament. In the report, covering the period between October 2022 and March 2023, the Civilian Secretariat for Police Service detailed compliance with and implementation of the Domestic Violence Act at a station level, with a focus on the top 30 police stations for gender-based violence related crimes. The visits covered a greater number of stations in Gauteng while Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and Northern Cape covered fewer. The report notes that Gauteng and the Western Cape consistently…

A MAN, 51, has been arrested for the brutal murder of his elderly mother and sister. It is alleged that the women were shot and then decapitated in Sigodini in mid-Illovo on Wednesday afternoon. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said police responded to reports of a shooting. “Upon arrival at the crime scene, the bodies of an 87-year-old woman and her 39-year-old daughter were found lying in a pool of blood with their heads removed.” He said a subsequent search inside the yard led to the recovery of the deceased women’s heads which were stashed inside a pit latrine. “The knife which was used was also recovered. The shooting was witnessed by a 12-year-old girl who escaped and alerted the neighbours.” Netshiunda said the suspect was later arrested and…

A Ladysmith man found guilty of fraud has been sentenced to an effective seven years behind bars. Mohamed Saleen, 55, was convicted and sentenced in the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court this week. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks) said the fraud took place between 2005 and 2009. Hawks spokesperson Simphiwe Mhlongo said Saleen, together with his co-accused, misrepresented quotations for the supply of goods or services to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education. “They also misrepresented to the department that their quotations were reflecting a fair market value for the goods or services they supplied,” Mhlongo said. Explaining the fraud further, Mhlongo said Saleen owned seven companies and misrepresented quotations in a number of tenders, resulting in one of his companies getting the job. “Due to their conduct, the department was…

TENS of thousands of foreign executives, engineers and other key workers have endured a year-long wait for South African visas that business groups say is costing investment and threatening the country’s position as a continental hub. Long visa waits are common in much of the world but South Africa has some of the biggest jams, business groups say. “We have various cases of people who have been waiting for more than a year,” said Pamina Bohrer, the secretary general of the Italian-South African Chamber of Trade and Industries. Besides the “psychological stress” caused to families whose lives are put on hold, firms are suspending or scrapping expansion plans in the country, she said. “The backlog is staggering,” Busisiwe Mavuso, the head of Business Leadership South Africa, which groups dozens of…

The festive season is here, but one man who is not celebrating at the moment is Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos. The 71-year-old Belgian would have been hoping that most of his players will be able to take a quick break over the Christmas period before joining the national team camp to prepare for next month’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament in Ivory Coast. Instead, the local Premier Soccer League, in their infinite wisdom, has decided to schedule a number of Premiership matches right up to December 30. Even if there wasn’t an Afcon event coming up, that is asking a lot from the players to keep grinding up until the New Year. But the situation is particularly galling as it means that players from a club like Mamelodi…

Argentina’s new leader Javier Milei has unveiled a series of measures to deregulate the country’s struggling economy, eliminating or changing more than 300 rules via presidential decree, including on rent and labour practices. “The goal is to start rebuilding the country ... and to undo the huge number of regulations that have held back and prevented economic growth,” he said. Latin America’s third-biggest economy is on its knees after decades of debt and financial mismanagement, with inflation surpassing 160% year-on-year and 40% of Argentines living in poverty. Milei, who was elected last month and took office 10 days ago, has pledged to curb inflation, but warned that economic “shock” treatment is the only solution and that the situation will get worse before it improves. Among the changes announced this week…

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday faced accusations of siding with sexual aggressors after saying film icon Gerard Depardieu, charged with rape and facing a litany of sexual assault claims, was the target of “a manhunt”. Asked whether Depardieu should be stripped of France’s highest state award, which he received nearly three decades ago, Macron said: “You will never see me take part in a manhunt. I hate that kind of thing. “The presumption of innocence is part of our values.” Macron said he had “huge admiration” for Depardieu, whom he called “an immense actor”. But Generation.s Feministe, a feminist collective, said Macron’s comments were “an insult” to all women who had suffered sexual violence. | AFP…

