Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-06-14 i Mercury

MR PRICE Group plans to spend R1 billion on capital expenditure during its 2025 financial year and it plans to open 200 new stores. CEO Mark Blair said at the release of annual results for the year to March 31, 2024, that the later arrival of winter had caused subdued trade in the first two months of the 2025 (financial)year. Despite this, there were market share gains in April 2024 and sales growth recovered strongly in early June, driven by the onset of winter. “We have strong positive momentum, and our team is energised by the plans we have in place,” he said. Group retail sales in the first quarter to June 11, 2024, increased 4.4%, against sales growth in the base of 17%, at higher gross profit margins…

MERCEDES-BENZ South Africa has started talks to restructure its East London manufacturing plant that might include retrenching up to 700 workers, due to port and other challenges, including the weak economy. The group, which employs about 3 000 staff at its East London assembly factory, said in a JSE regulatory notice yesterday that the Section 189 consultations would involve discussions regarding the restructuring of its manu- facturing operations, transitioning from the current three-shift model to a two-shift model. “Despite our best efforts, the current operating environment remains challenging, necessitating further action to ensure the long-term sustainability of our manufacturing operations,” the group said. The East London plant is part of the group’s global production network for its C-Class model, and most of its vehicles – it produced 90…

THE AFRICAN Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has warned that South Africa’s economic shocks could continue dragging growth in the southern African region further, following its decline to 1.3% in 2023, down from about 4.5% in 2021. Afreximbank’s latest annual Africa analysis report titled “A Resilient Africa: Delivering Growth in a Turbulent World” forecasts that African economies will grow on average by 3.8% in 2024 – slightly ahead of predicted global growth of 3.2% – prior to increasing by 4% in 2025. The report also revealed that African economies face several downside risks, including increasing levels of sovereign debt and associated sustainability risks, excessive exposure to adverse terms-of-trade shocks, escalating geopolitical tensions in some cases, volatile domestic political environments in certain African countries, high commodity prices and inflationary pressures, and potential food…

ANALYSTS are upbeat that the JSE and SA Inc will rebound on the back of receding load shedding and expectations that the ANC will be less radical as it forms a Government of National Unity (GNU) with other political parties. The JSE Top-40 index closed 1.3% higher on Wednesday, with “investors keenly awaiting indications of the new government formation ahead of lawmakers being sworn in and the presidential election” today, according to analysts at Stanlib. After the ANC announced that it was inclined towards forming a GNU following the May 29 elections, the rand has been performing positively. SA Inc stocks on the JSE have also been on the rebound following successive losses earlier this week. “There appears to be a rally in ‘SA Inc’ shares due to optimism surrounding…

An increasing number of individuals and couples are opting to have children after the age of 40. This is due to a variety of reasons, including societal norms, career aspirations, advancements in reproductive technology and improved health care. But as having a child later in life comes with unique challenges, this has led to many ungrounded beliefs about parenthood. “While challenges exist, many myths surrounding this decision are based on outdated information or generalised assumptions,” said Murray Hewlett, CEO of health coverage provider Affinity Health. Below, he debunks several myths about having a baby after 40. It’s impossible to conceive naturally after 40 Hewlett noted that while fertility does decline with age, many individuals and couples successfully conceive naturally in their forties. He said that according to the American College…

The long-standing debate about whether pit bulls should be banned in South Africa is back on the table as various organisations voice their opinions. This comes after two pit bulls mauled a 54-year-old man in Mitchells Plain, in the Western Cape a week ago, leaving him hospitalised. The two pit bulls tore at Anthony “Anton” Cupido’s face, head, and arms, leaving him in a pool of blood and unrecognisable. The dogs were apparently taken for a walk without any leashes by the owner’s daughter. The incident has caused attitudes about the power breed to become divided once more, as pit bull behaviour is again in the spotlight. No breed should be banned and the pit bull should not be singled out, according to the Pit Bull Federation of South Africa.…

The Springboks will be without eight injured Springboks for at least the first two Tests of the international season. Coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed yesterday that World Cup winners Steven Kitshoff, Jean Kleyn, Damian Willemse, Canan Moodie, Jaden Hendrikse and Kurt-Lee Arendse are all nursing injuries, alongside 2019 winner Lood de Jager, loose forward Jean-Luc du Preez and young centre Henco van Wyk. They will not be considered for the first two matches of Erasmus’ second reign, while double world champion Cheslin Kolbe, who has a knee niggle, should be available for the Irish Test, but will miss next weekend’s clash against Wales. South Africa and the Welshmen will clash at Twickenham in London next Saturday, and as things stand, a depleted and inexperienced Bok team could take to the field.…

