Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-08-05 i Mercury

FOR me the most spectacular and exciting stuff so far at the Paris Olympics has been those blokes on their BMX bikes scooting up curved ramps and doing double, triple and more backward somersaults, then landing safely. How do they do it? How do they train? It’s obviously terribly dangerous. Do they ever come a cropper as they learn the tricks? Amazing stuff! Then a puzzle: Women’s boxing. I don’t want to get into the dispute over whether that one lady boxer is actually a guy. But women slugging it out is an Olympic sport? Am I the only one to find this slightly shocking? Women’s Mudwrestling – now that’s something close to an art form. But you won’t find it at the Olympics, alas! Greybeard wisdom SOME homespun wisdom…

Religious mocking against any religion is a potent threat to world peace. Once again, the French, at the opening of the Olympic Games, took sinister pride in mocking a great religion, by a re-enactment of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper’ by 10 men in drag. The French have over the years published incendiary cartoons about religion in provocative tests about freedom of expression. Such provocations must be universally outlawed. The current outrage against Christianity, is bigoted and inflammatory. The reaction of the Western media at this outrage is absolutely shocking. Mocking a great religion is an abomination of the highest order. The selective morality of the prejudiced media in not condemning the grotesque mutilation of a sacred event has nothing to do with freedom of expression. Religions are fair…

For my fellow scribe Thyagaraj Markandan’s information (The Mercury, August 2), I am entirely comfortable wearing the badge that climate change is not man-made because it is a natural, historically proven occurrence. On that basis it is unfortunate that he regards Cloud Cuckoo Land as my domiciled residence. But beyond that, what is particularly unfortunate about Markandan’s remarks is the extent to which he regurgitates the mass media’s unscientific narrative on the subject of climate change. The dire warnings of severe sea level risings and weather changes issued in the 1970s were never realised. But that has not deterred the UN and its adherents like Al Gore from constantly moving the goalposts when their apocalyptic predictions fail to materialise. The same models used by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate…

Senior leaders of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) led by former president Jacob Zuma said the party is in no rush to hold a conference where it will elect new leaders. The chopping and changing of MKP leaders has raised questions about the future of the party, with its secretary-general Arthur Zwane being the latest senior leader to get the chop. Zwane’s second sacking took place just two weeks after he was reinstated. According to insiders, he was booted out for “misleading the party”. Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said some of the reasons why the party is not rushing to hold an elective conference is because they have to vet members in their leadership. Ndhlela said they will first do background checks and vet anyone who launches a branch of…

It is not always possible for mothers to be present to breast feed their newborn babies who have to remain behind in hospital, but breastfeeding women have an opportunity to help the newborns of other mothers with vital nutrition. Nyasha Mhuru Rukure is one such parent-in-need. Her baby boy Liam was born last month at just 29 weeks old, and admitted for intensive care at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital. For Rukure, the journey to the hospital is a hurdle that she often cannot overcome, meaning that Liam’s urgent need for breast milk must be met another way. This is where the new human milk bank at the facility, established in partnership with Netcare, makes a difference in the life of Liam and other tiny patients like him,…

KwaZulu-Natal is once again facing the looming threat of devastating fires as the SA Weather Service has issued a warning for extreme fire danger. Following windy conditions in Pietermaritzburg, a factory in Failsworth Road, Pietermaritzburg was engulfed by fire on Saturday. This resulted in nearby buildings catching alight. Firefighters managed to control the fire although damage had been caused. The cause of the fire is still unknown. It was reported yesterday, after the fire had been put out, that the employees of the damaged buildings started clean-up operations to salvage what they could. Yesterday, the weather bureau issued a yellow level 2 warning of damaging interior winds and a yellow level 2 warning for damaging coastal winds. Three weeks ago, KZN had similar weather conditions which sparked fires that claimed…

KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is one of the leading crime hot spots in South Africa, plagued by violence and criminal activities that threaten the safety and security of its residents. Recent reports reveal a troubling trend of police shootings in the province, with 20 people losing their lives in gun battles with law enforcement officers in July alone. While addressing crime in KZN is crucial for the overall safety of the country, it is imperative that law enforcement agencies operate within the boundaries of the law and uphold the principles of justice and due process. Crime-ridden townships like uMlazi, Inanda, and parts of Pietermaritzburg have long been grappling with high levels of crime. In the fight against the scourge, it is essential that state organs prioritise KZN and implement a comprehensive strategy…

