Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-05-08 i Mercury

JSE-LISTED Kibo Energy’s UK-based energy assets operator yesterday said the kick-starting of work on the second phase of its Pyebridge programme will boost revenues and profitability. This comes as Kibo’s subsidiary, Mast Energy, has officially launched work on the Pyebridge Power second phase after signing an engineering works contract with Cooper Ostlund, a UK contractor, for the full long-block overhaul of one genset, which comprises of an engine and power generator. The contract with Cooper Ostlund also encompasses “essential improvements” to the site. “The expected timeline to completion of the work and commercial operations date of the refurbished genset is around eight weeks,” said Kibo. Kibo CEO Pieter Krügel said costs for these works, which cover the overhaul of one genset, will be funded under a new funding agreement reached…

Five young men, who matriculated last year from Weston Agricultural College in Mooi River in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands wasted no time to gain a foothold in the farming industry and have started their own company, Big 5 Agrics. Msizi Mlambo, 18, Mawande Mbhele, 19, Sikahle Nxumalo, 19, Sinakho Mkhathini, 18, and Nelisa Sithole, 18, have been best friends for over five years. Speaking to The Mercury recently, the young men said they wanted to build a legacy in the agriculture industry. Their company, Big 5 Agrics concluded a 30-year lease agreement for 273 hectares of farmland in Boston in the KZN Midlands with the KwaBhidla Traditional Council in February. The land, Esanti Farm, has been dormant and the company is seeking to revive the agricultural operations on the farm. Mlambo…

KwaZulu-Natal’s police commissioner said 17 000 police officers will be deployed throughout the province to ensure safety and security when the country heads to the polls on May 29. Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi was speaking during a meeting of 3 000 senior officers in Durban. He also announced that they had arrested more than 121 614 suspected criminals for several crimes in the previous financial year. Mkhwanazi said they had gathered all commissioned officers from all policing disciplines for yesterday’s meeting. “We did not gather them in one room for a meet-and-greet or a talk show. The aim of this meeting was to gauge our performances and account for all the shortfalls that need drastic and urgent improvements.” Mkhwanazi said more than 17 000 police officers will be on the ground…

More than 142 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October. Murdering a journalist is the ultimate form of censorship. Journalists continue to perish and pay the ultimate price for speaking truth to power. Many have been jailed. Imprisonment has become a form of intimidation. When journalists are killed, democracy dies. The shadow of violence continues to loom over the gatekeepers of our cherished freedoms. Journalists are our eyes and ears. There is an old motto in journalism: ”You buy the news, we pay the price.” The first casualty in any conflict is the truth. The second is the truth-teller, the journalist. Under the Geneva Convention, journalists are to be treated as civilians in times of conflict; harming or killing them is a war crime. Killing journalists is a war…

Behold – look closely, observe, see, acknowledge, identify – your mother. We all have or had one. No matter what your memory, treasured for its overwhelming sense of love and acceptance and unconditional positive regard, or the sad antithesis of all that is good and associated with good mothers and mothering: behold your mother. Consider your mother as you would fine and treasured art, a masterpiece and, then, give thanks. Remember the good times. Recall the hard times, recall the challenges you gave to your mother and the challenges your mother brought to you. The woman you called mother brought to the unique relationship with you, experiences and heartbreaks and history of which you, as a child would know nothing. Yet, you’d know and experience and benefit, and even suffer…

Overturning a 2021 high court ruling by former Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe, which had cleared ANC MP Bongani Bongo, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) found that the high court made several “material misdirections” on questions of law in relation to the corruption case. The Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was this week successful in its appeal to the SCA to challenge the high court’s decision. The SCA overturned the 2021 high court ruling and ordered Bongo’s trial to be started afresh, before a differently constituted court. The corruption case in question relates to Parliament’s inquiry into state capture at Eskom in 2017, where it was alleged Bongo attempted to bribe an evidence leader to halt proceedings. The allegation was that a senior manager of Legal…

