Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-01-03 i Mercury

SOME Durban residents who received senior citizens’ food vouchers from eThekwini Municipality felt humiliated when they went to stores to buy groceries only to be told the vouchers had already been “used” or that there was little money loaded on them. The Mercury has learnt of at least four incidents in which intended beneficiaries were unable to use their vouchers. In other cases, it was alleged that some of the tills at the stores where the vouchers were being used had problems. Valued at R650, the vouchers were distributed to vulnerable elderly people across the city. Each ward received about 500 vouchers, which were distributed by ward councillors, and close to 55 000 vouchers were distributed. Distribution of the vouchers was the subject of fierce contestation. Public representative councillors…

I just happen to be in Cape Town this week and smiled at the numerous letters in the paper regarding the support for Israel and the condemnation of Palestine. Understandable. The Cape is just another continuing outreach programme for the colonists that came from the north. The sun will never set on the Zionist Empire, as the saying goes. So it may seem. It would take up lots of pages to reply to every accusation against the virtual organisation physically termed by a few letters, H-a-m-a-s. “Virtual”, because, like all predecessing “terrorist” organisations, such as the Indian Congress that fought against British Rule in India, the French Resistance that gave Hitler’s German occupation of France a hard time and our own ANC that booted out apartheid, Hamas is an ideology…

AN ACCOUNT comes this way from Canada, of a father and his three successful sons. The sender emphasises the veracity of the account. A father told his three sons when he sent them to university: “I feel it is my duty to provide you with the best education possible. And you do not owe me anything for providing that. However, I want each of you to appreciate it. As a token, I want each of you to put $1 000 into my coffin when I die.” And so it happened. His sons became a doctor, a lawyer and a financial planner respectively, each successful financially. When their father’s time had come and they saw their father in the coffin, they remembered his wish. First it was the doctor, who…

A suspected robber was gunned down after he engaged in a shoot-out with police in Sabie, Mpumalanga. According to police, four armed men stormed into a supermarket on Saturday and held the victims at gunpoint. The suspects allegedly robbed the owner of an undisclosed amount of money before fleeing the scene on foot. “Members also ran after them and it is reported that the suspects suddenly fired some shots at the police,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate will be investigating the shooting incident. Meanwhile, a four-month-old baby girl has been kidnapped allegedly by two women who impersonated caregivers in Kriel, Mpumalanga. The police said Lalicia Magumbu was taken on December 28 from her mom’s home in Thubelihle Township, outside Emalahleni, in Mpumalanga. “According to…

ISRAEL is preparing to challenge efforts by the South African government for judicial intervention, following an application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) under the Genocide Convention amid ongoing attacks on Palestinians. According to South Africa’s application filed on December 29, “acts and omissions by Israel … are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent … to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group”, and “the conduct of Israel – through its State organs, State agents, and other persons and entities acting on its instructions or under its direction, control or influence – in relation to Palestinians in Gaza, is in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention”. Israel spokesperson Eylon Levy yesterday confirmed…

THE embattled National Student Aid Financial Scheme (Nsfas) is still trying to finalise the payments of outstanding 2023 allowances for 20 000 students. Nsfas is aiming to complete the direct payment to students from various institutions by January 15. Nsfas spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said the board members had an extraordinary meeting on December 31 to consider reports from the entity’s management to discuss the final disbursement of the 2023 allowance and the formation of the rapid response team in preparation for the new academic year, among other matters. “There are 20 000 allowances which are yet to be concluded. These unresolved cases of disbursements require further input and consultation with institutions,” Mnisi said.…

Israeli forces battled Hamas militants amid the ruins of the heavily-bombed Gaza Strip yesterday as the war raging for almost three months piled new miseries on Palestinians in the besieged territory. The Israeli army said soldiers had killed “dozens of terrorists”, including some carrying explosives, raided a weapons storage compound in the southern city of Khan Yunis and discovered long-range rocket launchers and tunnels. Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry said 70 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in the past 24 hours during Israeli raids. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Israel had struck its headquarters in Khan Yunis, “resulting in several fatalities”, and the health ministry said four people were killed, including an infant. UN agencies have voiced alarm over Gaza’s spiralling humanitarian crisis as 2.4 million people…