Kyiv: Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said yesterday that he had met with his newly-appointed counterpart in Poland to discuss a cargo blockage on their shared border. Polish truckers have been blocking the border for over a month to demand the reintroduction of restrictions to enter the EU for their Ukrainian competitors. Kubrakov said the meeting had allowed for both parties to explain their positions and that the Ukrainian side had presented data that undermined Polish arguments. Ukraine relies heavily on road transport with EU member Poland for its exports and imports. | AFP…

Whatever it is that the Proteas have in mind to become a crack one-day unit is lacking a certain something. Indeed, on the basis of what happened at Boland Park in Paarl last night, there is still some way to go. India claimed the one-day series 2-1 on a picturesque evening in the Cape Winelands, gaining a crushing 78-run win with superior batting, bowling and fielding. At the moment, it is difficult to offer up any reason why the Proteas’ fortunes swing so wildly from game to game, having bounced back so magnificently in Gqeberha after their Wanderers ‘Pink Day’ capitulation, and now crashing back down the earth again. Everything went wrong from the moment Aiden Markram opted to bowl in 40-degree midday heat. Sanju Samson scored his first century…

Going into tomorrow’s series decider at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, the series is level at 1-1 as the Proteas Women followed up their loss in the first One-Day International in East London with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in Potchefstroom. The batting improved significantly at the JB Marks Oval on Wednesday night as the top four, Tazmin Brits, Laura Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch and Suné Luus, took responsibility and carried South Africa over the line. Bosch (65 not out) and Luus (47 not out) finished unbeaten in the successful 224-run chase, with Bosch earning the Player-of-the-Match award. However, it was the 106-run stand between openers Wolvaardt (54) and Brits (50) that set the game up for the hosts. “(Having a solid foundation from the openers) helps a lot. “You feel…

THE SACP in KwaZulu-Natal has called on alliance partners to exercise patience with one another after a spat between the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) and the ANC, over former president Jacob Zuma’s endorsement of a newly formed party for next year’s elections. Zuma, who has been an ANC member for 62 years and served time as a political prisoner on Robben Island, has announced that he would not campaign for the governing party, nor vote for it. Instead he would campaign and vote for the new political formation, the uMkhonto weSizwe party, in next year’s polls. He said it would be a betrayal to campaign for the ANC of Cyril Ramaphosa. In response, ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo said there had never been a former president and senior…

CHRISTMAS Eve approaches … the holly and the ivy, the running of the deer … It’s a time when one looks again at the classic short story, The Gift of the Magi, by American writer O Henry, set in the days of the Great Depression. The Magi, of course, were the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. It’s Christmas Eve. James and Della are a young couple in hired rooms. They’re flat broke. “One dollar and eighty-seven cents. She had put it aside, one cent and then another and then another … One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas. There was nothing to do but fall on the bed and cry … “Furnished rooms at a cost of $8 a week.…

THE article in The Mercury, December 19 “Funeral parlours want to buy crematorium” needs a response. The eThekwini Municipality has a deadline to be the most caring and liveable city in Africa by the year 2030. Sadly, deadlines don’t seem to matter in our city. First, the ongoing problem with the Mobeni Crematorium has been going on for over 20 years and nothing has been done to correct their mistakes. The problem has been persistent and despite numerous complaints by undertakers, sadly nothing has changed. Here, again the municipality offers nothing more than promises. Whatever our beliefs, there’s a common thread that binds all people of this world; that is the inevitability of death. What has become a matter of great concern within the funeral industry has been the…

Congratulations to the Class of 2023 for finishing their 12-year journey of schooling. Twelve years is a long time. However, schooling is not just about reading and writing tests and exams. It also teaches life skills, which prepare learners for life after school. According to research, many learners, especially black learners, don’t reach matric or Grade 12. They fall away along the journey of their schooling. And this tends to condemn them to a life of poverty and misery. I wish the government could find a retention strategy for learners to complete their Grade 12s. The Class of 2023 is patiently waiting for their results, which will be released in January. Some of those who have passed are likely to go to higher learning institutions and further their studies. Unfortunately,…

