Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-06-19 i Mercury

APPLE has finally, officially, entered the artificial intelligence (AI) race. Some of its upcoming products will be filled with AI. The Apple version of AI will be transformative for Apple products. It will turn some of your Apple devices into assistants that manage your schedule, remind you, guide you and inform you through an upgraded version of Siri. Apple promised to deliver its AI features wrapped in privacy to safeguard your data. This, however, has not convinced some who care about AI. A non-believer is Elon Musk. After AI announcements by Apple, Musk took to X (Twitter) to express his displeasure. Musk said Open AI powered AI for Apple was a recipe for opening the data users to data merchants. Musk may be on point here. Many will remember that…

ABOUT 400 Media24 employees are set to lose their jobs when the media company shuts down a number of its print publications including Beeld, Rapport, City Press, Daily Sun and Soccer Laduma, as well as the digital (PDF) editions of Volksblad and Die Burger Oos Kaap, and the digital hub SNL24. While Rapport, City Press and Daily Sun will now be digital-only brands, the company confirmed the sale of On the Dot, the media logistics business, and the community newspaper portfolio to Novus Holdings, subject to regulatory approvals. Media24 chief executive Ishmet Davidson said the consultation process was expected to be completed over the next three months, with September 30 earmarked as the last day of publication for the affected newspapers. Die Burger and Son in the Western Cape were…

FROM HERE – wherever I am – I shall reach my world with love, joy and acceptance, not with judgement, disdain or rejection. I will look beyond the horizons others will set for me and aim high, not for fame or wealth, but to make a meaningful contribution to those around me. I will define myself because, if I do not, others will and it’s unlikely I will enjoy their designs for me. I understand that no one is all-good, no one is all-bad – including, of course, me. I will be truthful with praise and light on condemnations. I will exercise all my very limited powers to empower others – even if it means they will get ahead of me. I know that love and control cannot co-exist in…

ELECTIONS 2024 presented a new political landscape in South Africa. It was expected that the governing party would climb a tall tree without branches in the elections. With that behind us, one was hoping that the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) soldiers would fight and chew at the same time. Put simply, the MKP should’ve timeously challenged the alleged irregularities committed by the Electoral Commission of South Africa and let the sitting of Parliament take precedence in a concurrent way. By doing so, the country would have won, regardless of the court outcome. It’s a lost opportunity that dictates that the MKP honour its deployment and contributes towards leading society to correct the course. The electorate was shown not to be naïve of the status quo or devoid of wit to…

I OFTEN wonder why your readers never stop to ask pertinent questions regarding the Hamas versus Israel Defence Forces war. Why is it that the residents of Gaza City, Rafah and other towns do not take refuge underground? There is a whole other city tunnelled underground – hundreds of kilometres of tunnels, with rooms, bathrooms, kitchens and meeting rooms, all furnished for use. Why can’t the residents take shelter there? Why don’t the neighbouring Arab Muslim countries offer to take Gazans in? Why do they refuse to allow them into their countries? Why weren’t the children of Gaza sent to the Muslim countries for safety? Maybe Palestinian history might give answers. In 1970, after Jordan had taken in Palestinian refugees, the Palestinians tried to overthrow the government of King Hussein…

THE GAUTENG High Court, Pretoria, Judge Nomonde Mngqibisa-Thusi was given a lifeline when she was found not to be guilty of gross misconduct for not delivering 27 judgments on time. The Judicial Conduct Tribunal, however, did find her guilty of misconduct and being grossly negligent in breach of the Code of Judicial conduct. While she will not be removed from office as she is not guilty of gross misconduct, the tribunal did recommend that the Judicial Service Commission subject her to remedial steps. The allegations against her arose from a complaint lodged by Judge President Dunstan Mlambo. This resulted in the tribunal investigating her fitness to hold office. Judge Mngqibisa-Thusi was appointed to the high court in Pretoria in 2009 and at that stage she was one of the…

Only liberating the land tied up in Parliament’s patriarchal structures can set them free SOUTH Africa is a nation marked by its ever-widening economic disparities and the peoples’ perpetual struggle for liberation and equality. Thirty years after its so-called emancipation from white rule the majority of the nation continue to grapple with deep-seated inequalities and gender disparities. Despite the end of apartheid and the establishment of a democratic government, the South African majority, especially Black women, remain marginalised in all facets of society. This is as a result of neoliberal capitalism, the economic system adopted by the ANC years before it became the governing party. The introduction of neoliberalism into South Africa occurred in the early 1990s. It unfortunately coincided with the end of apartheid and the country’s transition…

