Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-05-27 i Mercury

THE SABC said yesterday that it was consulting over a judgment handed down by communications regulator Icasa on the public broadcaster’s decision to ban a DA political advert. The Independent Communications Authority of SA ordered the broadcaster to resume flighting the advert and it recommended that the SABC be fined R500 000 for banning the ad from its public service television channels due to “prejudice caused to the DA”. The DA advert shows the SA flag in the background, and it is titled “This election is about survival”. As the flag burns in the background, a voice says: “The ANC will lose the majority vote for the first time in 30 years but will do anything to stay in power.” As the flag is engulfed by flames, the voice says…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has cautioned against any disruption of the elections, and has urged political parties to refrain from any action that could interfere with the electoral process. Starting today, more than 1.7 million people, who have successfully applied to be special voters, will be able to make their mark. More than 327 000 of these special voters are in KwaZulu-Natal and more than 127 000, who because of ill health and age, will be visited at home by IEC officials, party agents and observers today and tomorrow between 9am and 5pm. Ramaphosa said the election interference reported by the IEC in KZN is a concern. “We should all be concerned about reports that came out today about the obstruction of election activities, including unlawful entry at IEC storage sites.…

This Wednesday marks a day when not only voting happens. Some parties will begin to get toppled. Others start to disappear for a while. Yet others will head for their last sunset and vanish forever. And, yes, some will re- emerge, again, as giants. It also marks a day when some old-world mathematics goes under some revolution. The electronic and gate comes into operation, as small- time, partially-victorious parties throw out hook and bait and invite coalitions. Most voters are also now utilising the other common electronic device termed the "OR gate". "This party or that", by flipping a coin. "Heads I win, tails you lose." Again, as shown elsewhere in the world of late, when does one plus one not equal two any more? Some smart fellows say when…

iN DECEMBER last year, South Africa instituted a case under the 1948 genocide convention following the Holocaust. South Africa argued Palestinians' inalienable right to protection under the convention was at risk of being violated and called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as guardian of the convention, to step in. The ICJ’s decision on Wednesday isn’t about whether or not genocidal acts are being committed in Gaza, but rather whether there was a plausible risk to the Palestinian people’s right to protection. Israel has vehemently denied South Africa’s allegations. On Friday, an international panel of judges at The Hague ruled 13-2 that Israel should halt its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and open the border crossing with Egypt to allow in more humanitarian aid. It also…

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has developed even more teeth in combating corruption on all levels. This, with the president’s signing into law of the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Act to establish the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) as a permanent and adequately empowered entity. This groundbreaking development will create a permanent prosecution-led unit, within the National Prosecuting Authority, with criminal investigative powers to pursue the most complex forms of corruption and associated crimes, in line with its mandate. It will also tackle cases emanating from state capture, which had been lagging. Advocate Mthunzi Mhaga, of the NPA, said Idac accords with international best practice, to protect anti-corruption entities from political interference. It also gives the Idac the critical powers and resources it needs to succeed with the tried and…

IN TODAY’S interconnected world, the idea of shared humanity and global unity has never been more pertinent. I am deeply inspired by fostering a global community where humanity transcends borders. President Xi Jinping’s vision of a “human community with a shared future” is not merely an ideal, it’s a necessity for sustainable global progress. Xi’s emphasis on mutual respect, equity, and co-operation aligns seamlessly with South Africa’s journey towards unity and reconciliation. Our principles of Ubuntu encapsulate the essence of interconnectedness and mutual support. This philosophy is crucial to address global challenges. One of the most compelling aspects of Xi’s vision is the commitment to multilateralism and peaceful coexistence. China has consistently advocated international co-operation on climate change, public health and economic development. This approach is particularly relevant for Africa,…

An intense cyclone smashed into the low-lying coast of Bangladesh yesterday, with nearly a million people fleeing inland for concrete storm shelters away from howling gales and crashing waves. “The severe Cyclone Remal has started crossing the Bangladesh coast,” Bangladesh Meteorological Department director Azizur Rahman told AFP, adding the raging storm could continue hammering the coast until at least the early hours of today. “We have so far recorded maximum wind speeds of 90km/h but the wind speed may pick up more pace.” Forecasters predicted gusts of up to 130km/h with heavy rain and winds also lashing neighbouring India. Authorities have raised the danger signal to its highest level. Cyclones have killed hundreds of thousands of people in Bangladesh in recent decades, but the number of superstorms hitting its densely…

