Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-03-22 i Mercury

Just SA’s weekly jargon buster aims to give simple, plain English explanations for typical words and phrases used in the financial industry, in particular, words relating to guaranteed life annuities and living annuities. This week, we look at the letter: I Source: Just Retirement SA, info@justsa.co.za. The jargon buster is intended for information purposes only. It should not be regarded as advice as defined in the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act 37 of 2002, or any form of advice in respect of the policy, retirement, tax, legal or other professional service whatsoever. You are encouraged to seek advice from an authorised financial adviser or to independently decide what financial product is appropriate for you based upon your own judgement and understanding of your financial needs. Just Retirement Life…

thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE eThekwini Municipality plans to commission 17 new substations in the coming financial year to ensure energy security in the city. These are among the proposed investments in the electricity network to ensure its reliability. Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda made the announcement as he tabled the City’s draft budget of R67.3 billion for the 2024-2025 financial year on Tuesday. It will be released for public comment and once approved will be implemented at the start of the new financial year in July. The Mercury reported on Wednesday that the proposed tariff increases contained in the draft budget were heavily criticised by opposition party councillors and ratepayers who said they were unaffordable and unjust. The budget shows the electricity department will receive significant funding for the 2024-25 financial year.…

Amid the rubble of his house a man sits reading the Qur’an (Picture, Sunday Tribune, March 17). His life lies in ruins, shattered by the cruelty of a senseless, brutal war. His own blood cousins, the Israelis, have turned to be his vengeful neighbours and have showed no mercy, bombing him out of existence. It’s a poignant reminder of how the Holy Land has become a blood bath. With everything gone, his family, his humble home and meagre possessions, he clings to the last hope he has – God Almighty. Even in such trying times when all hope is gone, his faith in God is steadfast, unwavering. Three religions were born here – Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It should be such a sacred place, a shrine where no blood flows.…

With the pending election, voters are faced with having to make choices between “possibly” over 100 political parties and several independent candidates. How are most voters to consider their choice? Pre-election promises are made and manifestos are published, meetings are held and it can be very confusing. However, there is one sure guideline. In the Sermon on the Mount it states: “… By their fruits ye shall know them”. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Marxist or agnostic, you cannot discount that guideline. Now there are many “fruits” on which judgement can be made. The latest I have seen is the announcement that 235 Post Office branches are to be closed, because the Post Office is near bankrupt. It has not yet been announced how many staff this will make…

BRITAIN’S great non-story rolls on. There was an outcry in certain circles recently when it emerged that a photo taken on Mother’s Day by William, Prince of Wales, of Princess Catherine with her kids had been edited by the princess herself before being distributed to the media. Scandal! Er, but over what precisely? Is a painter not allowed to put the finishing touches to his picture? Why not a photographer? And – help! The disgrace is unbearable! It now emerges, according to Sky News, that a photo featuring the late Queen Elizabeth herself last year at Balmoral with her children and grandchildren – also taken by Princess Catherine – was edited before being shamelessly distributed to an unsuspecting public. Getty Images has now attached an explanatory note to the image.…

Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana says the government has not decided on the funding model for the National Health Insurance (NHI). He said they will start discussing the model with the Department of Health after President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the NHI Bill into law. The NHI Bill was passed by Parliament last December. There was no doubt that Ramaphosa will assent to the bill, said Godongwana. He refused to be drawn on how much the NHI will cost once they start implementing it. But political parties have threatened to challenge it in court. They have argued that it was unlawful and unconstitutional. Godongwana was on Wednesday answering questions in Parliament. Members of political parties wanted to know if there was a funding model for the NHI. In response, Godongwana…

A 60-year-old Northern Cape woman, who had been working as a teacher, has been found guilty of fraud and is expected to be sentenced at the end of the month. Audrey Taku was found guilty by the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court of providing a fake qualification to the Department of Education in order to secure a job at a local school. The Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (known as the Hawks) said during January 2017, Taku defrauded the Northern Cape Department of Education by submitting fraudulent certificates claiming she is a qualified teacher. “The department employed her and she worked as a teacher at Schmidtsdrif Primary School without a valid teaching qualification and or South African Council for Educators (Sace) certificate which enables one to teach,” said Northern Cape Hawks…