At least 30 people have died after a series of powerful earthquakes, with the major one measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, hit central Japan and the surrounding areas, with rescue teams yesterday scrambling to search for survivors. A series of building collapses and fires killed at least 30 people in the worst-hit Ishikawa prefecture. Ishikawa was the epicentre of Monday’s 7.6-magnitude earthquake. In Suzu, on the tip of the Noto Peninsula, six people have died, while further south in Nanao five others also lost their lives. As more damage reports and information about people trapped continued to come in regarding other municipalities, injuries were recorded in Niigata, Toyama, Fukui and Gifu prefectures due to collapsed or damaged buildings. Calling the rescue of those impacted by the earthquakes a battle…

Seoul: South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was recovering in intensive care after he was stabbed in the neck yesterday by a man who pushed through a crowd pretending to be his supporter, his party said. Lee was surrounded by journalists when a man lunged and struck him in the left side of his neck, Busan police official Son Je-han said. Lee was first taken to hospital in Busan, then flown to the capital Seoul where he underwent two hours of surgery, Kwon Chil-seung of Lee’s Democratic Party told reporters. Lee was conscious after the surgery and was “admitted to the intensive care unit and is recovering”, Kwon said. The attacker was arrested at the scene. Police said that he was in his sixties. | AFP…

Tehran: Iran has hanged nine convicted drug traffickers in recent days, state media reported yesterday, as it keeps up one of the world’s highest rates of execution. Three were hanged at a prison in the north-western province of Ardabil on charges of buying and transporting heroin and opium. The other six were executed separately on charges of trafficking methamphetamine, heroin and cannabis. Iran lies on a major opium-smuggling route between Afghanistan and Europe. Iranian authorities have launched multiple campaigns to fight drug abuse and trafficking, and regularly announce large seizures of opiates smuggled from Afghanistan. | AFP…

DEFENDING DStv Premiership champions Mamelodi Sundowns have made the first audacious move in the January transfer market with the acquisition of Under-23 international Zuko Mdunyelwa from Chippa United. The Brazilians currently lead the league standings with a six-point buffer, having played three games less than their nearest competitor, and they closed off the year by capturing the inaugural African Football League (AFL). The Chloorkop-based outfit are not resting on their laurels and are raising the bar, which is expected to trigger a response from Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. Chiefs’ interim head coach Cavin Johnson waved away indications that his side needed reinforcements, a bizarre statement considering Chiefs’ form in the opening half of the season. Speaking after the club’s match against Sekhukhune United, Johnson said he preferred…

Load shedding made its return yesterday after a festive season reprieve as experts said while there had been some improvement in energy capacity compared with the same time last year, it was not enough to see the end of the scheduled power cuts. Eskom announced yesterday that with its current intensified maintenance aimed at improving the fleet performance, it had a setback of three generating units (2 148 megawatts) not coming back online as anticipated. “This, coupled with a loss of six generating units (3 113MW), and projected increase in electricity demand, requires Stage 2 load shedding to be implemented from 5am on Tuesday (yesterday) until 4pm, followed by Stage 3 load shedding until 5am on Wednesday. This pattern of Stage 2 load shedding in the morning and Stage 3…

We humans are always optimistic, even at the worst of times. It’s this resilient spirit in us that has helped us overcome adversity and become the most successful species on earth. The old year has just gone by. It was a terrible year. We breathed a huge sigh of relief when we were at last free of the Covid pandemic and looked forward to 2023. We thought it would be a better year. But 2023 wasn’t any better. Natural disasters, wars, crime and road accidents took their toll on the human race. If it wasn’t droughts and famine, it was floods. Although sceptics scoff at the idea of climate change, a clear pattern has been emerging. Rising temperatures scorched the earth, followed by wildfires and then devastating floods. As if…

Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla has confirmed that South Africa has welcomed a total of 411 babies born on New Year’s Day. According to the minister, Gauteng was the biggest contributor, with 112 bundles of joy welcomed by provincial health MEC Nomantu Nkomo- Ralehoko, at Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital on Monday. On Monday, Phaahla held a media briefing at the GJ Crookes Hospital and was accompanied by KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane and Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube. Simelane has also called for interventions to curb teenage pregnancies after the province saw 17 teenage mothers giving birth in that province. “We are pleased, Minister, that as of 6am today, the province has welcomed 58 New Year babies from health-care facilities from across the province ... However, by 9.30am, the number…