The 16 DStv Premiership sides have already begun putting their transfer plans into action as they look to refurbish their squads for the 2024/2025 season. Even though the play-offs have not yet been completed, clubs are already signing players to bolster their teams. Surprisingly, Richards Bay are one of the early movers in the market, despite their involvement in the play-offs. The Natal Rich Boyz benefited from post-season tournaments in the past, and this year was no different as they scouted two players from the recently concluded Khabba Cup. The club have acquired left-back Sibani Mtungwa, 21, and central defender Fezile Gcaba, 25, from ABC Motsepe League side Mkhumbane Classic FC, and the duo will wait to see whether they’ll ply their trade in the top flight or second tier.…

IMPALA Platinum (Implats) has received approvals for its R9 billion empowerment programme that is now in effect. Last month, Implats informed shareholders that it had concluded a transaction to raise broad-based black economic empowerment in its operations and those of Impala Bafokeng. The empowerment transaction also includes community and employee share ownership schemes. “Shareholders are advised that all the remaining conditions precedent have been fulfilled, and the effective date of the Empowerment Transaction is June 7, 2024,” Implats said yesterday. It had picked up Siyanda Resources as its empowerment partner, citing the Bakgatla platinum mine’s “demonstrable track record” as well as “the experience of its executive and operational leadership” and “its standing, reputation and depth of relationships in the broader Rusten- burg” community. The Community Share Ownership Trust (CSOT),…

SOUTH African Canegrowers has slammed a recent study that contradicts its assertion that the Health Promotion Levy (HPL, or sugar tax) has resulted in 16 000 job losses in the sugar and beverage industries, with a further loss of 10% of direct jobs expected by 2031. This comes after a study by the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC)/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science (Priceless SA) found the introduction of the sugar tax “has not been associated with job losses in the sugar-related industries in South Africa”. SA Canegrowers chairperson Higgins Mdluli on Wednesday said the Priceless SA research on the impact of the sugar tax may be conflicted as the organisation admitted in their own publications and website that they “advocated for the Health Promotion Levy before…

PRODUCTION from Gold Fields’ Salares Norte Project in Chile has been disrupted by adverse weather conditions, while the suspension of dismantling of a rocky portion of the area has been suspended by a further 120 days, forcing the company to cut its production outlook. This prompted an11.25% fall in the company’s stock price on the JSE to close at R258.57 per share yesterday. Prior to this, JSE-listed Gold Fields had rallied by as much as 3.8% in the past seven days. Gold Fields yesterday reported that the ramp-up of production at the Salares Norte Project had been “negatively impacted by the early onset of winter events in Chile, which have persisted” in recent weeks. “These weather events resulted in the freezing of material in the piping of the process…

Job burn-out is a type of work- related stress that leaves people feeling physically and emotionally worn out. It can also make individuals feel useless, powerless and empty. While burn-out isn’t a medical diagnosis, some experts believe it might be linked to conditions like depression. Though burn-out can increase the risk of depression, the two are different and require different treatments. In today’s world of constant crises, International SOS, a top health and security services company, has highlighted insights from its report, “Risk Outlook 2024”. The report shows that employees are burning out because of crisis fatigue is becoming a major issue. Around two-thirds of surveyed professionals expect more challenges in keeping their workforce healthy, secure and well. This is the highest level of concern seen in the past…

Wednesday June 12 marked 60 years since anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada, Andrew Mlangeni, Nelson Mandela, Elias Motsoaledi, Walter Sisulu and Govan Mbeki were sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island. The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Rivonia Trial under the theme, “The Rivonia Trial – 60 years on: Reflections on the trial and the role of the judiciary in a constitutional democracy in 2024”. The event took place at the Palace of Justice in Pretoria, where the actual trial took place in 1964. The sitting was attended by the Kathrada, Sisulu, Motsoaledi and Mlangeni families. The programme included a keynote address by Justice Jody Kollapen, reflections from family members of the trialists and a re-enactment of Kathrada’s cross-examination by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Youth. It was…