Israeli airstrikes yesterday killed at least 17 Palestinians in two of the Gaza Strip’s historic refugee camps and Israeli tanks pushed deeper into the enclave’s southern city of Rafah, residents and medics said. Residents reported heavy bombardments from tanks and planes in several areas of Rafah, where more than a million people had taken refuge before May. Most of the population has fled northwards since then as Israeli forces invaded the city. Israeli tanks were operating inside Tel Al-Sultan, Al-Izba, and Zurub areas in Rafah’s west, as well as Shaboura at the heart of the city. They also continued to occupy the eastern areas and outskirts as well as the border with Egypt and the vital Rafah border crossing. Palestinian health officials said one man was killed in the morning…

Surging cases of bird flu among mammals, including US cattle, offer a stark warning that the world is not ready to fend off future pandemics, a report said yesterday. The bird flu H5N1 has been jumping over to mammals as well as a few humans, prompting fears the virus could spark a future pandemic. “If H5N1 began to spread from person to person, the world would likely again be overwhelmed,” the report’s co-author and former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark said. While wealthy countries have vaccines that could fight this mpox outbreak, they have not been made available to the central African country, she said. Now two people have died from the mpox strain in South Africa, illustrating how neglect can lead to such pathogens spreading, she said.…

SAO PAULO: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticised the central bank yesterday, saying its chief, Roberto Campos Neto, was harming Latin America’s largest economy, while signalling he will appoint a substitute who is not swayed by market jitters. The leftist leader, who’s in his third non-consecutive term as Brazil’s president, argued that the central bank’s interest rate cannot be “prohibitive” for productive sectors. The central bank is expected to pause its easing cycle amid increased volatility in domestic financial markets and unanchored inflation expectations. Policymakers cut the benchmark Selic interest rate in May by 25 basis points to 10.50%. | Reuters…

Paris: Astronomers have been able to observe a supermassive black hole waking up and setting the heart of its host galaxy alight for the first time, the European Southern Observatory said yesterday. The galaxy, 300 million light years from Earth in the Virgo constellation, had been quiet for decades until late 2019, when it suddenly began to shine brighter. The centre of the galaxy – where a supermassive black hole is believed to be squatting – since then has been radiating a variety of rays. Astronomers are analysing data, hoping to determine whether the black hole’s activity is temporary – perhaps caused by a star being ripped apart – or whether it will continue to be active for a long time. | AFP…

IN World Cups, the term ‘iceman’ has never been synonymous with Proteas players who have time and again crumbled under pressure on the big stage. However, it seems the Proteas have finally found their iceman in international cricket newcomer Ottneil Baartman. Since the inaugural edition of the SA20, the 31-year-old fast bowler has proved himself to be a clutch player the captain looks to when the chips are down. Somehow, Baartman has been able to deliver similar performances in his first tour with the Proteas as he defended seven runs in the 20th over to help South Africa beat Nepal by one run in a T20 World Cup group match. Baartman said yesterday that he relishes being in those high-pressure situations and that his Academy back in Oudtshoorn instilled the…

THE V&A WATERFRONT in Cape Town has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Etana Energy for 43 gigawatt hours (GW/h) of renew-able energy a year, enough to supply 70% of the popular entertainment destination’s energy needs, starting early 2026. V&A Operations Executive Manager, André Theys, said the 10-year PPA with the Nersa licensed electri- city trader Etana, was a landmark in the rollout of the V&A’s sustainability strategy that has as a target commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2035. With the addition of the Waterfront’s rooftop solar installations, almost 80% of the neighbourhood’s electricity would come from renewable sources, when the Etana agreement becomes operational. He said 90% of the Waterfront’s emissions was from energy purchases, so the PPA with Etana would make a big contribution to reducing…