CLIMATE change and food systems experts have called on South Africans to indulge wisely this festive season to limit the wastage of food that might end up in landfills. South Africa produces 25% more food and organic waste during the festive season, compared to other months. Professor Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi, a Professor of Climate Change, Food Systems and Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and an honorary professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said food waste generally referred to food (from farm to fork) that people eventually do not eat. He said according to the UN, on average, about a third of the world’s food is thrown away. This undermined efforts to achieving sustainable and resilient food systems and increases food inequality and food insecurity.…

The SANDF has expressed its concerns about recurring recruitment scams which are aimed at fleecing unsuspecting citizens. In the latest incident, the SANDF said it had been alerted to another purported SANDF Reserve Force recruitment scam which is circulating on various social media platforms. “The form in circulation is a legitimate military recruitment form, but it was not issued by the relevant SANDF recruitment office. There is currently no official recruitment drive under way within the SANDF,” it said. “Scam artists have now resorted to luring desperate youths and their unsuspecting parents into disclosing or furnishing their personal details on this form. Personal information is then gained with the intention of defrauding unsuspecting citizens.” The SANDF said criminals had deviated from their normal modus operandi where they ask for an…

Standard Chartered bank’s settlement deal has been confirmed. What next? Cartel conduct in South Africa is pervasive and has significant implications for the economy. It is against this backdrop that competition authorities and legislators have paid significant attention to combating and tackling cartel behaviour in South Africa. Most recently, the widely publicised case of the rand-fixing saga has broken the internet in South Africa. It was alleged that between 2007 and 2013, Standard Chartered bank and 26 other banks violated S 4(1)(b)(i) and (ii) of the Competition Act by fixing prices and allocating the market of the USD-ZAR currency pair. Consequently, the bank reached a settlement agreement with the Competition Commission. This settlement agreement has now been confirmed by the Competition Tribunal. In terms of this order, Standard Chartered bank…

The Israeli army said yesterday it bombed scores of targets in the Gaza Strip as diplomats pressed on with efforts to halt the fighting that Hamas says has killed 20 000 people in the Palestinian territory. UN relief chief Martin Griffiths called the surging death toll a “tragic and shameful milestone” as the UN Security Council was to again discuss a draft resolution calling for a pause in the bloodiest ever Gaza war. The army said its aircraft had struck another 230 targets in besieged Gaza over the past day, including a rocket launch site, while ground forces had found weapons inside a school in Jabalia, near Gaza City. Incoming rocket fire set off air raid sirens in southern Israel and Tel Aviv, where police reported falling shrapnel but no…

Chinese authorities were facing a “race against time” to ensure victims of the deadliest earthquake in years were sheltered from freezing winter temperatures, a local official said yesterday. The quake, which struck just before midnight on Monday on the border between Gansu and Qinghai provinces, killed at least 135 people. The December weather has made the aid operation even more challenging. Swathes of China are experiencing record-breaking cold temperatures, with authorities putting much of the country on alert. The government has issued thousands of blue tents to replace improvised shelters built by residents immediately after the quake. A huge logistics operation has unfolded over the past three days, AFP saw, with thousands of relief workers setting up shelter, food and other facilities for the displaced. Almost 1 000 were injured…

San Francisco: Tens of thousands of global users of X yesterday reported problems using the Elon Musk-owned social network. Reports of the platform’s troubles began spiking just before 0600 GMT on monitoring site Downdetector. Timelines on the platform were emptied and no new posts visible, although the twitter.com site was available. With no way to post on X, social media users published updates about the outage on rivals including Facebook, Threads, and Reddit. The platform resumed service for users in multiple countries shortly after 0640 GMT. At the outage’s peak, Downdetector indicated that about 67 000 US users reported problems. The outage also affected X Pro, formerly known as TweetDeck. | AFP…