The gender tests conducted by the International Boxing Association (IBA) on two female fighters at last year’s world championships that led to their disqualification were illegitimate and lacked credibility, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said yesterday. Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s double world champion Lin Yu-ting were cleared to compete at the Paris Olympics despite having been disqualified during the 2023 World Championships after the IBA said they had failed a gender eligibility test. The IOC said the testing process at that event, which only came towards the end of the competition after the boxers had already fought several bouts, was completely arbitrary. “Those tests are not legitimate tests. The tests themselves, the process of the tests, the ad hoc nature of the tests are not legitimate,” IOC spokesperson…

Washington: US Vice-President and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has turned down a September 4 debate on Fox News proposed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The Harris campaign said that Trump was trying to “back out” of a debate with US President Joe Biden that had already been set to run on ABC. Harris said on Saturday that she planned to participate in the originally planned debate. “I’ll be there on September 10, like he agreed to. I hope to see him there,” she said. Trump had suggested that the debate should be moved to Fox, which is most popular with his followers. | IANS…

Rome: Italy’s coastguard said yesterday that two migrants died after they were rescued along with more than 30 others in the Mediterranean off the eastern coast of Sicily. The coastguard received a distress from a boat about 27km southeast of Syracuse carrying Syrian, Egyptian and Bangladeshi migrants. A patrol boat and plane were dispatched to the area, but “the occupants of the vessel ended up in the water as the patrol boat approached”, it said. Although 34 people were recovered from the water and transferred to Syracuse’s port, one died on arrival and another after reaching the hospital. | AFP…

This weekend’s Rugby Championship opener between the Springboks and the Wallabies in Brisbane will present Elrigh Louw with a golden opportunity to climb up the ladder in the Bok No 8 position. The position is one of opportunity because Duane Vermeulen has retired, Jasper Wiese is suspended, Bulls prodigy Cameron Hanekom is injured, and so is Stormer Evan Roos. That leaves old warrior Kwagga Smith and fresh debutant Phepsi Buthelezi, but Erasmus has said he wants to give Louw a time to shine. Louw, now 24, debuted for the Boks in 2022 and has four caps to his name. However, Erasmus feels the Bull did not fully grasp his early opportunity but deserves another crack. “We want to see Elrigh against big teams. He was always in our plans but…

Springbok captain Siya Kolsi has been released by his French club, Racing 92, and is set to return to the Sharks, where he will play out his career. The Sharks have confirmed they are talking to Kolisi but have left it at that. However, the informed whispers are that an announcement will be made this week that the 33-year-old will return to Durban after a time in Paris that did not work out as planned. Kolisi had asked the Sharks to release him early so that he could have time out of the South African spotlight, but the French club has accused him of not being on top form, while it is known that he has been homesick for his Cape Town-based family. Kolisi was supposed to play for Racing…

FOR GENERATIONS, fire has been a vital part of South African homes, providing warmth and a means to cook meals, especially in rural areas and informal settlements. However, new research from Stellenbosch University (SU) has uncovered the hidden risks of indoor fireplaces. During the cold winter months, it’s nice to light an indoor fireplace for extra warmth or enjoy an occasional binnebraai. But you might be inhaling tiny particles that could be harmful to your health. The new study published in “Energy Research & Social Science” by researchers from SU’s Faculty of Engineering found that indoor fireplaces can release harmful particles into the air. These can settle in the lungs and enter the bloodstream, leading to health problems. The researchers said while many studies have highlighted poor indoor air quality…

Lebogang Sehoana, the estranged wife of businessman and co-founder of Drip Footwear Lekau Sehoana, has finally broken her silence. In a lengthy interview with The Safe Space Chats Podcast with Perseverance Maremeni, the mother of one opened up about the alleged abuse she suffered from her husband. She said everything he had said about her on social media, painting her as a gold digger, was untrue. She wanted a fair divorce settlement since she had funded Drip Footwear, including buying the first business car for the brand. “During our marriage, he was unemployed so I was the one who was funding the businesses. We did multiple businesses. We were selling eggs and chickens, we did a shisanyama and I was funding those. “ Eventually, we ventured into a…

WITH the 2024 Paris Olympics in full swing, the DA congratulates all South African athletes who have thus far represented our country on the global stage. Many of our inspirational sports stars performed exceptionally well, while others were nearly there. The DA particularly wishes to congratulate double Olympic medallist Tatjana Smith for her marvellous swimming display in the 100m and 200m breaststroke finals, our boys in green, the Blitzboks for bagging the bronze medal as well as fellow bronze-medallist mountain biker Alan Hatherly. Following the 200m breaststroke final, Tatjana announced her retirement from the sport. She rounds up her Olympic career boasting an impressive medal tally of two Gold and three Silver. South Africa is immensely proud of you and thanks you for giving hope to aspiring swimmers and our…