The search for missing 6-year-old Joshlin Smith from Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape remains ongoing. Joshlin from Diazville, disappeared without a trace on February 19, after 5pm. It has been 76 days since the Grade 1 pupil’s disappearance and no news of her whereabouts have surfaced. Western Cape police spokesperson, Captain Frederick van Wyk, said the matter was ongoing. “The matter is still under investigation. There are no developments to report to the media at this stage. The search/investigation into the matter is still ongoing,” Van Wyk said. Last week, Independent Media reported that a private investigator has become involved in the search for Joshlin, claiming he located her static DNA n the Saldanha Bay area. Retired police officer, Danie Krugel, claimed he had found Joshlin’s hair. Krugel…

THE father of 29-year-old electrician, Delvin Safers, who remains stuck under the rubble at the collapsed George construction site, continued to communicate with him via cellphone yesterday. The multi-storey building in Victoria Street caved in on Monday afternoon, and 41 workers are still unaccounted for as rescue operations continue. The building, which comprised underground parking, a first, second and third floor collapsed with 75 construction workers on site. Twenty eight people were rescued from the wreck while six people were declared dead. Deon Safers, 62, said he received communication from his son just after 3.30pm yesterday, when he said his phone’s battery was on 9%. From Mossel Bay, Safers said his son, who is the father of a 2-year-old boy, told him that he had been working in room…

A historical perspective on International May Day, which was observed globally on May 1, is deeply rooted in the labour movement. It symbolises the worldwide struggle and solidarity among workers, dating back to the late 19th century when labour movements advocated for fair working conditions, particularly an eight-hour workday. The date was chosen to commemorate the Haymarket affair in 1886 in Chicago, a significant event in labour history where a peaceful rally supporting workers turned into a violent clash with the police. May Day has transformed into a day of protest and celebration, highlighting the importance of labour rights. Such occasions underscore the necessity of maintaining excellent stakeholder relations with labour. Good stakeholder relations with labour are not just a legal or ethical requirement but also a strategic advantage. Organisations…

Israeli forces seized the main border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza yesterday, shutting down a vital aid route into the Palestinian enclave that is already on the brink of famine. The Palestinian militant group Hamas accused Israel of trying to undermine efforts to secure a ceasefire in the seven-month-long war that has laid waste to Gaza and left hundreds of thousands of its people homeless and hungry. Israeli army footage showed tanks rolling through the Rafah crossing complex and the Israeli flag raised on the Gaza side. UN and other international aid agencies said the closing of the two crossings into southern Gaza – Rafah and Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom – had virtually cut off the enclave from outside aid and very few stores were available inside. Red Crescent sources…

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin vowed at a lavish inauguration yesterday to deliver victory to Russians, embarking on a record-breaking fifth term with more power than ever. Putin, however, conceded that Russia was going through a “difficult” period, an apparent reference to the unprecedented sanctions packages the West has imposed on Moscow for having launched full-scale military hostilities in Ukraine more than two years ago. The 71-year-old Kremlin chief has ruled Russia since the turn of the century, securing a fresh six-year mandate in March after winning presidential elections devoid of all opposition. The highly orchestrated inauguration ceremony, which included a military procession and Orthodox prayer service, was broadcast live on major Russian television channels. European countries including Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic signalled they would not send representatives amid…

MANAGER Carlo Ancelotti urged Real Madrid to play with more pace and intensity if they want to keep alive their hopes of securing the La Liga- European Cup double by beating Bayern Munich in the return leg of their Champions League semi-final tonight. Real wrapped up the La Liga title over the weekend with four matches to spare but that has not stopped Ancelotti from being extremely critical of his team’s performance in their 2-2 draw in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in Germany. He has warned his players that they cannot afford another subpar performance if they want to contest the June 1 final at Wembley Stadium. “We need a match with intensity, with pace … Looking at the first leg, defensively we could have done…