Eight municipalities under section 139 intervention in KwaZulu-Natal are in urgent need of concise government intervention as they struggle to fulfil their constitutional obligations. This according to the South African Local Government Association (Salga). There are also instances where some municipalities under section 139 have regressed further, or remained dysfunctional, Salga said. A section 139 intervention involves the Provincial Executive Committee intervening if the municipality is unable to handle its financial affairs in terms of budgeting, expenditure and financial reporting. In addition, the national government can get involved if a municipality is failing to provide basic services to its citizens. The problem, according to Salga, revolves around the politics that are getting in the way of the proper daily running of the affected municipalities. “Currently, this legislative tool of intervention…

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has confirmed significant petrol and diesel price cuts for January. The price of 95 Unleaded petrol is set to drop by 76 cents per litre when the official fuel price adjustments come into effect today, while 93 Unleaded will fall by 62 cents. Diesel will decrease by between R1.18 (500ppm) and R1.26 (50ppm). This means a litre of 95 Unleaded petrol will now cost R21.77 at the coast and R22.49 in the inland regions, where the cheaper 93 Unleaded is reduced to R22.17. The wholesale price of 50ppm diesel is now listed at R20.02 at the coast and R20.73 in Gauteng, keeping in mind that retail prices, which differ between outlets as this fuel is unregulated, will be higher than that. January’s…

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office and the SANDF have dismissed threats led by a “discredited” senior naval officer who called for Ramaphosa to resign or face being removed from office. This comes after a video of the officer making threats went viral on social media yesterday. The officer, who at this stage has been identified as expelled Lieutenant-Commander Sylvester Madala Mangolele, said in the video that Ramaphosa must resign within 48 hours or risk being forced out of office. Mangolele, who insists that he still works for the government, threatened to remove Ramaphosa by the end of 48 hours should he fail to report to the naval college in Gordon’s Bay to hand in his resignation. “In 48 hours I do this to save you from the embarrassment of applying section…

Russia yesterday rained missiles on Ukraine’s two main cities, killing at least four people and injuring dozens while 250 000 consumers in the capital region were left without power in near-freezing temperatures. The attacks on the capital Kyiv and the north-eastern city of Kharkiv came less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would intensify strikes. “One wounded elderly woman from a building in the Solomyansky district ... died in an ambulance. Twenty- seven wounded people were hospitalised,” Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko said. Ukraine’s interior minister Igor Klymenko said two people were killed in the Kyiv region. National energy company Ukrenergo said 250 000 consumers were without electricity in Kyiv and surrounding areas after the strikes. Temperatures in the region were hovering around 3°C. The head…

Health authorities in the UK have identified anxiety and trouble with sleeping as new symptoms of the latest Covid-19 sub-variant JN.1, according to a report. JN.1, from the lineage of Omicron, was first detected in August and is present in over 40 countries. It has been classified as a variant of interest by the World Health Organization, due to its rapid spread. JN.1 is a descendant lineage of BA.2.86. In comparison with BA.2.86, JN.1 has the additional L455S mutation in the spike protein, making it more transmissible. So far, the symptoms reported are mostly restricted to upper respiratory tract infections such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and runny nose. But recent data from December 2023 by the UK’s Office for National Statistics identified two new symptoms – sleeping…

London: A union of UK Border Force officials have warned that the number of people arriving in boats is expected to rise again this year after government figures reported a fall in migrants crossing the English Channel by about a third in 2023. Last year, 29 437 migrants made the crossing, compared to 45 774 in 2022, according to the latest figures from the UK Home Office, but the number was the second-highest since 2018 – about 1 000 above the total in 2021. The Immigration Services Union warned the latest lull was probably a “glitch” due to extremely poor weather in recent months. The last crossing of 2023 was on December 16 when 55 people arrived from France in one boat. | IANS…

Shanghai: China’s average temperature in 2023 was its hottest since records began, state media said citing officials yesterday, capping a year of extreme weather events for the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. The record-setting temperatures were part of an unprecedented series of heatwaves around the world. China’s national average temperature last year was 10.7°C, exceeding a record of 10.5°C set in 2021, state broadcaster CCTV said, citing Beijing’s National Climate Centre. Beijing smashed a 23-year-old record in July, with 27 consecutive days of temperatures above 35°C. | AFP…