Six newborn babies have died after a fire tore through a children’s hospital in the Indian capital, with people charging into the flames to rescue the infants, police said yesterday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the fire and deaths “heart-rending” in a post on social media. The fire department was called after flames tore through the hospital in Delhi late on Saturday evening. But in the crucial first minutes, it was bystanders who spotted the fire and braved the blaze to rescue the newborns. “All the 12 newborn babies were rescued from the hospital with the help of other people,” senior police officer Surendra Choudhary said, but added that by the time they reached medical attention, six were dead. The blaze broke out hours after a separate fire at…

BERLIN: French President Emanuel Macron landed in Germany yesterday for a three-day state visit followed by a bilateral cabinet meeting as the EU’s two biggest powers seek to show unity ahead of next month’s EU parliamentary elections. Macron’s trip to the capital Berlin, Dresden and Muenster is the first French presidential state visit to Germany in 24 years. Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have publicly clashed on issues from defence to nuclear energy since the latter took power in late 2021. However, they have reached compromises on various fronts of late, , allowing the EU to strike deals, and put on a united front. | Reuters…

Yerevan: Thousands of Armenians staged an anti-government protest yesterday, demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation over territorial concessions to arch foe neighbour Azerbaijan. Protests erupted in the Caucasus nation after the government agreed to hand over to Baku territory it had controlled since the 1990s. The ceded territory is important for landlocked Armenia because it controls sections of a vital highway to Georgia. Armenian residents of nearby settlements say the move cuts them off from the rest of the country and accuse Pashinyan of giving away territory. Pashinyan defended the territorial concessions as aimed at securing peace with Baku. | AFP…

TWO-time defending world champion Francesco Bagnaia snatched victory in the Catalunya MotoGP race yesterday to edge closer to championship leader Jorge Martin. Bagnaia, on his factory Ducati, reeled in race leader Martin before the Italian passed him on lap 20 at turn five, where he crashed out of the sprint race on Saturday, to claim his third victory of the season. Martin could not respond and Bagnaia triumphed by nearly two seconds to cut the gap on the Spaniard to 39 points in the standings. Home favourite Marc Marquez came third ahead of Aleix Espargaro, who announced he is retiring at the end of the season earlier in the week. Marquez is third in the standings, 41 points behind compatriot Martin. “Honestly, I was very angry about yesterday (his crash…

ELECTIONS are an opportunity to reflect on the successes of the outgoing administration and to spell out priorities for the incoming administration. The challenges facing South Africa are complex and at times daunting. They require partnerships between the government, led by the ANC, and business, labour and society. It is important that the right foundations are put in place. All too often politics is treated as a zero-sum game at great cost to the poor and working class. Most peculiarly we have seen the DA, ActionSA and other parties, preaching the way to grow the economy is to slash the meagre wages of workers and scrap the protections and rights that they enjoy. Of course, they don’t apply this philosophy of austerity to the wealthy. Cosatu has seen that…

Tennis champion Venus Williams is enjoying the fruits of her labour as she has been honoured by toy company Mattel, which produces Barbie dolls. In its campaign to celebrate role-model athletes who have broken boundaries to encourage girls to stay in sports and recognise their full potential, Barbie has celebrated Williams with her doll. “Throughout my career, I’ve always been driven by the idea of shattering glass ceilings and staying true to myself, and Barbie’s mission couldn’t resonate more deeply with that ethos,” said the professional American tennis player. “I’m honoured to be recognised as a sports role model and join forces with Team Barbie to continue empowering the next generation of young girls to never stop believing in their dreams.” Her supporters are impressed with the honorary doll.…

Two days before the elections, a tug-of-war has emerged between the MK Party and the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), with the newly formed party accusing the electoral body of working in cahoots with the ANC in rigging the elections. This comes after viral videos emerged on Saturday showing ballot papers stored in a room at warehouses in Hammarsdale and Chesterville, with the MK Party making accusations that the election material was in the possession of a person wearing an ANC T-shirt. However, the IEC has accused the MK Party of interference and said that the ballot papers were kept at storage facilities ahead of the special votes process, which starts today. IEC spokesperson Kate Bapela said the videos from Hammarsdale and the Chesterville depots depict their planned logistical…