The eThekwini Municipality has called on political parties to remove their election material and posters in Durban and surrounding areas or be fined R200 per poster. Parties have 30 days from May 29 to remove their election campaign material. In a bid to restore the visual integrity of urban landscapes and ensure environmental cleanliness, municipalities in South Africa’s major cities – eThekwini, Ekurhuleni and Cape Town – have issued a strict deadline for the removal of all election campaign materials. eThekwini’s by-laws indicate that campaign material must be taken down within 30 days after the 2024 general elections, which were held on May 29. The City said if the responsible political party did not comply, the City would remove the posters itself at a cost of R200 per poster, which…

Many African countries reject external interference and Western paternalism The BRICS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia from June 10 to 11. At this meeting of foreign ministers, which was the first after the historic expansion last year, chief diplomats of Egypt and Ethiopia made their debut at the BRICS family. Together with South Africa’s Foreign Minister Pandor and other BRICS counterparts, they articulated the voice of both Africa and the BRICS to commit to upholding multilateralism, international fairness and justice, and the common interests of the Global South. In the mid-to-late 20th century, African countries won national liberation and independence one after another, which was regarded as Africa’s “first awakening” featuring anti-colonialism and the quest for independence. In recent years, with reinvigorated energy and vitality, the…

The bad blood between the Premier Soccer League and the SA Football Association has had serious implications for Bafana Bafana over time. The time has come for Safa to take action to ensure the PSL no longer jeopardises the national team. Since Hugo Broos was appointed SA coach just over two years ago, he has never had more than a week to work with the squad ahead of tournaments or matches. Earlier this year, Bafana Bafana had less than a week to prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. The PSL had decided to continue their domestic schedule up to the last day (December 31) ahead of the start of the international window (January 1). The PSL’s final 2023 fixture was on December 31, despite Safa’s call…

The India Women’s team are powerhouses in women’s cricket just as much as the men, with the side being particularly dominant in their home conditions. This makes India a uniquely tough challenge for the Proteas Women as the multi-format tour gets under way with the first ODI at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday (10am start, SA time). Being on the subcontinent, India traditionally dishes out slow and turning surfaces, conditions that the South Africans tend to struggle to negotiate. What makes the tour more daunting for the Proteas is how the Indian bowling attack is curated for their own conditions, in that they have swing bowlers who can extract any movement there is with the new ball up front, before their world-class spin bowlers look to keep…

GERMANY begin their quest for a first major title in a decade as the Euro 2024 hosts play their Group A opener against Scotland tonight (9pm start, SA time) to kick off the tournament and what the country hopes will be a month-long party for visiting fans. Germany have won four World Cups and three European Championships, but their stellar tournament reputation has been somewhat tarnished with a series of failures since their 2014 World Cup victory in Brazil. They went out of the next two World Cups at the group stage, their worst showing in over 80 years, and exited the last Euros in the round of 16. With the tournament on home soil, there is only one outcome that will satisfy Germany’s fans, who are desperate for the…

MTN, AFRICA’s largest telecoms company, said yesterday that its Business unit had been awarded a contract by the National Treasury to provide smart electricity and water solutions across South Africa. “National Treasury was looking for a cost-effective solution that would also meet very high technical requirements, including query resolutions and training for municipal staff,” said Tumi Sekhukhune-Chamayou, MTN South Africa chief enterprise business officer. The contract will see MTN Business offering its digital solutions to 257 municipalities through a three-year transversal contract, with revenue being earned based on how many municipalities sign up and what services they opt into. As of this month, MTN Business will supply, deliver, install, manage and maintain end-to-end smart metering solutions across the country. Smart meters enable utility service providers across the world to digitalise…

GROWING consumer demand due to increased awareness of the nutritional benefits of tomatoes presents an opportunity for the industry to innovate and invest in research and the development of organic and climate resilient varieties. This is according to a National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) policy brief, compiled by Thulani Ningi, Moses Lubinga, Corné Dempers and Matume Maila, and released yesterday. According to the brief, there is a need for collaboration among tomato industry players, the private sector, development agencies and the government to enhance existing financial interventions, which would increase farmer revenue and promote a sustainable tomato value chain. “To foster a more competitive and diverse sector, industry stakeholders must actively encourage and support new entrants (growers and processors),” the brief states. “This support should include providing access to training…