Seoul: South Korea’s highest court yesterday upheld rulings ordering Japanese companies to compensate Korean victims of wartime forced labour, although Seoul had already agreed to foot the bill. Relations between the two US allies have long been testy due to bitter memories of Japan’s brutal occupation of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945. However, ties have been improving as the conservative government of President Yoon Suk Yeol has sought to bury the historical hatchet and confront growing military threats from North Korea jointly with Japan. Around 780 000 Koreans were conscripted into forced wartime labour by Japan. | AFP…

THE weather has not been playing fair, but the fishing has been in top form. From heavy rain to big seas and rain on the coast, the weather might not be great but the fish are biting! Top tip: Sinker snoods. Getting your sinker stuck is part of fishing on the rocks. The last thing you want is to lose your entire trace (and possibly your catch) if your sinker gets stuck. There are a few things you can do to combat this. The two main ways to prevent total loss is to either use a lighter sinker line and/or to shorten your sinker snood. Shortening your sinker snood (shorter than your hook snood) will prevent your sinker getting stuck while fighting the fish. Making your sinker snood out…

ELECTRICITY Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says he is confident that there will be no load shedding in the next two weeks as South Africans enjoy the festive season. Ramokgopa was speaking during a briefing on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan (EAP) yesterday. He said the outlook over the next two weeks was upbeat. “I’m confident that we’ll have a festive season with the lights on, not the candle … we will have the proper lights to make sure we usher in 2024.” However, he conceded that the true test would come when the big industries, which have closed for the year-end break, come back online in January. “It’s about sustaining the South African economy so you can’t celebrate the fact that you don’t have load shedding when the South…

The ANC Titanic has struck the Zuma iceberg, and is treading water rapidly; Captain Cyril Ramaphosa is unable to steer his ship to safety. We are now entering uncharted waters, one party dominance is over, a coalition will be forced to govern the country under the unfolding disturbing scenario. We cannot afford political instability in a perilous atmosphere. Instability is regarded as a serious malaise harmful to economic performance. It is the combined will of all political parties that must prevail if sanity and political order are to be maintained. Provocative and obscene profanities must not be allowed in urgent negotiations, as our nation lurches from crisis to crisis. Who on earth could govern in such precarious political circumstances? It must also be stated that the country as a whole…

ANC struggle veteran Mavuso Msimang sent tremors across the ANC when he handed in his resignation at the beginning of the month. He did not mince his words when he gave his reasons for his shock move. He said he was disillusioned with his party as it had failed miserably to deal with widespread corruption and maladministration. Shocked by this act of treachery, the ANC scrambled to get him back into its fold. Leading the pack was Fikile Mbalula, who lashed out at Msimang, claiming that he had accepted a bribe to join another party. Under pressure, Msimang rescinded his resignation. The ANC heaved a mighty sigh of relief but not without more damage to its tattered image. Then came the big one – the Zuma quake. South Africa’s most…

KwaZulu-Natal police arrested a man during a road block at the Mariannhill toll plaza yesterday. According to police, the man was arrested at a stop-and-search operation on the N3. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the motorist was driving a vehicle without registration plates and with an expired permit. “He was found in possession of approximately R90 000 in cash, which he claims he kept to buy Christmas clothes. “He was also in possession of a licensed firearm.” Netshiunda said the man had been detained to investigate if the vehicle was used in the commission of a crime and to investigate the source of the money. “If there is nothing malicious as to how the money was obtained, the suspect will be released. “However, the vehicle will only…