It is my pleasure and joy to be near Geneva in Switzerland this week, where I will teach Family Systems theory and practice. Over our five days together I hope to: Cover the history and the development of “The Genogram”. This is a drawing of any client’s family relationships covering at least three generations. The genogram is a predictive tool revealing what’s likely to occur within a family by seeing what’s set in motion by preceding generations. Each student will complete his or her Genogram. Demonstrate how all family members are deeply connected to all other family members and how the connections either nourish or drain individuals and the entire network. Demonstrate how assuming personal responsibility for one’s life lessens the power of the negative (unwanted) themes driving our lives.…

It was so easy. With the stroke of a pen President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the controversial NHI bill into law. But many around the country are not happy with the bill and foresee a long stormy passage for it. Signed just two weeks before the elections, it was a vote-catching ploy. The intentions are good, to level the playing fields in the health sector and make health care accessible to everyone in the country, rich and poor alike. But passing the public health bill, is the easy part; implementation, like many other laws in the country, will be quite a big hurdle, especially so in a country where public service reeks of inefficiency, maladministration and rampant corruption. But the leader of the country does not think so. He says…

The high crime rate in the country highlights the significant challenges our nation is currently facing. We have the power to come together and drive positive change. Instead of feeling disheartened, we can take proactive steps to enhance safety in our communities for everyone. This involves being more vigilant in protecting vulnerable citizens and addressing the underlying causes of crime. While the recent events are distressing, they also serve as a wake-up call for us to hold our government accountable and advocate for policies that prioritise safety and justice. We must channel our concerns into constructive action, whether advocating for improved law enforcement, supporting community initiatives, or engaging in discussions about potential solutions. We can utilise our voices and votes to demand a safer future for all. Once again the…

THE joint standing committee on intelligence (JSCI) wants a review of all legislation dealing with interceptions to allow for all main communication methods. “The seventh JSCI (is going) to make a follow-up with the Minister in the Presidency with regard to the bill on the interception of communication to be introduced,” said the committee. This emerged in the committee’s annual report for the period ending March this year, which was tabled in Parliament last week. The committee identified the absence of regulations to operationalise the mandate, duties, and powers of SAPS-Crime Intelligence as outlined in the National Strategic Intelligence Act. “This legislative gap was concerning due to the intrusive nature of SAPS-CI’s techniques, necessitating regulations. Poorly regulated intelligence services pose a substantive risk to human rights and democratic rule of…

Teachers union Natu said it was concerned about the impact the closure of some KwaZulu-Natal schools this week due to the national elections will have on learning. This follows a directive by the KZN Department of Education indicating that some schools that are voting districts will be closed from May 27-31 to accommodate the elections. The department said that not all schools are affected and those that are affected have been informed. National Teachers’ Union (Natu) president SV Malinga said that the union was not consulted. “We only saw it on paper. This will disturb teaching and learning and the question is, why the whole week?” National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) KZN chief executive Thirona Moodley said that there appears to be confusion regarding the circular issued…

It is completely wrong and ill-considered for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education to close 3 754 schools for the election week. The decision to utilise schools as voting stations, thereby disrupting teaching and learning, should be revisited as it will have detrimental effects on the education of thousands of learners. It is unacceptable that learners whose schools have been classified as voting stations will be languishing at home between May 27 and May 31, potentially missing out on valuable educational opportunities. The impact of this decision will be particularly devastating for learners in crucial years, such as matrics preparing for their exams. These learners cannot afford to miss valuable class time, especially considering the challenges they already face in accessing quality education, particularly in rural areas and townships. Closing schools…

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te extended goodwill towards and offered co-operation with China yesterday following two days of Chinese war games near the island, as a group of US lawmakers arrived in Taipei. China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, carried out the military drills last week, calling them “punishment” after Lai’s inauguration speech last Monday which Beijing called another push for the island’s formal independence. China has repeatedly lambasted Lai as a “separatist”. Lai rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future. He has repeatedly offered talks but has been rebuffed. Speaking at a meeting of his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Tainan, Lai called on China to “share the heavy responsibility of regional stability with Taiwan”, according to comments provided…

WASHINGTON: Presidential candidate Donald Trump was booed and heckled by many in a raucous audience at the Libertarian National Convention at the weekend. Libertarians, who believe in limited government and individual freedom, blame Trump, a Republican, for rushing through the creation of a Covid-19 vaccine when he was president and for not doing more to stop public health restrictions on the unvaccinated during the pandemic. Trump mentioned the 88 felony charges he faces in four federal and state prosecutions. “If I wasn’t a libertarian I am now,” he said. He denounced the administration of President Joe Biden as being part of a “rise in left-wing fascism”. Libertarians garnered only 1.2% of the national vote in 2020, but November’s election could be decided by just tens of thousands of votes in…

