Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-06-20 i Mercury

STADIO Holdings continues to grow, with student numbers increasing by 8% in the 12 months to end-June 2024, its shareholders learnt at the annual general meeting yesterday. With investments in Stadio Higher Education, Milpark Education and AFDA, the total number of students increased from 42 874 to 46 300, with distance learning students up by 8% from 37 067 to 40 017, and contact learning students by 8% from 5 807 to 6 283. The percentage of students making use of distance learning amounted to 86% and 14% was via contact learning. Speaking in a virtual AGM and business update yesterday, Stadio’s CEO, Chris Vorster, said they were pleased with the overall growth of 8% in student numbers, given the difficult environment in which…

SOUTH African designer Laduma Ngxokolo, of Maxhosa Africa, is taking his brand to greater heights – he recently opened a new store in Canal Street, New York. Ngxokolo announced the opening of his new store in November last year. Although it was supposed to open in February this year, it was delayed. In an interview with The Vuyo Show, Ngxokolo expressed how happy he was about opening a store in one of the world’s fashion capitals. “As Umxhosa wase Bhayi (from Gqeberha) to come and do the impossible, opening a store at a high-end street in the United States … When I first came in 10 years ago in 2013, I never could so imagine that this would happen.” He said the store was not just a win for the…

DIVISIONS among some of the parties forming what has been termed the Government of National Unity (GNU) have been laid bare with the ANC describing the DA’s expectation to be consulted about which parties join the grand coalition as a betrayal of the GNU principles. This follows DA federal chairperson Helen Zille’s remarks that they had written to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula about the Patriotic Alliance’s (PA) inclusion in the GNU without discussion and agreement among the partners. In an SABC interview, Zille said the ANC could not just bring in people they feel like bringing in. “It is not the ANC that gets to invite everybody as Fikile, seems to think. He keeps on making public statements about this one joining and that one joining, but he must read…

A MONSTER 6m saltwater crocodile had been menacing people – kids included – and dogs in the Northern Territory of Australia. But before it could make a meal of them, they made a meal of it, according to Sky News. The croc was in the Baines River and had chowed several of the Aboriginal community’s dogs when the police decided it was time to act. They shot the monster. This caused double jubilation in the community. The threat was removed. And crocodile meat is a long-established delicacy in the Aboriginal community. In the words of Northern Territory Police Sergeant Andrew McBride: “It got cooked up into crocodile tail soup, it was on the barbecue and a few of the pieces were wrapped up in banana leaves and cooked underground.…

While our national government has developed the appropriate legislation and policies to promote the uptake of solar power usage, with tax rebates on solar panels, little has been done to promote the rollout of smart geyser devices capable of decreasing electricity consumption in our homes by up to 30%-40%. The installation of smart geyser devices on our electric geysers allows for user monitoring and control, via an accompanying app. The technology also plays well with others and can be installed alongside any existing solar power solution. Beyond energy monitoring, these devices have the added benefit of detecting potential water leaks, drastically reducing the risk of burst geysers, thereby decreasing costly repairs and elevated insurance premiums. A smart geyser device, including installation, costs approximately R3 300. A household with four people…

Pardon my late hypothesis of the George building collapse as I have been travelling remotely in regions with non-existent networks. Three-thousand tonnes of flattened concrete and 33 bodies later, the question lingers: What went wrong? For the superstitious in our land, could this have been the harbinger for the collapse of the ANC in the national general elections? The cost of the two-week search, rescue and recovery programme and insurance claims will most probably run into millions of rand but it is nothing compared to the loss of life and the pain and grief it has left in its wake. In the aftermath, the collapse of the oThongathi shopping complex in 2013, the Meyersdal building in 2014 and the Jagersfontein dam wall in 2022 immediately came to mind. Although not…

LOSING your temper with a nagging and provoking wife is no defence for assaulting her, a judge found in confirming the husband’s conviction and subsequent suspended jail sentence on appeal. The husband, who is not named as he and his wife have subsequently been embroiled in divorce proceedings, turned to the Pietermaritzburg High Court, after the Verulam Magistrate’s Court convicted him of assault and sentenced to him three months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for three years on certain conditions. The complainant was the appellant’s wife but the marriage was experiencing some difficulties and they decided to get divorced. The wife testified that in May 2018, she had seen her husband sitting with another woman at a restaurant in a shopping mall. She had concluded that he was being unfaithful to her…

ETHEKWINI Municipality said it will not implement load reduction in the City as it has enough capacity to supply customers with electricity. The assurance comes after Johannesburg’s City Power announced the implementation of load reduction in over 80 suburbs across Johannesburg, including Edendale and Lenasia South. City Power said load reductions are necessary in areas of high electricity use to prevent system overloading and infrastructure from damage. An energy expert said load reduction in Johannesburg is caused by a combination of illegal connections, overpopulation and not maintaining infrastructure. City Power said it will be implementing load reduction to protect the infrastructure that is overloaded. “When it comes to the winter period, electricity usage is high and the risk of transformers blowing up is high. “Illegal connections are one of the…