MERCURY CORRESPONDENT CAPE Town police have confirmed an internal disciplinary investigation is under way into the conduct of two police officials who allegedly allowed a taxi boss to drive a police vehicle assigned to them. The officers appeared at the Simon’s Town Magistrate’s Court along with taxi boss Bonke Makalala on Wednesday. This followed their arrest on Tuesday evening, which was part of an investigation into alleged illicit activities involving Makalala. According to Western Cape police spokesperson Novela Potelwa, the probe led to the officers being charged in terms of sections 56 and 59 of the Police Act. “The pair, aged 31 and 25, based at the Nyanga police station, are alleged to have allowed a member of the public to make unauthorised use of a state vehicle. “Scenes (related…

Advocate Thulani Makhubela has been removed from the Commission of Inquiry which is being conducted into the Usindiso building fire where 77 people died in Marshalltown, Johannesburg, in August. This comes after the Socio-Economic Rights Institute (Seri) submitted an application accusing Makhubela of being xenophobic. This was in relation to his series of tweets on platform X, formerly Twitter, over a period of six years where he expressed his support for the Operation Dudula movement. The group has launched a campaign against foreign nationals in townships. Makhubela had been appointed to the commission by Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi along with Justice Sisi Khampepe, who is commission chairperson, and Vuyelwa Mathilda Mabena. Seri said Makhubela would not provide efficient input as he has shown support for a violent stance on foreigners.…

IT IS with great shock and sadness that we learnt about the three farm workers who lost their lives in a truck accident on the R304 in Philadelphia, Western Cape. Scores of others were injured in the crash. As a trade union representing farm workers, we wish to convey our sincere condolences to the bereaved families and loved ones of the deceased farm workers. The death of one farmworker on unsafe open transport is one too many. In the past, as part of a collective of trade unions, we made representations to the authorities as to why farmworker transport should be prioritised, and why they should be transported in vehicles such as buses and taxis or remodified trucks with roofs and windows, and fitted with seats and…

In the damp December cold, a blue bus stops near Weymouth town centre in south-west England. A few men get off, relieved to be spending a few hours away from what they call their “prison” – a barge housing asylum seekers. Hasan James, a 38-year-old Nigerian, is one of about 200 migrants staying on the Bibby Stockholm in the port of Portland, 20 minutes’ drive from Weymouth on the Dorset coast. “We have limited mobility. It is just like prison security,” James, wrapped in a warm parka jacket and hat, said of the controversial accommodation, detailing its detection scanners and searches. Before the UK authorities sent him to the facility a month ago, James, who arrived in Britain on a now-expired tourist visa, was living in a hotel in London.…

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said yesterday that it was “extremely concerned” by the Amsterdam authorities’ proposal to move its red light district outside the city – and close to the EMA headquarters. Mayor Femke Halsema wants to uproot the inner-city red light district to clean up Amsterdam’s image as a “sin city” and respond to residents’ complaints about petty crime and rowdy tourists in the area. City leaders said they had chosen Europa Boulevard on the southern edge of Amsterdam’s main business district for a new “Erotic Centre” and would put the proposal to the local council early next year. The site is 800m from its headquarters and close to residential areas. The EMA, which moved from London to Amsterdam after the UK left the EU, has said…

HOUSTON: US agricultural companies have jointly addressed US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a letter demanding an immediate reopening of two rail crossings on the border with Mexico due to heavy financial loses. The US Customs and Border Protection agency has temporarily closed the Eagle Pass and El Paso railroad crossings in Texas, citing an increase in illegal crossing attempts by undocumented migrants. “On behalf of the agriculture and food input supply chain, we request the immediate opening of the El Paso and Eagle Pass international rail crossings,” the letter read. | AFP…

Mexico City: The death toll from the category 5 hurricane Otis has risen to 52 while 32 are still missing in Mexico, sources in the government said yesterday. Searches on land and sea continue, said Guerrero state Governor Evelyn Salgado. A total of 31 people were missing at sea. The official update comes a month after families of missing sailors protested alleging that authorities appeared to have stopped looking for their loved ones. The hurricane hit Mexico’s southern Pacific coast on October 25, inflicting severe damage to hotels and housing of Acapulco and Coyuca de Benitez. | IANS…