LONDON: Twelve people were injured during turbulence on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Ireland that landed safely yesterday, Dublin airport authorities said. The incident comes a week after a passenger died and dozens were injured when a Singapore Airlines flight from London hit severe turbulence and was diverted to Bangkok. Six passengers and six crew members suffered injuries in the latest incident, when Qatar Airways flight QR017 endured turbulence over Türkiye, Dublin airport said. “The flight landed as scheduled just before 1pm yesterday. The aircraft was met by emergency services, including police and our fire and rescue department.” | AFP…

LONDON: Britain’s Conservative Party will introduce mandatory national service for 18 year olds if it wins the national election on July 4, comprising military or community participation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said yesterday. Young adults will be able to choose between spending one weekend a month volunteering for a year, or take up one of 30 000 spaces to spend a year in the armed forces. The announcement followed Labour Party leader Keir Starmer’s comments that he favoured allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote. Interior minister James Cleverly said there are no criminal sanctions for skipping mandatory service but people will be compelled to do it. | Reuters…

AFTER two weeks of strong bullish movements in most financial markets across the globe, uncertainty has crept in since the middle of last week. This was mostly in reaction to the release by the US Federal Reserve of the minutes of its Federal Open Market Committee meeting, held April 30 to May 1, 2024. “Participants observed that while inflation had eased over the past year, in recent months there had been a lack of further progress toward the committee’s 2% objective,” the summary stated. The words that the equity, bond and emerging economies foreign exchange markets did not want to hear, were: “Various participants mentioned a willingness to tighten policy further, should risks to inflation materialise in a way that such an action became appropriate.” This after various data over…

FORMER president Jacob Zuma has spoken out about his imprisonment, saying he handed himself over to the prison authorities to prevent a bloodbath outside his home. In order to avoid a deadly clash between the police, the army and those who had come to defend him, he said he decided to hand himself over to the prison authorities despite the fact that every fibre of his being was against it. Zuma spoke in detail of what he sees as the wrong things that occurred leading up to his incarceration, describing the process as deeply flawed, undemocratic and a violation of his rights. Speaking in a television interview, Zuma alluded to a conspiracy against him. “I have been very clear all the time that there was a particular attitude towards me,…

‘And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’ He chortled in his joy. Was this Sharks coach John Plumtree doing the chortling? Who’s is the beamish boy? Skipper Even Etzebeth? Man of the match Vincent Koch? One of try-scorers Pepsi Buthelezi, Aphelele Fassi and Makazole Mapimpi? Find of the season, flyhalf Siya Masuku, with his eight out of nine goal kicks, on top of his skilled launching of attack after attack? Callooh! Callay! One simply has to borrow from Lewis Carrol’s Jabberwocky to capture the sheer delight of all who are hitched to Sharks rugby – players, coaches, supporters – at the team’s decisive win over Gloucester to take the Challenge Cup, their first-ever win in an international competition,…

THE Media Review Network welcomes the latest verdict from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in the case brought by South Africa, ordering the Zionist entity to immediately cease all military operations and withdraw from Rafah in Gaza. The court further ordered the Zionist entity to withdraw from the Rafah Crossing and allow unhindered flow of aid into the besieged enclave. In light of the desperate humanitarian situation, the ICJ reiterated previous orders made, including ordering the entity to cease all genocidal actions against the Palestinians. Hot on the heels of news of the impending ICC arrest warrants for the Zionist entity’s chief genocide enablers, Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICJ ruling is expected to pile additional international and diplomatic pressure on the regime in Tel Aviv. The international consensus is…

In a victory judgment for non-profit organisations which offer welfare services to vulnerable people, the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg this week ordered the Department of Social Development to pay NPOs so that they could continue with their services. The court granted an order directing the department to finalise the adjudication of applications submitted by Gauteng social work NPOs to the department in November last year. The department was given until last Friday to do so, and it must make payments to those NPOs which have already signed their service-level agreements by the end of the month. The court went further and imposed judicial supervision over the department to monitor the implementation of the order. These NPOs, which include House Otto Self-help Centre for Quadriplegics, Impumelelo Self-help Centre, Remme-los Residential Care…

