Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-06-18 i Mercury

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa will soon be inaugurated, and the Cabinet appointed. It will be critical for the GNU to move with speed to address the key obstacles facing the economy, create decent work and reduce poverty and inequality. Efficient transport infrastructure is fundamental to growing the economy and supporting the social wage the working class depends upon. Transport, from Transnet to Metro Rail, buses and taxis, needs interventions and investments to unlock the economy and improve the lives of workers. The government led by the ANC has made massive progress in overcoming load shedding with its interventions at Eskom. The next crucially urgent entity is Transnet, whose rail and ports are key to ensuring our mining, manufacturing and agricultural exports can reach their markets. An efficient Transnet will ease the…

THE key working agreement between the EFF and the ANC in the eThekwini Municipality has been dismantled with the Red Berets announcing the party is pulling out of the relationship. The EFF said the ANC would now have to rely on its partners in the Provincial Government of Unity (PGU) to govern the province’s biggest municipality. Prior to last month’s elections, the EFF had registered gains in the province in the national and local government elections with the party hoping to double its representation in the provincial legislature. However, with the ANC angling towards a national and KwaZulu-Natal coalition that does not include the EFF, the writing was on the wall for their working relationship. The developments in eThekwini come after the ANC axed EFF regional leader Nkululeko Dunga as…

The long dream and agenda for the return of white supremacy to power has been realised in Mzansi and Cyril Ramaphosa has delivered, just like FW de Klerk predicted he would. From the inception of the “ThumaMina” administration, the direction was clear and was mistakenly leaked by Deputy President Paul Mashatile on national television: to get the ANC less than 50% of the vote so that it could enter into a coalition. The call for the ANC to work with the DA has been resonating from the high echelons of the ThumaMina administration, with former minister of transport Fikile Mbalula once coming out about it, president of the ANC Veterans’ League Snuki Zikalala was heard again echoing the sentiments and Mavuso Msimang, after he resigned from the ANC, also made…

(LETTER writer) Essa needs reminding that Girmityas do not need his Aprowalla take on where we came from. He selectively leaves out Andhra Pradesh from where a significant number of our forebears came. Is it because the TDP-BJP-JSP alliance won 21 of the 25 Lok Sabha seats? Ironically Gujarat, from where Essa’s merchant forebears came, saw BJP win 25 out of 26 seats. For the Hindu community, the link to India is primarily spiritual, not restricted to any specific region, because our sacred sites are spread across India. That aside, South Africa is our motherland. Essa’s “One’s mother remains mother” is highly ironic: Islamic clerics have condemned the Indian practice of calling the country “Mother India”. Hence they are not permitted to say “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” (Hail Mother India).…

Brand public relations has become a cornerstone of successful business strategy. It’s not just about managing crises or maintaining reputation anymore; it’s about proactively and strategically building a brand’s identity and value. If brand PR is not executed optimally, it could pose significant risks to a business. A poorly managed PR strategy could lead to a tarnished brand image, decreased customer loyalty and, ultimately, a decline in market share. If the process of proactively and strategically building a brand’s identity and value is not handled with care and expertise, it could result in miscommunication, misrepresentation and a disconnect with the target audience. This could potentially alienate customers, leading to lost sales and opportunities. Brand PR aims to develop and sustain a positive image of the brand, creating a strong, recognisable…

AN EASTERN Cape farmworker is facing eviction from a farm at which he says he worked and resided for more than 30 years. Lulama Kapa, represented by the independent public interest law centre Legal Resources Centre (LRC), appeared in the Tsolo Magistrate’s Court recently to fight his eviction in terms of the Extension of Security of Tenure Act (Esta). Kapa says he first came to reside on the farm in Tsolo as a farmworker in 1989, and thereafter remained on the farm with the consent of the private landowner, and thereafter the State. He currently occupies the farm with his wife, their disabled daughter and two farmworkers, all of whom will be homeless if the eviction succeeds. According to the LRC, in the early 2000s the Department of Agriculture, Land…