Public servants across national and provincial departments will receive a 4.7% salary increase on April 1, Minister of Public Service and Administration, Noxolo Kiviet said. In a statement, Kiviet announced that the salary increase will apply only to non-senior management service employees who serve on wage levels between 1 and 12. The hike is part of a 24-month salary deal which was signed by public sector trade unions last March. The agreement pledged a salary hike of about 7.5% for 2023/24 and an inflation-linked wage increase for 2024/25. According to the minister, the decision on the 2024 wage increase was made after considering several factors. These included the present economic climate and the imperative for fiscal restraint. She said the government had counterbalanced the hikes with the need to prioritise…

After Bafana Bafana’s sterling performance at the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast earlier this year, you would think that things would improve when it comes to ensuring they have the best possible support going forward. But true to form, it has been anything but smooth in the lead-up to this week’s trip to Algeria for international friendlies against the hosts and Andorra. Bafana faced Andorra late last night, and will take on Algeria on Tuesday. First, coach Hugo Broos and his players had to deal with a daunting travel schedule that saw the Bafana squad endure a 30-hour round trip that included a three-hour layover in Dubai and another six in Algiers. Surely a direct flight from Joburg to Algiers should have been arranged? Then Broos nearly…

After days of delay, US congressional leaders unveiled a $1.1 trillion (R21trln) bipartisan spending measure for defence, homeland security and other programmes yesterday, giving lawmakers less than two days to avert a partial government shutdown. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives will vote on the sprawling package today, leaving the Democratic-majority Senate only hours to pass the package of six bills that covers about two-thirds of the $1.66trln in discretionary government spending for the fiscal year that began on October 1. “These final six bills represent a bipartisan and bicameral compromise,” the two top Senate negotiators – Patty Murray, a Democrat, and Susan Collins, a Republican – said in a statement. “They will invest in the American people, build a stronger economy, help keep our communities safe, and strengthen our national…

Paris: Where politicians once looked to project health and fitness with jogs in the park, martial sports like boxing have now gained the upper hand, with France’s Emmanuel Macron, 46, the latest to strap on gloves. The president was pictured on Wednesday pounding a punching bag, forearms bulging, in images posted to the Instagram account of his official photographer, Soazig de la Moissoniere. “(Macron) is a technocrat having a go at the populist style, by trying to respond to (Russian President) Vladimir Putin on his own turf,” said Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet, an expert in political communication. Macron has defended his comments about not ruling out sending Nato troops to fight in Ukraine, invaded by the Russian leader more than two years ago. | AFP…

New Delhi: India’s opposition said yesterday that the government’s freezing of its bank accounts has left it with no money to fight the heavily funded ruling party in marathon general elections that begin next month. Congress Party leader Rahul Gandhi, 53, the scion of the family that dominated Indian politics for decades after independence, said: “We have no money to campaign”. Several of the party’s bank accounts were frozen in February because of the alleged late filing of tax returns. Nearly a billion Indians will vote to elect a new government in a six-week election starting on April 19, the largest democratic exercise in the world. | AFP…

Springbok Women’s coach Louis Koen has included four uncapped players – two in the starting pack and two on the bench – for his team’s one-off Test against Spain tomorrow. In the pack, Xoliswa Khuzwayo (prop) and Anathi Qolo (No 8) will start for the first time, while Aliyah Tchogna-Njamen (prop) and Samantha Els (utility forward, and the daughter of golfer Ernie Els) have been included on the bench. This encounter will also see Bok Women’s captain Nolusindiso Booi extend her Test cap record to 41 appearances in the green and gold. Koen, who took charge of the national team a year ago on a corresponding tour to Spain, named 14 players who were involved in the last Test between the two countries – in Madrid on April 1 last…

WITH a long weekend ahead and mainly sunny conditions, it looks like the good fishing will continue. For the shore anglers, the sand sharks have been among the main targets, along with the bigger flatfish such as the honeycomb or backbreaking thorn tail. The North Coast has been blowing hot and cold with the varied conditions we are having. The north-east wind has not been cooling the water down as much as usual, so an extra day of proper NE wind has been needed to get the fish feeding. Mackerel and redeye have been the most productive baits for most of the inedibles. Try make a bait with a lot of smell and scent. If the peckers are an issue, then wrap your bait with some chokka to make…