ONCE again I found myself wondering just what warped reality I’d walked into as I made my way through Z Khan’s recent letter, “Israel’s US speech a disgrace”. The sheer level of gaslighting coming from the “pro-Palestinian” side continues to astound. Kahn may call Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the US Congress “an 8-act play”, full of lies and hate, but whatever one might think of the Israeli prime minister (I wouldn’t have voted for him) and the particulars of his speech, he has nothing on the lies, distortions and complete lack of context that are repeatedly spun by the anti-Israel crew. Most notable, of course, is the downplaying of Hamas and its responsibility for the current war, while completely ignoring the wider context in which Hamas operates as only one…

Is it just some silly coincidence that throughout history – ancient and modern – all potential architects of peace were clinically assassinated? Immediately, the American president whose name comes to mind is the one who was assassinated by a Confederate supporter because of the former’s liberal views on black slavery. Ironically, his namesake, the massive warship USS Abraham Lincoln, is parking in the Mediterranean Sea, keeping vigil and acting as security guard for a country that has not only made mincemeat out of over a million innocent flesh-and-blood bodies over ten decades, but a country that has enslaved the minds of its own people by feeding them hogwash about being chosen people that need to feed canni balistically on land, property, flesh, skin and bones that belong to other humans.…

THE latest report on eThekwini Metro’s finances has again highlighted numerous persistent challenges, including high water and electricity losses; declining revenue collection; and incorrect meter readings that negatively impact the metro’s financial standing. City councillors said as a result of these problems, the metro faces a ballooning consumer-debt problem that is growing by millions of rand every quarter. On Thursday, councillors were briefed on the state of the City’s finances in the budget statement for the quarter ending June 30, 2024. In March, The Mercury reported that consumer debt was standing at R28 billion. At the time, close to R20.7 billion was owed by the City’s households and R6 billion by the business sector. To assist defaulting consumers, the City reinstated the Debt Relief Programme which expired recently, with many…

An Israeli airstrike hit a tent inside a hospital compound in central Gaza, killing at least five people, bringing the total of Palestinians killed yesterday to 19, Gaza health officials said, after another round of talks ended without result. The airstrike hit a tent area inside the Al-Aqsa Hospital compound, starting a fire, and wounding at least 18 people in addition to the five killed, medical authorities said. The Israeli military said it struck a militant who “conducted terror activities” and that secondary explosions were identified, indicating weapons were present in the area. Its statement said that it struck 50 military targets across the enclave in the last 24 hours, including militants’ cells. The hospital compound is in the Deir Al-Balah area, which is crowded with thousands of people displaced…

Anti-immigration protesters broke hotel windows and set bins on fire in northern England yesterday in the latest wave of unrest that has presented a major test to new Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government. Violent protests involving hundreds of anti-immigration protesters have erupted in towns and cities across Britain after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a children’s dance class in Southport in northwest England last week. The murders were seized on by anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim groups as misinformation spread that the suspected attacker was an immigrant and a radical Islamist. Police said the suspect was born in Britain. Reports have said his family is Christian. Violent disorder broke out in cities around the country on Saturday, resulting in dozens of arrests as shops and businesses were vandalised…

PARIS: Paris Olympics organisers have cancelled yesterday’s swimming training session for the triathlon mixed relay event after recent heavy rain affected water quality levels in the Seine river. The decision was made late on Saturday after tests showed water quality did not meet the required threshold following rain on Wednesday and Thursday last week. The mixed relay race is scheduled for today. Pollution in the Seine after heavy rains caused the men’s race to be postponed for a day, after swimming practice sessions were cancelled two days in a row. “We are hopeful we can organise the competition tomorrow,” Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps said yesterday. | Reuters…

The Hague: A statue of Anne Frank, famous for her diary account of hiding from the Nazis during World War II, has been covered with pro-Palestinian graffiti, reports said yesterday. The base of the statue was spray-painted with the slogan “Free Gaza”, while the girl’s hands were painted with the same blood-red colour. Police have opened an investigation into the defacement, which likely occurred in the night from Saturday to yesterday, an Amsterdam police spokesperson said. No suspect had yet been identified. Anne Frank, who died aged 16 in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945, is an icon of the Dutch Jewish community. | AFP…

The Proteas have returned to the island paradise of the West Indies, as they set their sights on back-to-back series wins in the Caribbean. The first Test of two will get under way on Wednesday at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago at 4pm. Fresh from a drawn warm-up match against a West Indies Championship XI, Temba Bavuma and his teammates all had a useful outing at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy Ground after winning the toss and electing to field first. The Proteas’ first-innings score of 408-8 declared was enough to get the home side to bat twice, while there were also decent contributions with the willow from David Bedingham (74 retired out) and Kyle Verrynne (65 retired out). Ryan Rickelton created a selection poser for coach…