Just over two weeks after a devastating tornado tore through oThongathi (Tongaat), reducing many homes to rubble and altering lives forever, the people of the affected areas found themselves spending Father’s Day and Youth Day in a profoundly different way. The celebrations which would have been marked by joyous gatherings and heartfelt moments, was overshadowed by the devastating impact of the tornado. OThongathi became unrecognisable amid the debris of uprooted trees and 7 000 houses damaged with 12 people losing their lives, while damage costs following the devastating storm have reached R1.3 billion. Many families spent the long weekend sifting through the remains of their homes, searching for salvageable items, and comforting one another in the face of unimaginable loss. Sibongiseni Mzila said he did not even realise it was…

The newly formed Government of National Unity (GNU), comprising the ANC, DA, IFP, and several smaller parties, faces a monumental task. Despite significant opposition to this unprecedented coalition, it represents a unique opportunity for South Africa. For the first time since 1994, the ANC will not dominate the National Assembly, signalling a shift towards a more balanced political landscape. This political arrangement extends to provincial governments, as seen in KwaZulu-Natal, where the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, despite receiving 45% of the votes, has been sidelined by a coalition of the ANC, IFP, DA and NFP. The true test of this coalition’s success lies not in its composition but in its ability to address the pressing issues facing the nation, chief among them youth unemployment. The people of KZN like the rest…

Tens of thousands of Muslim minority Rohingya are feared to be caught in fighting in western Myanmar, as a powerful armed ethnic group bears down on junta positions in a coastal town on the border with Bangladesh, which is reluctant to accept them. The Arakan Army (AA) – fighting for autonomy for Myanmar’s Rakhine region – said late on Sunday that residents of Maungdaw town, inhabited primarily by the Rohingya, should leave by 9pm (local time) ahead of a planned offensive on the settlement. The AA’s attack on Maungdaw is the latest in a months-long rebel onslaught against the Myanmar junta, which took power in a February 2021 coup, and now finds itself in an increasingly weakened position across large parts of the country. “Due to concerns for the safety…

MERTHYR TYDFIL: Nigel Farage, whose entry into the election has damaged British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s faint hopes of victory, set out his policy plans yesterday, describing them as the first step to becoming the dominant party on the right of British politics. He said the earlier-than-expected election had come too soon for his Reform UK party but called on supporters of Sunak’s Conservatives to “join the revolt” and pitched Reform as the only ones who could hold to account Labour, whose leader Keir Starmer is forecast to become the next prime minister. Farage has pressured the government over cutting immigration. In Clacton-on-Sea, southeast England, polling shows he could win a place in parliament, but Reform is only expected to win a handful of seats. | Reuters…

Beijing: Four people were killed, and two others are missing after landslides caused by torrential rains swept through Wuping County, east China’s Fujian province, according to local authorities yesterday. As of yesterday afternoon, a total of 47 800 people in Wuping, Longyan City, have been impacted by the downpours starting from June 16, reports Xinhua news agency. Several towns in Shanghang County suffered road damage and partial interruption of communication and power due to prolonged heavy rainfall. The local flood control headquarters in Wuping initiated a Level I emergency response for heavy rain. | IANS…

OUR NEW AND squeaky-clean Madam Speaker, then standing in for Madam Speaker Baleka Mbete, had an embarrassingly entertaining moment when then as then Deputy President, honourable Ramaphosa had a no holds promotion of Max Condoms on full display in the House. Giggles ran throughout the house as Ramaphosa emphasised the benefits of Max for pleasure that comes in attractive colours, no odour and no vrrrpha (noise) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv88uJJIh_E. On Friday the 14th at the sitting of parliament of the 7th administration, Thoko Didiza was elected as Madam Speaker, and will be in full glare of the nation to direct the affairs of the Legislature well beyond Max for maximum pleasure and maximum protection, the promotion of which she encountered on the 1st of September 2016. The circumstances have changed dramatically,…