In the hustle and bustle of modern life, there’s a common grumble that echoes through kitchens across South Africa – the annoying moment you reach for that supposedly fresh broccoli, only to find it’s transformed into something far less appetising overnight. As if that’s not irritating enough, with the cost of living on the rise, every wilted lettuce and squishy tomato feels like money down the drain. The truth is, our love affair with excess has a dark side. Our overflowing plates come at a cost, contributing to a mountain of waste that’s doing no favours for Mother Earth. But as we navigate aisles crammed with organic this and superfood that, a tide is turning. A significant 70% of consumers are now peering beyond the health labels, demanding that their…

Ithala SOC Limited says it is working with the repayment administrator (RA) appointed by the South African Reserve Bank’s Prudential Authority to produce a plan that will see a new strategic alliance bank partner and sponsoring bank to safeguard deposits and participate in the national payment systems. Ithala commented yesterday after an article this week said that the Prudential Authority maintained that Ithala could not take deposits. According to a Moneyweb report, the SA Reserve Bank said that a high court judgment delivered in December 2023 still stood, and that it confirmed that SARB had not extended the exemption. SARB said that as a result, Ithala could not continue to be a deposit-taking institution. In its statement, Ithala said despite the two recent court cases, “the financial institution welcomed the…

Successive American and Israeli governments are responsible for the current bloodshed and monumental tragedy afflicted on all the innocent people of the Middle East. The powers of 1916 and the 21st century have in many different ways contributed to today’s Middle East crisis and the resultant global chaos. Bloodshed is enveloping the entire world, man has become intolerant and hell-bent on domination at any cost.Total destruction has become the order of the day. Political and religious differences will lead to humanity’s demise. Wars and violence continue to dominate world affairs. All that war does is to keep the never-ending cycle of hatred running. Warmongers would feel happy to have the vast devastated necropolis in front of them. Humanity will no longer be alive that day. As a primary answer to…

So one sees that we are going to be paying a lot more for non-existent service. Yet very little seems to have been put aside to upgrade and maintain. How much have they put into the budget for their salary increases? After all, mayor Kaunda only earns just under R11 000 per day if you calculate his annual salary and divide it by 365 days. That is the type of salary that would make the majority of people smile if they earned it in a month. The top people could take a cut in salary and they would still be living the high life. Consider all the perks they get. They call themselves “managers”, yet what do they manage, apart from taking the people who contribute to the fiscus for…

I GET consulted on a daily basis about individuals who perform virtual work on the internet for and on behalf of international companies. Many of these individuals sign contracts with the external countries confirming in the contract that the labour dispensation and jurisdiction will be that of the contracting company. These individuals live and work in South Africa for and on behalf of the employers who invariably don’t have offices or assets in South Africa. When the situation results in a dispute of some kind, many of these international companies want to terminate the contract in terms of their own laws and jurisdiction. In essence, the rule of thumb is, despite the contract, that South African labour law will rule supreme. Our South African labour law imposes many duties on…

Collaboration from governments across the continent is needed for Africa’s ports, which attract billions in private funding, to realise its full potential for the benefit of its people. This was according to experts at the Maritime Business Chamber-hosted “Ports as Essential Instruments for Sustaining and Improving Diverse Growth in African Economies” webinar this week. Speakers included Port Management Association of East and Southern Africa secretary-general Colonel Andre Didace Ciseau; founder of Shipping and Freight Resource, Hariesh Manaadiar; and FICS chairperson for the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers East Africa, Elijah Mbaru, in the session moderated by Maritime Hub Network managing director Nonqaba Bengu. Africa’s port sector continues to attract private funding with $15 billion (R282bn) invested between 2005 and 2019. Despite these numbers, the financial needs of the continent remain significant.…

The Kruger National Park (KNP) has spent more than R250 million to deter poaching for the 2023 financial year alone. This is according SA National Parks spokesperson Ike Phaahla. Persistent poaching of various animals in the renowned park threatens the well-being of the park that brings in millions of rand to the national fiscus yearly from tourism spend. Speaking to a media contingent visiting the park this week, Regional Ranger Richard Sowry said poaching in the park had become an everyday problem that posed a threat to its existence. “Poachers use all forms of methods, including poisoning, which could be the worst kind because of the ripple effect it causes,” Sowry said. He added that the poaching was unsustainable and had accumulative damage to the economy. “If we don’t deal…