NEWLY inaugurated KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli yesterday signalled his government’s intentions to prioritise service delivery by incorporating crime-fighting functions into the premier’s office. Ntuli, who is also the provincial chairperson of the IFP, was sworn in as the premier of the province at a ceremony held in Pietermaritzburg yesterday. He moved swiftly to announce the new provincial coalition government which brings together former political adversaries. The new premier announced the realignment of departments in his government which included moving the Community Safety and Liaison portfolio to the premier's office. The move was welcomed by his partners in the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), who said the premier has the responsibility to ensure safety, security and stability in the province. Ntuli also announced that the Department of Human Settlements will now…

YOU’RE never too old to learn something new though it can be a sweat. I find myself in the Midlands on the banks of the Umgeni River playing a Spanish board game called Cuines Quiene (in English Guess Who?) against the 12-year-old daughter of a companion. It’s a very odd sort of game. Each board is covered in small plastic flaps. Each flap has inside it a character – some human, some male, some female, some wearing a variety of headgear, spectacles and so on, some wearing no appendages at all. Some blond/blonde, some bald (the gents), some absolutely hirsuit. The non-human characters are dogs, cats, alligators, monkeys and so on, some togged out in human headgear, some not. Getting a bit complicated? I’ll say! Because the flaps on…

Global aviation is once again in the headlines, which now seems to be happening every week, raising concerns about flying safety. Last week, a Boeing 737 Max was damaged during a flight after it experienced an unusual manoeuvre called “A Dutch Roll’ at 34 000 feet. A statement issued by the FAA alleges that Boeing and Airbus may have used “counterfeit” titanium on commercial planes. Records were falsified by suppliers on the quality of the titanium supplied. It is an extremely serious development considering the critical role played by titanium in crucial aircraft flight profiles. It is used in landing gears, blades, turbine discs, fasteners, passenger seats, engine frames and engine fan blades. Any compromise on the quality of these components will lead to disaster. The troubling issue…

WELL, now that the dust has settled, we can start running the country. Something I have been writing about for ages is that the various parties must sit around a table and find common ground. The time appears to have come. Putting their egos aside, every party in the GNU supposedly wants the same thing for our country. So they need to start agreeing with one another on certain policies, otherwise the whole movement will fail. We can find that common ground. We all want a better economy; we all want better service delivery; we all want electricity; water; sanitation; transport, jobs, etc. We are all on the same side, it is just how we implement this … With hard work and joining of hands instead of the usual carping…

THE owner of two pit bulls who attacked and bit a child who visited the dog owner’s children, is liable to pay damages to the child’s parents, the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg has ordered. A court earlier also found the owner liable to pay the child’s medical costs, as well as general damages. But dog owner Susanna Swanepoel appealed that ruling. Judge Stuart Wilson, in a judgment concurred by two other judges, found that as the two pit bulls were raising a litter of puppies at the time, Swanepoel should have been extra cautious of the fact that they may attack visitors. Swanepoel maintained that the dogs were not aggressive, and she thus could not foresee that they would bite the child who visited her home. She, however, did concede…

Fedhasa and tourism organisations in KwaZulu-Natal have said that they expect a bumper July school holiday with visitors from across the country. Brett Tungay, Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (Fedhasa) East Coast chairperson, said there has been an increase in visitors in KZN since the long weekend. “We had a very slow month of May for the tourism and hospitality sector. This is probably due to the elections. “We have definitely seen an upswing since the long weekend and the start of the school holidays.” Tungay said he thinks visitors have realised that everything went well during the elections and they are starting to travel. “It’s brilliant for us at this stage, just by looking at figures. It looks good for the rest of June and most of July.…

SO, all the political talk and campaigning of the last months ended last night, literally. This morning, president-elect Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to take the oath in Pretoria to become the head of a Government of National Unity. These are unknown waters that South Africa is venturing into. Yes, in 1994, Nelson Mandela’s ANC opted for a Government of National Unity (GNU). However, his ANC had a majority and could have governed on its own. Pursuing a Government of National Unity was purely that; for unity. Three decades on, the ANC of Ramaphosa is unable to form a government without the support of other parties. The likes of the MKP and EFF would have provided meaningful input to the administration and law-making process. But instead, MKP leader Jacob Zuma is…

Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun was to apologise to families of crash victims yesterday as he faced a Senate grilling following accusations that the plane maker put profits over safety. The hearing, an examination of “Boeing’s Broken Safety Culture”, follows an April session of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations featuring a Boeing engineer who testified that he was punished for raising safety questions about the top-selling 787 Dreamliner and 777. “Five years ago, Boeing promised to overhaul its safety practices and culture. That promise proved empty, and the American people deserve an explanation,” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said earlier this month. “Years of putting profits ahead of safety, stock price ahead of quality, and production speed ahead of responsibility has brought Boeing to this moment of reckoning; its hollow…