Governments of national unity built on power-sharing arrangements are common in Africa and elsewhere in the world. Now, South Africa also has a unity government, following the 2024 general election in which no party won a majority. The governments foster stability through collaboration in grand coalitions. The premise is that in divided societies, stability can be achieved by elites working together in a power-sharing pact. Whether political parties call them coalitions or governments of national unity, these are generally expedient solutions designed to mitigate political conflict or instability. South Africa is not immune to the threat of political instability and conflict. The remnants of past divisions persist. They find expression in the patterns of racialised poverty and inequality. To mitigate inequality challenges requires political stability for policy innovation in critical…

From Algeria, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan, citizens of distant, Muslim countries wait for US asylum at a shelter in the Mexican border city of Tijuana – more used to seeing migrants from Latin America than the Middle East. At the Assabil Inn, Mexico’s first shelter catering for US-bound Muslim migrants, the backstories of the guests are as varied as the languages they speak. “People get kidnapped. Sometimes, when you leave home, there’s a very high chance that you don’t come back,” said Maitham Alojaili, 26, who fled civil war-wrecked Sudan. Data released this week by Mexico’s National Migration Institute said some 1.39 million people from 177 countries have travelled through the country so far this year, trying to reach the US without entry papers. The figure represents almost the whole…

London: Obesity in 10- and 11-year-olds in England has risen 30% since 2006, part of a decline in children’s health since the start of the century, a study by charity the Food Foundation has found. Other findings included a steady fall in the height of 5-year-olds since 2013 and a rise in type 2 diabetes among under 25s, up 22% in the past five years. Potential causes included “shocking levels of poverty, and the “aggressive promotion of cheap junk food by the food industry”, said the report’s authors. The country’s recent cost of living crisis has “intensified” the struggle many families face to put healthy, nutritious food on the table, they added. One in five children was obese by the age of 10/11 when they left primary school, putting them…

Lagos: Nigerian health officials are issuing warnings over a cholera outbreak that has killed at least 30 people, many of them in the commercial capital Lagos, since the start of the year. Lagos State health officials reported 15 deaths so far and 350 suspected cases. Lagos Water Corporation warned against consuming water from unreliable or untreated courses. Last week, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention alerted the public of the increasing trend in cases of the disease across the country as the rainy season intensifies. The agency said 30 people had died since the start of the year. | AFP…

REMEMBER last October, when South Africans were having major heart palpitations because of Springbok things and one of the biggest debates in the nation was who to pick at flyhalf between Manie Libbok and Handré Pollard? It seems strange now that those were the only two viable options at No 10 then, for truth be told, the recent United Rugby Championship has helped expose a bevvy of pivots ready to elect themselves to the position, with Rassie Erasmus’ vote of confidence blessing them. On Saturday, Jordan Hendrikse will don the famous Green and Gold No 10 jumper on debut against Wales at Twickenham (3pm SA time start), but it could just as easily have been Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who will play off the bench, also on debut. Siya Masuku, playing in…

Music sensation Uncle Waffles is more than an amapiano artist, she’s a fashionista. The Swati-born star, who has made a name for herself as an international DJ, is also on the radar of international fashion labels. Taking to X, Waffles shared with her more than 400 000 followers that she’s attending Paris Fashion Week as a guest of Louis Vuitton. The special invitation, which contained several gifts, noted that Waffles was to experience the brand’s Spring/Summer 2025 Menswear collection. Her fans expressed their excitement and reminded her that she “did great” by not listening to the negative comments about her. “Imagine if someone told her not to be a DJ because there’s already so many female DJs. love this for her,” commented @itsellieord. Waffles, who is already in Paris,…

THE allocation of high profile departments in the IFP-led Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) to the ANC has left some questioning how the third biggest party after the elections has maintained three key portfolios. The posts were split among the four parties forming the GPU. The IFP has 4, the ANC 3, the DA 2 and the NFP has 1, with the IFP’s provincial chairperson Thami Ntuli becoming the premier. Ntuli announced his cabinet during his inauguration on Tuesday. Those part of the negotiations have dismissed concerns over which party received which portfolio, saying the allocation was based on skills, record, competency, experience and continuity. The NFP, which has one seat and kingmaker status as a result, will lead the Department of Social Development. It is the allocation of the…