A CHILD aged 10 has been left orphaned after a man allegedly shot his estranged wife and then turned the gun on himself in Belvedere, oThongathi (Tongaat). The shooting, on Wednesday, allegedly took place in the presence of the child. Ward councillor Nagammah Dolly Munien said it was a tragic incident. “Everybody is shocked and the neighbours are devastated.” She added that the child was in the care of the grandmother who lived with the mother. Security company Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) who responded to the scene said the body of the woman was found on the driveway with a gunshot wound to her head. It said the man, who was employed as an Armed Response Officer for a national company, was stabilised on the scene and transferred to…

Fed-up with continuous water outages in their areas, Verulam, oThongathi, Phoenix and La Mercy residents held a march to the Durban City Hall yesterday. Verulam Water Crisis Committee, Tongaat Civic Association, the Phoenix Civic and Ratepayers’ Association and the La Mercy Concerned Citizens group led the march. Communities across the areas have been battling water shortages for several weeks or months. “We are day 230 with no water in thousands of homes in the north of eThekwini Municipality,” said Roshan Lil-Ruthan, chairperson for the Verulam Water Crisis Committee. He said that with this march, residents had made the call to demand the fulfilment of their basic rights. “The significance of the march and sit-in at City Hall is that today is Human Rights Day and tomorrow is World Water Day.…

Cape Town parents of an 8-year-old boy, who both secured jobs in different countries and want to migrate with their new partners, approached the Western Cape High so that a decision could be made on who should relocate with the child. The parents met in 2013 and their son, L, was born in 2016. They were never married. In 2017, the father secured a job in Australia but continued to financially support the mother and his son. During this time, the mother was furthering her PhD studies at Stellenbosch University. Towards the end of 2018, the father returned to South Africa where he continued to work for the same company. He subsequently reconciled with his ex-wife, N. In 2019, he secured permanent residence in Australia and moved there together with…

During a visit to Jos in north-east Nigeria, it was surprising to learn that a vast ranch belonged to the Queen of England, challenging assumptions about Africa’s independence from European powers in the 1960s. This suggests that many African nations remain entangled in a hidden second empire woven by former colonial powers. While flags may have changed, the grip on resources and economic control often has not. Land and resources were not truly transferred to new states, as former colonial powers like Britain, France and Portugal maintained economic interests. Michael Oswald’s documentary, Spider’s Web: Britain’s Second Empire (2017), says, “At the twilight of the British Empire, bankers, lawyers and accountants from the City of London set a spider’s web of offshore secrecy jurisdictions that captured wealth from across the globe…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo yeterday as part of talks with Arab officials to seek a ceasefire in Gaza, after Israel’s prime minister told US Republicans there would be no let-up in the war against Hamas. In Gaza itself, Israel’s offensive focused on the Al Shifa hospital, the only partially working medical facility in the north of the Strip, for a fourth day, and local residents said they had seen buildings inside the complex in flames. Five months of war have created critical food shortages among Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians that in some areas now exceed famine levels, according to the UN. “We’re pressing for an immediate ceasefire tied to the release of hostages,” Blinken told the Arabic broadcaster Al Hadath.…

Russia fired more than 30 missiles at Kyiv yesterday, the largest attack on the Ukrainian capital in weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed retribution for escalating strikes on Russia’s border regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on the West to deliver air defence systems after the attacks, which wounded 17 in Kyiv and the surrounding region. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 31 Russian missiles fired towards Kyiv. For weeks a vital $60 billion (about R1 trillion) US military aid package for Ukraine has been blocked in Congress amid domestic political arguments. Local officials said falling debris from the missiles injured 17 people – 13 in Kyiv and four in the surrounding region. The air force said Russia fired two Iskander ballistic missiles and 29 cruise missiles, launched…

LONDON: The mother of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has failed with a lawsuit alleging he had received inadequate medical care in the Arctic penal colony where he died, because he did not make the complaint himself, a Navalny ally said yesterday. Navalny’s family and supporters have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of having him killed, an accusation the Kremlin has rejected. Prison authorities said Navalny, 47, had fallen unconscious and died on February 16 after a walk outside the prison where he was serving a three-decade sentence. His mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, said investigators refused to release his body from a morgue until she agreed to bury him privately. | Reuters…