POLITICAL analysts have weighed in after former president Jacob Zuma slammed the Government of National Unity (GNU). During his media briefing on Sunday night, Zuma, who now leads the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP), described the GNU as a deal for the markets and not for the people, adding that it was sponsored by big business. Zuma labelled the GNU as nonsense, saying the political conditions had changed since the formation of the first GNU in 1994. He said it is a white-led “unholy alliance” between the DA and ANC. He vowed to expose “white agents” who he alleged planned to take the country back to apartheid. “They want to make us a country at war and they are giving us this GNU. But there is no government of national…

FANS at American singer Taylor Swift’s Scotland concerts recently danced so hard they set off earthquake monitors, according to the British Geological Survey. Seismic activity was recorded up to 6km away during three gigs – Friday, Saturday and Sunday – according to Sky News. It happened at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield stadium, with some of her biggest songs causing spikes in activity every night. “Honestly, it was the most magical and wonderful night,” said Lindsay Hempenstall, a lass who was at the Friday gig. “A stadium full of complete love and joy, singing at the top of our lungs and sharing it all with more than 70 000 other people and my nine-year-old daughter.” The Friday night is thought to be the most highly attended show in Scottish history, which Taylor…

Heads you win, tail you lose. Jacob Zuma made an emphatic return to politics by playing a pivotal role in his new party, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, (MKP), a resounding success in the elections. It pushed aside the EFF and became the third largest party in the National Assembly. Its success was even better in the provincial elections in KZN where it won an overwhelming majority. The MKP members celebrated. They thought they had KZN securely in their fold. Sadly, it was not to be. The ANC, DA and IFP banded together and ousted the MKP from the provincial legislature. The same thing happened at national level. The ANC teamed up with the DA, the IFP and the Patriotic Alliance to form a multiparty democratic government to govern South Africa…

I AM DONE. I have lived and tried to participate in the change I believe in. This façade of a Government of National Unity (GNU) reads “Coalition of Genocide Enablers”. Evil is rendered halaal. There, I have dared to declare. Like the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, I borrow from Francis Fukuyama. This is the end of history and the end of the ANC. I have nothing more to contribute. In Khalil Gibran’s refrain, “A little while, a moment of rest upon the wind, and another woman shall bear me.” Peace be unto you, Azania. To my children whom I’ve failed, another Hector Pieterson must be born. You deserve so much more.…

A wife and her estranged husband are at loggerheads as to whether they were indeed married, with the wife maintaining that they were married in terms of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, while the husband argued that no “holy matrimony” service followed the customary marriage, thus, according to him, there was never a valid marriage. The plaintiff (the wife) told the High Court sitting in Bloemfontein that she and the defendant (husband) were married in community of property during a traditional wedding ceremony which took place in 2014. She said that the lobola negotiated – R15 000 – was paid on the same date as the traditional marriage. The husband’s family welcomed her into their family, but the condition set by the wife’s family was that the couple would…

THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has failed in its urgent legal bid to have about R100 million which was initially kept in a special Absa Bank account but later paid over to the liquidators of Tariomix returned to Absa. The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on Friday struck the NPA’s urgent application from the roll due to the lack of urgency. This means that if the NPA wants to pursue its legal bid to have the money returned to Absa, it would have to re-enrol the matter – this time on the normal court roll, which could take months before it is heard. The NPA told Judge Linda Retief that Absa and the liquidators should urgently be ordered to pay back the money to Absa in light of a preservation order…

Electorates want leaders who prioritise transparency and service over personal gain Around half the world will face governmental elections this year. Potentially at stake: global peace, which is in jeopardy, provoked mostly by a leadership crisis and a divergence between what ‘rulers’ want and what people need. That things need to change is a given, otherwise we would not be at the point where the world finds itself now. The common denominator in all this is leadership. The recent elections in South Africa are a case in point. They are a stark reminder of how our ongoing struggle with leadership – or the lack thereof – impacts voting decisions and therefore everyone’s future. They also provide crucial insights that can inform and inspire nations worldwide. The leadership vacuum South Africa’s…