MINING activity in South Africa is expected to continue on an upward trajectory for the better half of this year after rebounding at the beginning of the second quarter. Data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) yesterday showed that mining production rose 0.7% year-on-year in April, rebounding from a downwardly revised 4.8% fall in March, buoyed by the suspension of load shedding and progress being made at the ports. This could also mean that mining could contribute positively to the second quarter’s real gross domestic growth (GDP) after being one of the three productive sectors, including manufacturing and construction, that dragged growth to 0.1% in the first quarter. StatsSA said the largest positive contributors were platinum group metals (PGMs), chromium ore and other non-metallic minerals. According to the World Platinum Investment…

THE COMMISSIONING of the new power generating set for Mast Energy, the UK subsidiary of JSE-listed Kibo Energy, is now under way at the company’s Pyebridge site. Mast Energy has said it was exploring avenues for further capital expenditure to fund its other power-generation projects that are under development or ready for construction. The commissioning of the latest Pyebridge genset will provide power production impetus to the company. “The final remaining step in the process is the recommissioning of the new genset, which is currently under way,” the company said yesterday. It added that it expected the overhaul of the genset to be completed and for it to commence commercial operational running and revenue generation by the end of this month. This follows the receipt of the replacement genset long-block…

Want to show dad – or the father figure in your life – how much you appreciate him? We are here to help with this easy and delicious firewater beef rump, with pickled cucumber and carrot salad recipe by chefs Craig Cormack and Beau du Toit, from Salt restaurant at the Waterford Estate in Stellenbosch. Father’s Day is a perfect day to cook something special. Whether you are firing up the grill for a traditional meat-and-veggies feast or simmering a favourite comfort food on the stove, it is important to show off bold flavours, crowd-pleasing ingredients and a bit of indulgence. It is his special day, after all. So use this recipe to make dad feel special this Father’s Day. Firewater beef rump, with pickled cucumber and carrot salad Yield:…

A 38-year-old man has died of Mpox at a hospital in uMgungundlovu in KwaZulu-Natal, bringing the death toll in the country to two and the total number of laboratory confirmed cases to six. Health Minister Joe Phaahla made the announcement yesterday, less than 24 hours after he updated the nation about the Mpox outbreak in the country. The Mercury reported yesterday that two cases, one of which resulted in death, were reported in Gauteng and three in the eThekwini region of KwaZulu-Natal. The cases are all men aged between 30 and 39 without any history of travel to the countries currently experiencing an outbreak. “Mpox virus is transmitted from one person to another by close contact with lesions, sexual contact, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.…

THERE should not be an expectation that run-scoring will increase dramatically now that the Proteas have moved to the Caribbean for the next leg of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, according to former national team assistant coach Vincent Barnes. Having been on numerous tours to the West Indies – including the 2010 T20 World Cup, when the global jamboree was last held on the tropical islands – Barnes feels that batting will remain a challenge. The Proteas top-order struggled in the US in their opening three matches held at the Nassau County Ground in New York, where the newly-laid surface offered plenty of assistance to the seam bowlers upfront. It is hoped that the change of venue – the Proteas face Nepal in St Vincent and Grenadine in their…

SHERFANE Rutherford rescued the West Indies with the bat and their bowlers contained New Zealand to complete a 13-run victory in a Group C match of the T20 World Cup in Trinidad on Wednesday night (yesterday morning, SA time). Rutherford’s unbeaten 68 off 39 balls lifted the home side from the depths of 30-5 in the seventh over to a competitive 149-9 after they were put in to bat. Thrashed in their opening match by Afghanistan in Guyana and therefore in a virtual must-win situation, the Black Caps never developed any momentum in the chase in being restricted to 136-9. Pacer Alzarri Joseph (4-19) and spinners Gudakesh Motie (3-25) and Akeal Hosein (1-21) kept the home side in control to clinch their third consecutive victory and a place in the…

The University of Pretoria’s dip in form towards the end of the Motsepe Foundation Championship league season has not only cost them the title, but it could potentially cost them a place in the Premier Soccer League as the promotion battle heats up . AmaTuks will have their fate in their hands when they square off against in-form Richards Bay FC at the Tuks Stadium tomorrow (3pm kick-off). The former Nedbank Cup finalists were in a good position to challenge for the NFD title, with only a point separating them from eventual champions Magesi FC with 21 matches played. A late charge by Dikwena tsa Meetse – who are led by former Bloemfontein Celtic coach Clinton Larsen – saw them ease ahead of AmaTuks and earn a place in South…