Hopefully, most readers have heard of the controversial kids’ colouring book From the River to the Sea. It attracted the attention of a Cape Zionist body that tried to get it banned in case it “brainwashed small children to figure out exactly what crimes were being committed in Gaza”. Enough has been written about the book. But there is another dimension which is a fearful one and clearly affects the awkward puzzle of which party is going to get into bed with which, in order to get the ball rolling in Parliament. It’s clear that some political parties do not endorse South Africa’s stance on the Palestinian issue and, I am guessing, the same must have been secretly favouring the call for the ban on the book. The obvious cry…

Last year, I was walking through Ottery flats when I found two children, aged 9 and 10, walking with a woman during school hours. They were not attending school and they had no birth certificates. Further down the road, I found another brother and sister, 7 and 10 years old, also not attending school. The girl dropped out three years ago and the mom just never bothered to enrol them. After a while, I found some more children, aged 7, 8 and 9, who have never even seen the inside of a classroom. With the parents’ permission, I applied, on their behalf, to the Western Cape Education Department. It was way past the deadline and it’s notoriously difficult to get a child re-enrolled when they have dropped out. But, through…

A top Western Cape law enforcement multi-disciplinary task team is piecing together the details of the kidnapping of UDM deputy leader Nqabayomzi Kwankwa, who was released after the payment of a ransom. The 44-year-old was kidnapped on Tuesday afternoon while on his way to Cape Town International Airport, en route to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inauguration at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, party leader Bantu Holomisa said. His vehicle has since been recovered in Khayelitsha. “A ransom of R10 000 was demanded for his safe return. The UDM paid the ransom, and Mr Kwankwa was safely released, albeit shaken and traumatised. “All his belongings, including his vehicle, were stolen. Mr Kwankwa is in contact with the police and his family have been informed of what has occurred. The UDM is saddened…

TWO suspicious medical certificates from a doctor issued to an employee of Woolworths formed the subject of an appeal before the Johannesburg Labour Appeal Court, after Woolworths was unhappy with a finding that it had to reinstate the worker. After being fired, the worker, a Mrs Maseko, referred an unfair dismissal dispute to the CCMA, which found her dismissal to be substantially unfair. Woolworths turned unsuccessfully to the Labour Court to review this finding. It then turned to the Appeal Division of the Labour Court, but yet again lost its legal bid. In June 2019, Maseko handed a medical certificate to her employer, which was issued by a Dr Frempong. Fortuitously, some Woolworths stores, including the one in which Maseko worked, had received an email warning them about suspicious medical…

THE Constitutional Court this week dismissed an application by the Minister of Home Affairs for leave to appeal a June 2023 Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, judgment which held that the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit (ZEP) had been unlawfully terminated. The Helen Suzman Foundation said the June 2023 judgment was unequivocal in holding that the minister is obliged to follow a fair consultation process, which duly considers the rights of those affected by terminating the ZEP, before he be lawfully allowed to do so. The Constitutional Court’s order affirmed with finality that this most basic of legal duties binds the minister, notwithstanding changes in office that may occur once a new government is formed, when deciding the ZEP’s future, the foundation said. “It is a vital affirmation – for ZEP…

IT MIGHT be early days for what has been termed the Government of National Unity (GNU) but the DA has demonstrated what English historian John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton (1834-1902) meant when he said: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. It’s with these words in mind that we must examine the party’s sudden change of tune over President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm saga. The party that several months ago, was leading the charge to have Ramaphosa impeached, today tells South Africans that it will not support any such move until evidence suggests that there should be an impeachment. “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…

Torrential rains in Bangladesh have triggered landslides burying alive at least 10 people and forcing thousands to flee to higher ground, police and government officials in the low- lying nation said yesterday. Schools have been turned into shelters for those abandoning their homes to rising river waters, while more than a million people have been stranded in northern areas. Bangladesh, a nation of around 170 million people, is among the countries most vulnerable to disasters and to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. The annual monsoon rains cause widespread destruction every year, but experts say climate change is shifting weather patterns and increasing the number of extreme weather events. “At least 700 000 people have been stranded by flash floods and heavy rains in Sylhet district, and…

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that Moscow and Pyongyang were fighting “US hegemony”, while North Korea’s Kim Jong Un said their partnership furthered “peace and stability” in the Asia-Pacific region. Putin was in North Korea for a rare state visit, where the two leaders signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” to further deepen military, economic and political ties. Kim said the treaty would put the “security situation of both countries on a more reliable foundation”. The US and its allies have accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia to fire on Ukraine, and Kyiv said it has found fragments of North Korean munitions on the battlefield. | AFP…

BEIJING: Chinese police are investigating a case of illegal foreign exchange activity and money laundering after tip-offs from the US, state media said yesterday, in a rare instance of collaboration on narcotics between the two superpowers. The news appeared to corroborate information released by the US Justice Department this week, alleging that Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel conspired with groups based in California and tied to Chinese underground banking to launder drug-trafficking proceeds of over $50 million (about R890m). The Justice Department said it closely co-ordinated with law enforcement in Mexico and China. | Reuters…