Israel struck Gaza yesterday and witnesses reported blasts in the besieged territory’s south, but fighting has largely subsided after a day of relative calm and as Muslims marked Eid al-Adha. In a holiday message late on Sunday, US President Joe Biden called for the implementation of a ceasefire plan he outlined last month, saying it was “the best way to end the violence in Gaza” and to help civilians suffering “the horrors of the war between Hamas and Israel”. A daytime “pause” for aid deliveries announced at the weekend by Israel’s military around a southern Gaza route appeared to be holding, while elsewhere in the Palestinian territory strikes and shelling have decreased. In Gaza City, medics at al-Ahli Hospital said at least five people were killed in two separate air…

A freight train smashed into the rear of a stationary passenger train in India’s West Bengal state yesterday, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens, police said, in an accident that railway authorities blamed on driver error. Media showed images of the pile-up, with containers from the goods train strewn nearby, and one carriage left nearly vertical after the accident, which comes just over a year after a signalling error caused one of India’s worst rail crashes. Fifteen bodies were pulled from the mangled carriages, said Abhishek Roy, a senior police official in the eastern state’s district of Darjeeling, the site of the accident. Fifty-four people were injured and rescue teams from the police and national disaster response force were working to clear debris from the derailed carriages, Roy…

Paris: France is planning to reduce its military presence in West and Central Africa to around 600 troops in line with President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to limit the French military footprint in the region. In February 2023, Macron announced “noticeable reduction” of French troop presence in Africa, as anti-French sentiment is running high in some former colonies. France will keep only around 100 troops in Gabon (350 today); 100 in Senegal, (350 today); 100 troops in Ivory Coast, (600 today), and 300 in Chad, down from 1 000 now. Until 2022, France had 5 000 troops in the Sahel region as part of the anti-jihadist operation. But it has been pushed out by the juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger that concluded security agreements with Russia. |…

Luxembourg: EU environment ministers yesterday approved a much-fought-over conservation law intended to restore habitats to their natural condition, in a vote that was live-streamed. The purpose of the Nature Restoration Law is to regrow forests, re-wet moors and return rivers to their natural, free-flowing states. The law has proven controversial, particularly because of fears of heavy restrictions on farmers. Ministers for 20 EU member states voted in favour, representing 66% of the population. A decision by EU member states was held up until now because not enough national ministers were prepared to back it. | IANS…

JUDE Bellingham said his ‘wolf’ celebration with Trent Alexander-Arnold after scoring the only goal in England’s 1-0 win over Serbia to kick off their Euro 2024 campaign was a nod to the backroom staff. Bellingham was Player of the Match in Gelsenkirchen for an all-round outstanding display that lit up an otherwise flat opening night for the Three Lions in Germany. The 20-year-old powered a header into the top corner on 13 minutes from Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross before bowing on one knee alongside Liverpool’s Alexander-Arnold as they both covered their faces with one hand. “The celebration was from a game we play called ‘Wolf’ and one of the staff always holds his face like that when he doesn’t know what's going on,” said Bellingham. “So it was more a…

AYO TECHNOLOGY Solutions (AYO) has appointed its board member, advocate Ngoako Ramatlhodi as interim independent non-executive chairperson with effect from June 12, 2024, the company said on Friday. Ramatlhodi, a professional businessman, and advocate with more than 30 years’ business experience, joined the board of the JSE-listed ICT investment group as an independent non-executive director on March 7, 2018. He previously served as the premier of Limpopo and held the positions of Minister of Public Services and Mineral Resources, and Deputy Minister of Correctional Services. He was also a member of Parliament. Ramatlhodi is a founding member and the first chairperson of the University of the North Arts and Drama Association and chairperson of the central cultural committee. He lectured in public international law at the University of the North…