103* v New Zealand, Gqeberha, 11 Jan 2013 As the saying goes, the first one is always the most special. It certainly was for Elgar, particularly after an innocuous start to his Test career when he registered a pair on debut in Perth. Elgar’s maiden century provided him with the assurances that he could play at this level. 103 v Sri Lanka, Galle, 16-20 July 2014 Elgar’s first Test ton on foreign soil played a pivotal role not only in winning the first Test, but ultimately the Proteas’ first series victory on the picturesque tea-loving island in 20 years. It also ended any doubts about his ability to play spin and score runs on the subcontinent. 127 v Australia, Perth, 3-7 Nov 2016 Elgar buried the memories of his Test…

DURBAN’S premier tourist destination uMhlanga “experienced a boom” this festive season as tourists flocked to the area despite the heavy rains that lashed most parts of the province from Christmas Day. Some hotels in the area reached 100% occupancy, while guest houses stood close to 90% in occupancy levels. According to the information released by eThekwini Municipality shortly before New Year’s celebrations, hotel occupancy across the city was above 60% and there were many well-attended tourism-related events. While tourism recorded a boom, parts of the province also experienced heavy rains and flooding that left people dead or missing. Rains were experienced in many parts of the province for the majority of the key holidays this festive break. However, tourism experts said the bad weather had minimal impact on the industry…

Of course I want you to have a “happy” new year. What exactly do I mean? May you find authentic inclusion with a group of caring friends. May you enjoy significant connection and derive mutual satisfaction with members of your immediate and extended family and family of choice. May you have meaningful work, work that respectfully uses your talents, strengths and imagination. May your capacity for humour enrich those whom you love and bring joy. May you discover new and wonderful things about yourself and others despite your years of experience. May regret over past failures provide you with healthy awareness rather than weigh you down. May you be part of the solution and not part of the problem in matters large and small. May you become more skilful in…

The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government has announced that Mbongeni Ngema has been granted a special provincial official funeral category 2. The legendary playwright and director, 68, was killed in a head-on car accident last Wednesday night while returning from a funeral in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape. His family issued an official statement to confirm the news. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved brother, father, husband and a patriot, Mbongeni Ngema,” it read. The Sarafina! writer was an outspoken advocate against apartheid and used his stage plays as a vehicle to reflect the resilience of black South Africans under the regime. KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube expressed her gratitude to President Cyril Ramaphosa for granting the internationally acclaimed playwright, composer, director and theatre producer…

Burial societies, stokvels, individuals, (particularly the elderly) and municipalities continue to count their losses five years after the brazen looting of nearly R2.3 billion of the hard-earned money they had invested in VBS Mutual Bank. The scandal was exposed in 2018 by advocate Terry Motau, who was appointed to investigate it. He wrote a report afterwards that blew the lid off the scandal. The bank, meant to benefit black people looking to borrow money to buy houses, was started in 1982 by the Venda homeland government. Its sole mandate was to help deserving residents of Venda buy houses. However, the bank was not widely known. That all changed in 2016, when the bank loaned R7 million to former president Jacob Zuma after the controversy around his Nkandla homestead’s multimillion-rand refurbishments.…

Transnet Port Terminals says significant headway has been made in reducing the vessel backlog at the Port of Durban. The backlog had seen several vessels waiting to enter the port last month. Transnet said while weather conditions with wind gusts of up to 100km/h and extreme swells had interrupted container operations in Durban, Cape Town, Ngqura and Port Elizabeth container terminals over the past two weeks, the backlog at Durban had been reduced. “Durban Container Terminal Pier 2 has reduced its vessel backlog at anchor to a total of five,” it said. “Since the beginning of December, employees have been scheduled to work through long weekends with 100% attendance to date and through the new year across all the terminals.” Transnet added that the deployment of full employee resources at…

A blaze that ripped through a Western Cape luxury hotel, Shelley Point Hotel and Spa, yesterday took eight hours to be contained. The fire reportedly started in the kitchen area of the hotel and rapidly spread. Saldanha Bay mayor Andrè Truter said it started just after 7am in one of the kitchen buildings and by late yesterday afternoon had been contained to the hotel building. “After more than eight hours of brave firefighters fighting a vicious fire at the hotel it has been brought under control and contained to the hotel premises. “The surrounding communities were amazing by rallying around the firefighters by supplying water and sandwiches to the exhausted crews. “The mopping up and cooling down will probably still take another day or two. Keep these brave crews in…