I AM encouraged. On Friday last week, I made a phone call to meet a businessman. I told him right off the bat that I had an agenda, which, were he to agree, would cost his business $5 000 (about R90 000) a year. I made it clear that there’d be no “return on his investment” and it would do nothing for his product or sales. His product? Doughnuts. In a handful of years, Lee transformed a one-shop-doughnut bakery (pioneered by his grandfather and purchased from his grandfather) into a state-wide franchise of two dozen outlets. People line up for Jack’s Donuts where Lee and I live. When meeting, I asked Lee to sponsor a soccer team of 10- and 11-year-olds in Namibia, a country about 13 000km and six…

Bolt welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing of the amended National Land Transport Act into law. The significant development enables ride-hailing service operators in South Africa to apply for operating licences like any other public transport provider, eliminating the need to rely on charter permits and meter taxi licences attributed to other public transport officers. The amendment brings the 2009 National Land Transport Act up to date with recent developments, simplifying various provisions and addressing challenges over the years. Including provisions for non-motorised and accessible transport highlights a commitment to a more inclusive and modern transport system. Bolt is excited about the clarity and stability the new legislation provides for the ride-hailing industry. We look forward to working closely with regulatory authorities to ensure a seamless transition and to continue offering…

IN the article on Renaldo Gouws being accused of racism by Kimberly Jones doesn’t quote any racist comments from Gouws, just that he accused Fikile Mbalula of “playing dumb”. And Thuso van Zyl saying the DA is a “party filled with racists”, despite decades of fighting racism, makes one wonder who the real racists are here. Generally, those who rant about something without any back-up evidence need to look in the mirror when making that sort of accusation. Be nice to have some balance for a change.…

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has a short list of three candidates who could be appointed mayor of eThekwini Municipality after the party fired Mxolisi Kaunda last week. Kaunda was redeployed to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Cape Town and, according to some reports, the three names that are being discussed in ANC circles are: former police minister Bheki Cele, former KZN premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube and former MEC for agriculture and rural development, Cyril Xaba. Provincial ANC spokesperson Mafika Mndebele confirmed that the party had identified three candidates but would not divulge the names, saying only that an announcement would be made soon. “What we do is nominate three people and take their names to the national leadership. The leadership will then conduct interviews on these three candidates, they…

Israeli air strikes and clashes between troops and Palestinian militants rocked Gaza yesterday, as Israel’s army warned it had readied an “offensive” against the Lebanese Hezbollah movement on the country’s northern front. Witnesses and the civil defence agency in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip reported Israeli bombardment in western Rafah, where medics said drone strikes and shelling killed at least seven people. The Israeli military has announced a daily humanitarian “pause” in fighting on a key road in eastern Rafah, but a UN spokesperson said days later that “this has yet to translate into more aid reaching people in need”. More than eight months of war, sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, have led to dire humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territory and repeated UN warnings of famine.…

Egypt has carried out mass arrests and unlawful deportations of thousands of refugees fleeing the war in Sudan, Amnesty International said yesterday. The rights group said it had documented 12 incidents in which Egyptian authorities returned an estimated total of 800 Sudanese nationals between January and March without giving them the chance to claim asylum or challenge deportation decisions. It also said it had documented in detail the cases of 27 Sudanese refugees arrested between October 2023 and March 2024, 26 of whom were among those collectively expelled. Refugees had been held in cruel and inhuman conditions ahead of their deportation, it added. The UN refugee agency said thousands were deported last year, many of them Sudanese. The arrests were part of a campaign starting in September 2023 in which…

MECCA: People searched for missing hajj pilgrims yesterday as the death toll at the annual rituals, carried out in scorching heat, surged past 900. Relatives scoured hospitals and pleaded online for news, fearing the worst after temperatures hit 51.8°C in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, on Monday. About 1.8 million people from all over the world took part in the pilgrimage. An Arab diplomat said deaths among Egyptians alone had jumped to “at least 600”, mostly due to the heat. Jordanian officials were looking for 20 missing pilgrims; 80 others initially reported missing were located in hospitals. There were “around 68 dead” from India and others missing. | AFP…

NEW DELHI: India’s human rights commission asked the government yesterday to look into allegations of labour law violations at an Amazon warehouse near New Delhi over alleged harsh working conditions during a severe heatwave. Indian media this month reported that workers in the e-commerce giant’s warehouse in Manesar, near New Delhi, complained of a lack of water and toilet breaks as they were under pressure to achieve packaging targets. The National Human Rights Commission said the findings “raise a serious issue of human rights of the workers” and asked the government for a probe. | Reuters…