EVERY flaw to be found in the market is exaggerated in voters. The same consumer who cannot make a rational decision in a supermarket is even less likely to make a rational decision at the polls. This is why MK got 14.5% of the national vote. This is important to bear in mind, as political commentators make statements such as “market fundamentalism has no future in our electoral system”. I agree and we have never had anything resembling market fundamentalism in South Africa … Ever. Not even close, and I’m not aware of any party advocating for it. I’m so tired of cries about neo-liberalism, when the State debt has been swelling like Jacob Zuma’s ego after the results were announced. Voters are not one thing: they are millions of…

THE ANC’s coalition with the DA, IFP and Patriotic Alliance now collectively boasts 273, or 68%, seats in the National Assembly after Patricia de Lille’s GOOD Party became the latest to join what has been described as the Government of National Unity (GNU). Yesterday, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said discussions with other parties were ongoing in the spirit of inclusivity. She said the GNU will ensure representation in government and legislatures by all participating parties, making decisions by consensus, with mechanisms for conflict resolution where necessary. “This collaborative initiative is founded on core principles, including upholding the Constitution and Rule of Law, promoting non-racialism and non-sexism, and ensuring social justice, redress, equity, and poverty alleviation. “Our aim is to foster nation-building, social cohesion, and unity in diversity while maintaining peace,…

It’s a big week for Durban North’s Northwood School. Dr Garth Shaw, the new headmaster, has arrived. On a bicycle. He rode his bike to school – 800-plus kilometres – from the Eastern Cape. I know. I “followed” the journey online from my home in the US. Dr Shaw left something at his former school, Dale College. Most of us are careful not to leave things behind. The innovative educator planned exactly what he’d leave in his wake, and it’s a beautiful legacy and example to all men and women who lead anything – nations, hospitals, rugby teams… Garth raised money, large sums, growing sums of money, to empower learners he will never know, teach or meet, some who are not even born yet. By this act for Dale College,…

BUSINESS Unity South Africa (Busa) welcomes the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as President of the Republic of South Africa and head of state. We also welcome the election of Thoko Didiza and Annelie Lotriet as the speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly, respectively. The business community and the rest of South Africa have eagerly awaited these elections, which mark the beginning of the Government of National Unity (GNU) after the May 2024 elections. The dignified manner in which the election of the president and presiding officers was conducted is a testament to the maturity of our democracy. We are eager to collaborate with President Ramaphosa and his government, and await the appointment of Cabinet members. Similarly, as the representative of organised business we are ready to engage with…

It’s become crystals clear that the breakaway ANC section calling itself the MK Party, under the spell of the “arch wizard of odd” Jacob Zuma, intends to take over the role of the EFF in disrupting Parliament and the country by destabilising the efforts to ensure the growth that’s desperately needed in order to attract foreign investment. Zuma has manipulated the law for over 20 years in order stay out of prison for his misdemeanours. The cost of doing so must have cost tens of millions of rand. One wonders who paid for this? What’s apparent with the ANC having been cut in half thanks to JZ is that his wings have been clipped, and he’s destined to spend the rest of his political life running in circles with the…

TSHWANE residents could face water supply interruptions due to massive water infrastructure maintenance work by Rand Water, planned for 37 days starting June 22. The water utility said it planned to embark on extensive maintenance work to its infrastructure across Gauteng’s municipalities, including Tshwane. The planned maintenance, according to the water utility, was aimed at preserving the lifespan of its infrastructure and improving its reliability during the higher summer demand period. Municipal spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, said: “This essential maintenance work will involve the replacement of Rand Water’s bulk water meters that supply various reservoirs in Tshwane.” The municipality promised to fill the reservoirs prior to the planned shutdown, but warned that Tshwane reservoirs supplied by Rand Water’s Palmiet System would be affected on different dates. Mashigo said: “Where possible the…