FATALITIES at Gold Fields’ South African and Australian operations, as well as weather-induced disruptions, impacted the company’s attributable production for the first quarter of the current year, prompting it to initiate a group safety review that will be completed before the end of June. In January, Gold Fields reported a fatality in South Africa when an employee was fatally injured in an underground incident at the South Deep mine. Last month, a contracted employee was killed at Gold Fields’ St Ives mine in Australia. Gold Fields yesterday said its production of 464 000 ounces for the quarter period to the end of March was impacted by the incidents. This means that the gold miner’s production for the quarter plunged by 18% on a year-on-year basis, and by 22% compared…

Millions of people across Durban are set to benefit from the GO!Durban transport service once it goes live in a few months’ time. This is according to the eThekwini Municipality which said the project is expected to begin operations in July. The project has undergone changes in terms of the GO!Durban Tactical Adjustment roadmap. The roadmap was unveiled to industry stakeholders during a meeting at Moses Mabhida Stadium yesterday. Initially, the project was going to be launched in the C3 corridor between Pinetown and KwaMashu. Taxi operators running on that route were supposed to give up their permits and taxis, and to be compensated. They were then supposed to be part of the company that was going to manage the buses running on that route. But after negotiations between the…

There was once a “whaling station” on our Bluff, across from Durban Harbour. It was removed, eventually, by animal activists as it was also found to be, finally, uneconomical. The station has vanished. The whales are still around. My minnowish writings to the press are only intended to have some fun with punctuation marks, commas, and exclamation marks. Sometimes, in very rare instances, my collection of alphabets transforms into “words” – words that accidentally help to alter some age-old perceptions, most of which tramp on basic human birthrights. I therefore feel so chuffed that some other iconic writers have actually recognised that there are highly innovative media houses, especially from specific directions of the compass that do not point, too much, towards east or south. Media that calls its own…

AS far back as 2010, foreign nationals from various countries had decided to make South Africa their second home. They knew which inner-city buildings had been abandoned, and each nationality took occupation of the many buildings. I got to know about this when my helper, a Zimbabwean, asked for a day off as she had been told about a Home Affairs official who had everything that was needed to produce SA IDs for foreigners. He was working from an office in Krugersdorp. My helper would be travelling with a friend from Zimbabwe, who had just arrived and found accommodation in an abandoned building that housed Zimbabweans exclusively. The arrangement would take place before the individual travelled to SA. It has been 14 years since I learnt about this, and you…

DOES it get more thrilling than this? The Sharks coming from well behind against Clermont Auvergne in the Challenge Cup semi-final to be one point ahead in the final minutes. The Sharks in possession as we edge toward full time. Then a turnover in possession. Clermont running at us like tigers. Can our lads keep them out? It’s a big ask. Then it’s full time. We’ve won! By one point after being nowhere near! The damsels of the Pub With No Name are ecstatic as they clamour to supply knicker elastic for a fashioning of catapults for the time-honoured celebratory feu de joie in which the street lights are shot out. Next, the final against Gloucester. Erewego, ’erewego, ’erewego! Cellphone technology I HAVE to confess that I owe my close…

AGRICULTURE, Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Thoko Didiza has defended the awarding of financial compensation instead of land to people who have lodged land claims. Didiza said the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 provided for any equitable redress, other than the restoration of a right in land arising from the dispossession of a right in land after 1913 as a result of past racially discriminatory laws or practices. She said the equitable redress could take the form of granting of an appropriate right in alternative state-owned land and the payment of financial compensation. The options could be restoration, alternative land and financial compensation. “The above options are supported by policy provisions of the (Land Claims) Commission and the department in ensuring that equitable redress is implemented in line…

South Africa welcomed 1.8 million tourist arrivals from the rest of the African continent between January and March 2024, marking a significant 74.5% of all arrivals. The Department of Tourism said the information showed that South Africa’s tourism sector continued on a positive trajectory. “The latest official release of international arrival figures by Statistics South Africa for January to March 2024 points to a robust and growing South African tourism sector. International tourist arrivals from January to March 2024 totalled 2.4 million, representing a remarkable 15.4% increase when compared with the same period in 2023,” said Zara Nicholson, national spokesperson for the Department of Tourism. “Africa leads the way. South Africa welcomed 1.8 million tourist arrivals from the rest of the African continent between January and March 2024, marking a…