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden announced yesterday that $6 billion (about R112bn) in student loans would be cancelled for 78 000 borrowers, bringing his administration’s total student debt cancellation to nearly $150bn. Biden, a Democrat, last year pledged to find other avenues for tackling debt relief after the Supreme Court in June blocked his broader plan to cancel $430bn in student loan debt. The latest group includes public service workers, like teachers, nurses and firefighters, who qualify under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Programme created in 2007 to forgive student debt for Americans who go into public service. | Reuters…

Every parent who has experienced school holidays with energetic toddlers and young children knows how difficult it can be to keep them entertained throughout the day (short of parking them in front of a screen for hours on end just to get a break). LEGO South Africa has unveiled a lifesaver for parents with their latest creation: “Surviving the School Holidays: A Helpful Guide for Parents.” Create a schedule Plot out each day of the holidays in rows on a spreadsheet, along with columns that detail activities, meals and snacks for the day. Have a look at activity ideas further down the article for inspiration. This may sound like quite a chore, but planning out each day this way, or at least having a general idea of what each…

Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) Khaya Magaxa says the committee will fast-track the investigations into the Takatso Consortium 51% takeover of SAA by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and other law enforcement clusters. Despite the deal being canned, he said work that had gone into the matter by parliamentarians would not go to waste and called for the matter, through parliamentary Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa- Nqakula up to the “chair of chairs”, to be fast-tracked. Magaxa said: “Some of the allegations made by the former director-general (DG) (Kgathatso Tlhakudi) have some merit; to give you an example, it is claimed that the minister picked Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) as transactional adviser. RMB identified four companies on its shortlist and Harith was not one of…

An article published by the Gatestone Institute of New York this past week provides alternative perspectives on the war in Gaza which challenge views routinely expressed by Letters’ page scribes. Michael and Leonard Hochberg, respectively of Cambridge University and the Hoover Institute, unpack the cause of what they call “forever wars” which, they argue, are promoted by Western politicians and terrorism sponsors. Their first observation is that Hamas does not abide by the laws of war in that it uses civilians as human shields who are then considered “martyrs” whose families are eligible for monthly stipends of up to $3 000. In so doing, the Hochbergs contend that Hamas is perhaps the first regime in history to fight a war designed to maximise casualties amongst its own population. As such,…

There are no tricks to effective leadership. Leadership will always be strongest, most effective when the leader sees and regards herself or himself as a servant to those in her or his care. This is not for effect or for greater impact, it is simply how authentic leadership works. If you are the leader then you will be a servant who seeks to serve those who you lead. You will do so with all your heart, mind, soul and you will love those in your care. You will love them to such a degree that they will end up even unknowingly tapping into the very best of who they are because that’s how people behave when they are loved. If you think of yourself as elevated, deserving of being served…

The Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) expressed its “astonishment” at the recently issued Legal Practice Council (LPC) notice inviting submissions or proposals on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) nomination process. According to the LSSA, the LPC is exceeding its mandate by soliciting practitioners. “The JSC nomination process falls outside its regulatory purview. The Constitution specifically allows representation from the attorneys’ profession,” said Eunice Masipa, president of the LSSA. The LPC appointed a consultant to facilitate the nominations despite an existing LSSA process, which has been shared with the LPC. The LSSA’s JSC nomination policy has been consistently applied without any complaints, Masipa said. She added that the LPC reports to Parliament via the minister. It is not accountable to the legal profession. Masipa pointed out that the Constitution clearly…

Suspended Pretoria High Court Judge Tshifhiwa Maumela has been admitted to hospital due to ill health, leading to the postponement of the Judicial Conduct Tribunal hearing into his conduct. Chaired by retired Judge Chris Jafta, the hearings started on Monday and were scheduled to proceed until today. Maumela was suspended in June 2023 by President Cyril Ramaphosa, alongside Judge Nomonde Mngqibisa-Thusi, for failure to deliver as many as 21 judgments. Mngqibisa-Thusi’s hearings were held during December, however, they were held in-camera as the judge’s legal team raised concerns that if the hearings were held in public, it would compromise the testimony of witnesses in her defence who were expected to talk about her personal problems. Maumela’s legal team on Tuesday informed Judge Jafta that he had been admitted to hospital.…