THE Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) has announced renewed funding from the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) to support its work in developing improved treatments for newborn babies with sepsis. The funding will be used to include Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Johannesburg as well as Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, in Part 2 of a global clinical trial aimed at evaluating much-needed antibiotic combinations for babies with sepsis. The SAMRC is providing R6.4 million in funding for the project and to support staff overseeing critical aspects of the study in South Africa over the next two years. “We greatly appreciate the support of the SAMRC in this vital work, which has the potential to provide significant insights for local clinical management and effective treatment of newborns…

A SPOTLIGHT has been shone on the progress made in the case involving the theft of more than 1 million rounds of ammunition from a Durban storage facility almost three years ago during the riots of July 2021. Speaking at the recent Independent Media Election Dialogue in Durban, ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) member Nhlakanipho Ntombela questioned why no arrests had been made in the case. Ntombela said more than a million rounds of ammunition was moved from a Transnet holding site to a warehouse in Mobeni, where it was looted. According to reports, police had refused the request to move the container filled with ammunition to the warehouse, and investigations at the time were being carried out to determine who had provided the authorisation to do so. Police said…

Millions of voters seem to be flapping around in the same miserable circles FOR the first time in my life, I am genuinely unsure how to vote in these elections. But I will vote for many good reasons. I am officially an undecided voter: a massive jelly of doubt quivering unsteadily from side to side. This state is somewhat embarrassing, given that firstly, it is primarily my responsibility to have an opinion, and secondly that I have spent the last six months traipsing to the reading of 21 manifestos cover to cover, crisscrossing the country conducting voter education and conflict resolution training, interviewing candidates and voters to discover trends. Which is why the Kagiso Trust, the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council, the KwaZulu-Natal Religious Leaders Forum, the Election Monitoring Network and others…

Hamas said it launched missiles at Tel Aviv yesterday, prompting sirens to sound in the Israeli city for the first time in four months as the Palestinian group sought to show military strength despite Israel’s Gaza offensive. The Israeli military said eight projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Rafah, the southern tip of the Gaza Strip where Israel kept up operations despite a ruling by the top UN court ordering it to stop attacking the city. The Israeli military said a number of the projectiles were intercepted. Israeli emergency services said they had received no reports of casualties. The Hamas al-Qassam Brigades said the rockets were launched in response to “Zionist massacres against civilians”. Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV said the rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip. Rafah is…

More than 670 people are believed to be dead after a massive landslide in Papua New Guinea (PNG), a UN official said yesterday as aid workers and villagers braved perilous conditions in their search for survivors. The once-bustling hillside village in Enga province was almost completely obliterated when the landslide struck in the early hours on Friday, burying scores of homes and people sleeping inside them. “There are an estimated 150-plus houses buried,” said UN migration agency representative Serhan Aktoprak, adding that “670-plus people are assumed dead”. “The situation is terrible with the land still sliding. The water is running and this is creating a massive risk for everyone,” added Aktoprak, who oversees teams of emergency workers from Port Moresby. The unforgiving terrain, damaged roads and an outbreak of tribal…

The Hague: A concert by US rapper Nicki Minaj in Britain was called off at the last minute on Saturday, after she was detained at Amsterdam’s main airport on suspicion of possessing dagga. She was due to perform in Manchester but posted on X that authorities “said they found weed” in her luggage. Minaj said that this belonged to her security guard and that her bags had been searched “without consent”. Without naming her, officials said that the suspect had been released after the payment of a “reasonable” fine. | AFP…

KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping yesterday to attend his peace summit as Ukraine struggles to stave off unrelenting attacks by Russia in its 27-month-old invasion. Ukraine hopes to host as many countries as possible at Kyiv-led talks in Switzerland next month aimed at uniting global opinion on how to halt the war and piling pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has not been invited. Zelenskiy spoke in a video recorded in Kharkiv, inside the charred remains of a printing house destroyed last week in a Russian missile strike. He said more than 80 countries would attend. A US official said the US would attend the summit. | Reuters…

If Manchester United’s thrilling and surprise FA Cup victory over Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday was manager Erik ten Hag’s final game as their manager, then what a send-off it was. Teenagers Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scored to lead United to a 2-1 upset of the holders and Premier League champions as speculation swirled about Ten Hag’s future. Although the 54-year-old Dutchman told ITV he had no doubt he would be back and has said he has received the backing of the club’s owners all season, he was less confident in his post-game press conference. “I don’t think about this,” Ten Hag said when asked about his future. “I’m in a project and we are exactly where we want to be. We’re constructing a team. When I took…