ANC secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said yesterday that a comment made by Collen Malatji, leader of the ANC Youth League, suggesting that voting patterns in KwaZulu-Natal are dictated by tribal lines had been misinterpreted. Mbalula was speaking in Amaoti, near Inanda, as the party’s senior leaders embark on a door-to-door campaign in the province to convince supporters in stronghold areas to vote in their numbers at the May 29 provincial and national elections. Malatji, at a recent media briefing at the ANC’s Luthuli House headquarters in Johannesburg, expressed concerns about KZN’s historical voting trends, implying tribal affiliations pose a challenge to the governing party and that voter education was needed to change this trend. “KwaZulu-Natal has a history of people voting along tribal lines sometimes, which is part of the challenge…

Tim Cohen’s recent article in the Daily Maverick critiquing Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) commissioner Unathi Kamlana’s stance on arbitrary bank account closures has exposed the deep-rooted racism that continues to plague South Africa’s mainstream media. Despite the decades that have passed since the end of apartheid, the white-owned media remain a breeding ground for biased and discriminatory narratives, perpetuating the very injustices that the nation has fought so hard to overcome. Kamlana’s speech addressed critical issues of economic inclusion and the social impact of arbitrary bank account closures – matters that have long been blue-ticked by the mainstream. It also dealt with the overused amorphous argument about “reputational risk” used to justify arbitrary bank account closures. His arguments, rightfully so, encapsulated the fact that major industries or sectors cannot…

Stormy Daniels, the porn star at the heart of Donald Trump’s hush money case, took the witness stand yesterday at the blockbuster trial of the former US president. “The people call Stormy Daniels,” prosecutor Susan Hoffinger announced as the 77-year-old Trump sat at the defense table in the Manhattan courtroom flanked by his lawyers. Daniels’ testimony is expected to be a pivotal moment in the courtroom drama rocking the scandal-plagued Republican’s attempt to recapture the White House. Daniels, 45, a longtime actor and director in the adult film industry, says she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 and was then paid to keep quiet about it on the eve of his 2016 election against Hillary Clinton, when the news could have sunk his campaign. Trump denies ever having…

THE BEEFMASTER Group has warned that the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak which occurred on a farm in Humansdorp, in the Eastern Cape, could be more pervasive than what it was believed to be, given a lack of evidence of biosecurity measures. The affected farm has been placed under quarantine and a full epidemio- logical investigation has commenced to identify the possible origin of the virus. The Kouga Local Municipality announced the prohibition of movement of animals within its borders to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious viral infection as surrounding areas have also been affected. Beefmaster supply chain executive, Roelie van Reenen, said the FMD continued to be a threat due to several factors, including the movement of animals from FMD control zones or hotspots, to other areas, a…

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) yesterday responded to attempts to remove Jacob Zuma as leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), saying the former president remained the registered leader of the party and only he could give it instructions on removing candidates from its list for the elections. Jabulani Khumalo, who registered the party last year but was expelled last month, wrote to the IEC and asked the commission to remove Zuma as the “face of MKP and as the president of the MKP”. Khumalo also wrote a letter to Zuma, dated May 5, informing him of his precautionary suspension as a result of “acts of misconduct in relation to the activities of the MKP”. He said these acts had brought the party into disrepute and caused confusion…

After more than 100 years of operation in South Africa, the international energy conglomerate Shell Plc is the latest major company to confirm that it plans to divest from our country due to the inhospitable environment fostered by the ANC government. Currently, Shell operates about 600 forecourts throughout the country. Thousands of jobs are at stake while the ANC, and its prospective coalition partner the EFF, do not care. Both are hell-bent on further entrenching racially motivated statist policies that have no place in a modern democratic South Africa. The company cited local BBBEE requirements as the primary factor for its exit. The race-based disempowerment policy also has the backing of the EFF. With the ANC likely to lose its national majority, the EFF appears to be aligning itself with…