The search for missing KwaZulu-Natal North Coast skipper, John “Matambu” Dercksen, is continuing five days after his burnt charter boat was discovered in Mozambique. Matambu was reported missing on March 16 when he failed to return to Sodwana Bay after an unidentified passenger boarded his fishing skiboat, Magnum Too, earlier that day. Family spokesperson Candice Eilertsen clarified that the surname of her uncle by marriage is actually Dercksen. “John Dercksen was renamed John Matambu by the Zulu people of Sodwana Bay, who love him dearly. ‘Matambu’ means bones … rope ... tall and thin … and to respect his friends, our John took the name Matambu.” She said Wednesday was an “awful” day for the family because of fake reports that Matambu and his passenger had been found. “There were…

While the Senzo Meyiwa murder trial is set to resume today, Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng, who is presiding over the case, had harsh words for one of the lawyers for poor conduct and disrespecting the court. As the murder trial resumed on Wednesday, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, was informed that proceedings would have to continue in the absence of advocate Thulani Mngomezulu, the legal counsel for first accused Muzikhawukhulelwa Sibiya. State advocate George Baloyi said he had been informed by the legal counsel that he would not be present as he was held up with another matter he had attended to on Tuesday that had been rolled over. Baloyi told the court that Mngomezulu had indicated that the court could proceed with the two State witnesses, namely the photographer and…

jolene.marriah@inl.co.za A 50-year-old man is expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court after police found drugs worth over R1 million while searching properties in uMhlanga and the Durban CBD. Police said the man was arrested on Tuesday in a joint operation involving police officers from the Provincial Organised Crime and Provincial Drug and Firearm Unit. KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said police executed search warrants at an estate in uMhlanga. “However, further investigations directed the police to a flat on Dr Pixley Ka Seme Street (West Street) in Durban where the suspect was caught with drugs and empty drug capsules,” Netshiunda said. “Cocaine powder, cocaine bullets, heroin powder and rock cocaine, with an estimated value of R1.3 million were recovered during the raids.” The suspect faces charges of…

THE South African political arena today can be likened to that of kasi flava football because it is incredibly entertaining without reaching the end goal. In football, the aim is to score goals and win games, unlike what characterises kasi flava or showboating, which sees players wooing the crowd with tricks while often failing to put the ball at the back of the net. The same is true of the political landscape of 2024 in this country: it is filling up the stadium, hurling insults at the opposition and members of your own political party (should they be from a different faction) and forgetting entirely about the purpose. What is the purpose? The people. The people are what should be at the centre of all political parties. The first quarter…

Dozens of Rohingya refugees stranded on the rusty hull of a capsized ship were rescued yesterday after the dehydrated and sunburnt group had drifted at sea for more than a day. The group included 69 men, women and children, some of whom had been at sea for weeks on a rickety wooden boat from squalid camps in Bangladesh where many of the heavily persecuted Myanmar minority have fled. The reddish hull of the vessel poking out of the water was the Rohingyas’ only refuge after their wooden boat and another vessel trying to help them both capsized on Wednesday. The second boat, belonging to local fishermen, overturned when the refugees tried to climb on in a panic. “Why did the boat capsize? There was heavy rain,” said a 27-year-old survivor…

A nationwide doctors’ strike in Kenya yesterday paralysed health services at some government-run hospitals which are already suffering due to a lack of medicines and equipment. The medics are taking the action, now in its second week, to demand an increase in pay and better working conditions, their union said. Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, an umbrella body with over 7 000 members, said the strike would continue until their demands are accepted. The affected hospitals are staffed by nurses and clinical officers who are limited in the services they can offer. A court order issued last week suspended the strike and urged negotiations but the union vowed to soldier on with the industrial action, which began on March 13. At the centre of the row is a…

N’DJAMENA: Clashes between “two communities” in eastern Chad have killed at least 42 people in a desert region of the vast Sahel country often hit by land disputes, authorities said yesterday. The public security ministry did not say who was involved in the fighting or how long it went on, but the area regularly sees clashes between farmers and nomadic breeders over land. The latest violence led to 175 people being arrested at the scene, where “a large part” of the village of Tileguey in Ouaddai province was “set on fire by armed men”, the ministry said. The fighting lasted several days. | AFP…

LONDON: Legislation that seeks to block court challenges to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda will next be debated on April 15. The government wants to relocate thousands of asylum seekers, who arrive in Britain on small boats each year, to live in Rwanda, but legal challenges have prevented that. Sunak’s government is passing the bill that declares Rwanda a safe country for asylum seekers, but the bill must return to the House of Commons after the House of Lords this week reinstated demands for greater protections. The legislation will now be debated after the House of Commons’ Easter break. | Reuters…