Paris: Two women are to be tried this week over false claims that France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, was transgender, which sparked online rumour-mongering by conspiracy theorists and the far-right. In 2022, Brigitte Macron, 71, filed a complaint for libel against two women who posted a YouTube video in December 2021 alleging she had once been a man named “Jean-Michel”. The claim went viral weeks before the 2022 election. Macron, 46, has lashed out at the false information spread about his wife. The false claim also led to more serious accusations of child abuse brought against France’s first lady, and has even spread to the US where she was attacked in a YouTube video. | AFP…

MOSCOW: Russian investigators have arrested three people after more than 120 people in Moscow and dozens in other cities fell sick with suspected food poisoning. Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had arrested the head of a food production company, its director and the head of quality control for a food delivery service. More than 120 people had consulted doctors in Moscow over symptoms of poisoning and suspected botulism, a rare, life-threatening illness that causes breathing problems and muscle paralysis. Nearly 30 people in two cities east of Moscow also have botulism symptoms. Dozens are in intensive care. | Reuters…

A BORN-and-bred Stormers and Western Province man, it is almost unthinkable that Cornel Smit starred for the Bulls in their epic URC semi-final win over Leinster last Saturday. Now 26, Smit, who hails from Melkbosstrand, used to idolise Nizaam Carr around the famous Piley Rees Field at Bishops when he was still in junior school – and now they are Bulls teammates at Loftus Versfeld. Smit made his way to Pretoria in January, with Wandisile Simelane moving south, but had to wait until last weekend’s play-off to feature for the Bulls. “That’s awesome ... I love Nemo (Carr)! I was in the junior school when he was in high school, so we weren’t actually on the same campus at the same time,” Smit said yesterday, ahead of Saturday’s URC final…

Political analysts and experts on the Zulu royal family have described the decision by the IFP in appointing Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi as the new Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC, a portfolio that also focuses on traditional affairs, as a political master stroke. Buthelezi also serves as AmaZulu King MisuZulu KaZwelithini’s traditional prime minister. Last week he resigned as the mayor and councillor of the Zululand District Municipality. Political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu said the IFP had been strategic in appointing Buthelezi as its preferred Cogta MEC, because this would mean that the Cogta portfolio would be close to the king. Ndlovu also noted that Buthelezi now wears two hats, that of traditional prime minister to the Zulu nation and the MEC for Cogta. “I initially thought they would place…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to take an oath to uphold the country’s Constitution with the Phala Phala farm saga hanging over his head. A section 89 panel established by then National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula found that he may have violated his oath of office over the undeclared foreign currency concealed in couches on his Phala Phala farm. His swearing-in at the Union Buildings today is bolstered by the DA’s support, with the party affirming that it would not support Ramaphosa’s impeachment in Parliament unless “new evidence” emerged. In a recent 702 radio interview, DA federal chairperson Helen Zille said: “We have not said in future we will never ever do anything but we will not support a motion of no confidence in the President ... that is definitely…

The ability to turn something bad into something good is a positive and, arguably, the deepest essence of positive psychology. Many things happen in our daily lives and do get disrupted. Life often doesn’t work out out as planned or expected. Destructive emotions, wrong motives, poor decisions, bad habits, disappointments, failures, difficult relationships, suffering and grief don’t help our cause. Rejection can be demoralising and devastating. They are not only setbacks but can be harmful and leave permanent scars. We all experience these things in a greater or lesser way. For most of us, life is not a constant stream of major problems. Instead most of our time is spent in the routine of daily living: work, family commitments, finances, entertainment, sport and so on. In whatever way we look,…

IN ONE CORNER we have US president Joe Biden who is struggling to keep it together as he faces the challenges of his declining years. In the other corner, former president Donald Trump appears to be having his own issues thrust on him as his 80th year looms. Republicans and Democrats have much to answer for, having been unable to successfully groom young men and women who are up to the job of leading America. Physical energy levels, memory loss and interpretation skills are negatively affected as old age becomes a reality. Sadly, all the embarrassing moments of the two men are captured and beamed across the world by eager TV stations. Do we accept that wisdom has something to do with it? Or do we take a page from…