The 10th anniversary of his death reminds me of how #BlackLivesDon’tMatter in SA THE death of my elder brother, Vus’umzi Joseph Memela, went unnoticed on December 5, 2013. There was neither a commemoration nor a big write up. Yet he died the same day as Nelson Mandela, 10 years ago. He was only 40 years old. At the time, he was a married man, employed as a messenger at a jewellery shop and a father of nine children. His death was eclipsed by that of former statesman and first president of democratic South Africa, Mandela. My brother was neither a famous musician nor a national religious nor an educational figure. Worse, he was not a political activist. Much as he was politically conscious, he did not belong to any…

Somalia vowed yesterday to defend its territory by “any legal means” and recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia after Addis Ababa struck a controversial deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland. Mogadishu branded Monday’s surprise pact that gives Ethiopia long-sought access to the Red Sea an act of “aggression” and “clear violation” of its sovereignty and appealed to the international community to stand by its side. The Addis Ababa deal was announced only days after Somalia’s central government agreed to resume dialogue with the separatist northern region after years of stalemate. Somaliland has been seeking full statehood since claiming independence from Somalia in 1991, a move not recognised internationally and fiercely opposed by Mogadishu, although in reality it exercises little authority over the region’s affairs. The “historic” memorandum of understanding signed…

LONDON: Britain’s former prime minister Tony Blair has denied an Israeli media report linking him to talks last week about the resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza in other countries. Channel 12 claimed that Blair, who served as a Middle East envoy charged with building up Palestinian institutions, was in Israel last week. It said he held meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and war cabinet member Benny Gantz about a mediation role after the war with Hamas. He could also act as a go-between with moderate Arab states about the “voluntary resettlement” of Gazans, it added. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change said the report was “a lie”. | AFP…

Tel Aviv: In a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, at least 42 survivors of the October 7, 2023, Supernova rave massacre have sued Israeli security forces over their alleged negligence to prevent Hamas from killing civilians at the music festival. The lawsuit filed at the Tel Aviv District Court this week against the Shin Bet security service, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the Israel Police and the Defence Ministry is seeking a claim for NIS 200 million ($56 million). It has alleged multiple instances in which the security agencies failed in their duties. The rave festival, near Kibbutz Re’im, was among the locations where Hamas militants killed and kidnapped mostly civilians. | IANS…

Ever the pragmatist, John Plumtree is keenly aware of the current situation the Sharks find themselves in, and the Herculean task ahead to return the team to the favour of the rugby gods. The Durban-based outfit wrapped up 2023 with an improved performance against the Stormers in Cape Town, even though it still ended in a narrow 16-15 loss. It was their seventh defeat in the United Rugby Championship (URC) out of their eight matches so far, leaving the Sharks dwelling around the basement of the standings in 16th with a poor return of eight points. So, although coming within a whisker of upsetting the former champions at the weekend will lift the mood at Kings Park ever so slightly, Plumtree will appreciate the fact that Saturday’s follow up against…

HUGO Broos was speaking for the entire country when he said, “if we do not go past the group stages, we will not be happy”. What the Belgian coach of South Africa’s senior national team that will be contesting the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) set to take place in the Ivory Coast from mid-January to early February should be made aware of is that unhappiness will not be the only outcome of Bafana Bafana’s failure to reach the knockout phase. Surely Broos must swell the ranks of the unemployed should he fail to steer the team to the round of 16. Granted he has the requisite experience to know that the biennial continental tournament is one of the toughest competitions out there. “You know, going past the group stages…

SHUNNED at national team level, Iqraam Rayners is likely to be firing on all cylinders when Stellenbosch FC battle it out with the Carling Black Label All Stars for the competition’s ‘super cup’ at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday. Rayners has been one of the standout performers in the DStv Premiership this season and was influential in helping Stellies to their maiden trophy success. They beat TS Galaxy on penalties in the final of the inaugural Carling Knockout Cup. He has four goals in the league so far as well as numerous assists, the 28-year-old being a focal point of many of Stellies’ attacks while his pace and guile have made him a thorn in the side of many opposition teams. He contributed a goal in the quarter-finals as…