In 1994 when the people elected their government and the country became known as the “Rainbow Nation”, everybody was happy. All would enjoy the fruits of a nation that was free for all. Under Madiba the country became one. To all South Africans Madiba’s passing brought fears of what was to come and I, for one, foresaw the inevitable. The beginning of the “gravy train”, when the country’s economy would be raped by those then elected “democratically”, of course, who would rule as they saw fit. The front page of the April 26 Cape Times showed a picture of a shanty town and no DStv discs were evident. I recently drove down from Hermanus and virtually every dwelling had a DStv dish. I cannot afford DStv, so tell me who…

Regarding the DA’s legal challenge about the excessive restrictions applied during the Covid crisis, it was not the brief of the Supreme Court of Appeal to scrutinise the composition of the role players and the agenda of the intergovernmental committee that was complicit in the decision-making process of then co-operative governance minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma (The Mercury, May 3). But if such scrutiny is made, it would explain why the DA’s demand for Parliamentary oversight was superseded by protocols laid down by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its major funding source, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The role players complicit in the draconian Covid restrictive measures all have a common benefactor: the Gates Foundation. Not only are the SA Medical Research Council and the SA Health Products Regulatory…

THE prioritisation of first-time entry students to benefit from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) at the expense of those who required a second qualification is not a disproportionate measure, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has ruled. Changes were made to the 2020 guidelines for the bursary scheme, driven by a shortfall in the budget allocated to the bursary scheme for the 2021 academic year. The result was that NSFAS was not able to commit to funding students in the same manner as before. This caused three students, enrolled for postgraduate LLB studies at Wits University, to turn to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, as they had lost their funding for their further studies. They challenged the defunding of the postgraduate LLB (pursued as a second qualification) under…

While Msunduzi municipal manager Lulamile Mapholoba says he will report to work today after a Labour Court ruling set aside his suspension due to irregularities, the battle is far from over. This after the municipality confirmed that it was going ahead with disciplinary action against Mapholoba. Mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla said yesterday that the investigation into allegations of wrongdoing against the city manager had been finalised and the team leading the disciplinary process was being appointed. Thebolla said the judgment handed down by the Labour Court in Durban on Monday questioned the process followed in Mapholoba’s suspension in February this year. He said the decision came late because the council had on May 2 already addressed the issues raised in the judgment and the council had gone ahead with suspending Mapholoba…

A POLITICAL party that is serious about attracting voters ahead of a general election does not go around burning flags like the DA has done. Similarly, question marks have to be raised about a political movement like the MK Party that is still fighting for and justifying its existence in courts on the eve of the polls In the case of the DA, there is no doubt that lots of thoughts were bandied about at the Nkululeko House home of the party before the advert, which depicted the national flag going up in flames, was conceived. The party says the advert was meant to highlight that the country is in trouble. But burning the flag is an insult to the voters that John Steenhuisen is trying to attract, despite it…

London: Prince Harry arrived in the UK yesterday for events marking the anniversary of his Invictus Games but will not meet his father King Charles III, who is undergoing cancer treatment, according to his spokesperson. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, was last in the UK in February to visit his father, who had just been diagnosed with cancer. It was expected that the pair would meet at some point during his latest trip. But a spokesperson for the prince, who quit royal frontline duties in January 2020 and now lives in the US with wife Meghan, said there will be no meeting. From London, Harry is due to join Meghan on a visit to Nigeria. | AFP…

PROTEAS seamer Kagiso Rabada is having a solid outing with the Punjab Kings in the IPL, even as some of his national teammates in the fast bowling department are still searching for their best form with the T20 World Cup fast approaching. The 28-year-old Rabada has been a leader of the Kings attack and has played every match so far in the 17th edition of the IPL, picking up 11 wickets at an economy rate of 8.85 runs per over. With only four wins from their 11 matches, the Kings have struggled to get any rhythm and have not been able to string consistent performances together. With limited time between the end of the IPL and the start of the World Cup, Rabada will potentially play a similar role he’s…