POLICE in Gauteng have warned residents and communities in Tshwane not to attempt to apprehend a suspect believed to be involved in the murder of the Mashaba siblings in Soshanguve as he is considered armed and very dangerous. Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said police have offered a R100 000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of Dennis Nyatsunga/Ngobeni, also known as “Shumba”, who allegedly shot and burnt two girls inside a shack two weeks ago. The Mashaba siblings, 7-year-old Tinyiko and 4-year-old Mpfumo, along with two others, were shot in an attack at Changing Spot informal settlement on June 2. Armed suspects arrived at a shebeen at Changing Spot informal settlement and allegedly fired shots at the patrons. Masondo said it is reported that the suspect is…

THE closure of Stellenbosch University’s (SU) problematic Wilgenhof Men’s Residence would be a progressive step for the institution. This unprecedented move could shake things up and pave the way for a more transformative university. Following the dreadful objects found in the Wilgenhof residence a few months ago, and the university’s proactiveness in establishing a panel to investigate what have seemed to be inhumane practices, the outcomes of this report could have meaningful impact for change. For a long time, students at the university complained not only about Wilgenhof and its shenanigans, but also about other residences where harmful practices occurred. These include acts of racism, discrimination, homophobia and other types of violence and discrimination. The urination incident at Huis Marais in 2022 and a few other few urination incidents that…

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed yesterday to deepen trade and security ties with North Korea and to support it against the US as he headed to the reclusive nuclear-armed country for the first time in 24 years. The US and its Asian allies are trying to work out just how far Russia will go in support of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose country is the only one to have conducted nuclear weapon tests in the 21st century. In a signal that Russia, a veto- wielding member of the UN Security Council, is reassessing its approach to North Korea, Putin praised Pyongyang for resisting what he said was US economic pressure, blackmail and threats. In an article published by North Korean state media, Putin praised “Comrade” Kim, and promised…

CONTROLLING floods in China was becoming increasingly arduous, President Xi Jinping said yesterday, calling for all-out efforts to safeguard lives and property as powerful storms pounded provinces from the interior to the eastern coast. About a dozen people have been reported killed in floods or rain-induced mudslides in recent days with the annual flooding season in southern Chinese provinces in full swing. In the city of Meizhou in Guangdong province, low-rise buildings tilted on subsiding ground next to raging rivers, or lay half-submerged as flood-waters burst the banks, video on social media showed. In Guangdong province, at least five people have been killed and 13 trapped due to flash floods and mudslides, with more than 1 400 houses having collapsed and 8 000 hectares of crops damaged. Xi had called…

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden announced one of the biggest legalisation efforts in recent history yesterday, offering a path to citizenship to hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the US illegally who are married to US citizens. The election year move contrasts sharply with his Republican rival Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations. The programme will be open to an estimated 500 000 spouses who have lived in the US for at least 10 years as of June 17, the White House said yesterday. About 50 000 children under age 21 with a US-citizen parent also will be eligible. But faced with record migrant arrests at the US-Mexico border, Biden has barred most migrants crossing. | Reuters…

VIENNA: An heiress who has denounced the absence of taxes on wealth and inheritance in Austria has given the bulk of her money, €25 million (R485m), to 77 organisations, including social and climate groups and left-wing bodies. Marlene Engelhorn, 32, has spent years criticising the birth lottery by which she inherited tens of millions and does not have to give any of it to the state, and calling for change. In January, she said a panel picked by a pollster as representative of the Austrian public would decide how to distribute the sum, without any intervention on her part. The recipients were announced yesterday. | Reuters…

VINCENT Koch will win his 50th cap for the Springboks in Saturday’s en- counter with Wales in London – but he is only starting the match because of a gesture of goodwill by fellow veteran prop Frans Malherbe. Coach Rassie Erasmus said the team he announced internally to the squad on Sunday originally had Malherbe starting and Koch on the bench. “One of the senior guys came up to me and said, ‘Do you know it is Vincent’s 50th cap?’” Erasmus said. “I didn’t. I spoke to Frans and made the change because it is important that we properly honour the hard work a guy puts in to get to his 50th cap. “That is what Springbok teammates do for each other,” Erasmus said. Koch and Malherbe are part of…