The Southern African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) says the World Bank report that ranked South African ports as some of the worst performing in the world doesn’t take into account progress made in the last year. The World Bank’s (WB) Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) report 2023, which ranked 405 ports in the world on performance, ranked Cape Town last, the Port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape second last, and the Port of Durban in the bottom 8. Transnet said it believed the CPPI report had factual errors in its rankings. Dr Juanita Maree, CEO OF Saaff, said the report is damning and harms the reputation of the country’s container terminals. “The WB reports on the 2023 period, which does not take into account corrective action taken since,…

IT’S JUST as well that it was on Friday the 14th that the new cohort of duly elected MPs were sworn in by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo who went on to vote in a new speaker and deputy speaker for the National Assembly, and a second term for a chastised ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa following the 7th democratic general election after the collapse of apartheid in 1994. It’s bad enough trying to tempt fate especially in a hitherto dysfunctional body politic. Perhaps the omens are encouraging on a historic day when the ANC and its main opposition rival, the DA, signed a “Letter of Intent” to form a Government of National Unity (GNU) by agreeing to sharing power. The fact that the deal is also supported by two smaller parties,…

Nuclear-armed countries hiked spending on atomic weapons arsenals by a third in the past five years as they modernised their stockpiles amid growing geopolitical tensions, two reports showed yesterday. The world’s nine nuclear-armed states jointly spent $91 billion (about R1.6 trillion) on their arsenals last year, according to a new report from the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican). That report, and a separate one from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), indicated that nuclear weapons states are dramatically scaling up spending as they modernise and even deploy new nuclear-armed weapons. “I think it is fair to say there is a nuclear arms race under way,” Ican chief Melissa Parke told AFP. Wilfred Wan, head of Sipri’s weapons of mass destruction programme, meanwhile warned that “we have not…

The Italian coastguard searched off southern Italy yesterday for survivors or the bodies of dozens of migrants feared missing, after two shipwrecks left 11 people dead. With up to 60 migrants potentially lost at sea, the coastguard said it had been looking for “possible missing persons” since late Sunday, “following the shipwreck of a sailing boat with migrants on board, presumably departing from Türkiye”. Rescue efforts began after “a ‘mayday’ from a French pleasure boat” about 120 nautical miles off the Italian coast, it said. The French vessel alerted authorities to “the presence of the half-sunken boat”, before taking 12 surviving migrants on board. They were then transferred to an Italian coastguard boat. One of the surviving 12 died after disembarking. | AFP…

ROME: Ten migrants died in the Mediterranean after their boat was flooded with water, but 51 other people aboard the vessel were rescued, a German charity said yesterday. RESQSHIP, which operates a migrant rescue ship called Nadir, said on social media platform X it had found the 61 people on board a flooded wooden boat, with the 10 dead trapped in its lower deck. The UN has registered more than 20 000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014, making it the most dangerous migrant crossing in the world. Earlier this month 11 bodies were recovered from the sea off the coast of Libya. | Reuters…

Los Angeles: A fast-moving wildfire has burned over 12 200 acres (about 49.4 square km) at the weekened in Southern California, forcing at least 1 200 people to evacuate from a popular recreation area, authorities said. The wind-driven wildfire, dubbed the Post Fire, started Saturday afternoon in Gorman, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Cal Fire warned residents to remain vigilant and be prepared to evacuate if fire activity changes. The South Coast Air Quality Management District urged residents to limit their exposure by remaining indoors. | IANS…

THE joint top goal-scorers at the last European Championship will face each other as Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal play Patrik Schick’s Czech Republic in their Euro 2024 Group F opener today. Ronaldo and Schick both scored five at the Covid-delayed Euro 2020 finals and are likely to shoulder the goal-scoring burden for their sides this time around. The tournament could be Ronaldo’s international swansong, although the 39-year-old appears as hungry for goals and adulation as ever as he prepares to kick off his sixth Euros. While he may have moved away from Europe’s elite to play in Saudi Arabia, the goal-getting instincts of the leading scorer in men’s international football seem as sharp as ever. Having finished second-top scorer in qualifying with 10 goals and smashed 35 in 31 league games…