AT THE beginning of this year, we anticipated more celebrity babies and South Sudanese supermodel Adut Akech has joined the bandwagon. The runway and editorial cover girl took to Instagram to share with her 1.8 million followers that she and her partner Samuel Elkhier, also a model, are expecting their first child. Being the supermodel that she is, her pregnancy reveal was covered by Vogue Magazine. Speaking to the gloss, she said before she confirmed her pregnancy she dreamt her sister was pregnant. To her surprise, she started having weird cravings and felt nauseous the next day and that’s when it dawned on her that she could be the one expecting. When it was confirmed, she was happy because she always wanted to be a young mother. “I always said…

THE French Olympics organisers have much to answer for. The filthy River Seine has caused many athletes to seek medical attention, after being affected by E coli and who knows what other dangerous gremlins. The opening horror show, which demeaned Christians, reflects the shallow left-wing, libertarian, woke garbage that is influencing what we watch on TV and other platforms. The cherry on top was allowing a masculine transgender boxer, to enter the ring, with a genuine woman – it was, after all, a woman’s event. The human hybrid, proceeded to pummel the “dinkum” woman, into submission. The French get an F, their Games a sickening reminder of the unbelievable stupidity of some humans. Absolute merde.…

THE following are pointers or indicators to tell if you could use professional help with your family, your relationships or your faith: Being part of your family feels mechanical, rigid. You feel locked in. You’re an actor in someone’s play. No matter how hard you try, things (tensions, roles, anxieties, problems) stay the same, year after year. At family holidays you feel pressure about where to be. It feels as if you are the rope in a tug-of-war. The best choices have negative consequences. You feel intimidated when speaking with your parents about anything meaningful. You feel yourself reverting to a much younger age! You find it easy to talk about your parents but find it difficult to talk to them. Old arguments often resurface when the family is together…

Transnet has said it is making considerable progress in implementing institutional reform measures in accordance with the Freight Logistics Roadmap and the Guarantee Framework Conditions issued to the parastatal by Treasury. The entity faced challenges with vessel and container backlogs at the Durban port last year and ongoing truck congestion at the ports of Durban and Richards Bay. Recent developments have seen improvements at both ports in addressing these challenges. Transnet said that it had initiated the corporatisation of the National Ports Authority (TNPA), which will culminate in the establishment of TNPA as a wholly owned subsidiary of Transnet. “The reform will enhance TNPA’s regulatory oversight on terminal operators across its port network. The corporatisation will establish TNPA as a financially autonomous entity capable of generating its own revenue,” said…

The National Department of Health expects to have 90 Contracting Units for Primary Health Care (CUPs) as part of the first phase of the National Health Insurance (NHI). This is according to Nicholas Crisp, deputy director-general for the NHI at the Health Department, who spoke at the 28th Annual KZN Doctors’ Healthcare Coalition (KZNDHC) conference on Friday night. Crisp said Phase 1 started in 2023 and would run until 2026, while Phase 2 will be conducted from 2026 to 2028. CUPs are areas or units where health care providers in both the public and private sector will use the national digital Health Patient Registration System (HPRS) when treating patients. “In our planning over the next three years, we want to get from the first nine (CUPs) to 90, to the…

Non-profit organisation Sonke Gender Justice has dismissed an employee found guilty of violating its policies, following allegations that the employee had sexually assaulted a young woman. The confirmation of the employee’s dismissal comes after the organisation in December last year suspended the individual in light of the allegations. At the time, Sonke Gender Justice said: “Sonke has noted allegations of one of its staff members, who is alleged to have committed a sexual offence against a young woman in the Western Cape. “Sonke Gender Justice views this matter in a serious light and has suspended the staff member with immediate effect while it investigates and will ensure that the individual is held accountable for the (alleged) crime.” Approached for comment on the matter last week, Sonke Gender Justice co-executive director…

Minister of Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries Dion George has outlined measures put in place by his department to minimise the impact of budget cuts in the 2024-25 financial year. George said budget cuts over the 2024 medium term expenditure framework period amounted to R2.5 billion. The budget cuts had “placed pressure on the business operations of the department”, he said. George also said funding has been reprioritised from existing resources by implementing cost containment measures on non-core items such as catering, venues, travel and subsistence to deal with facilities management. “Rising cost of maintenance and fuel have been funded from reprioritisation from within the department budget. “The rate of rising costs will eventually not be affordable and will require revision to the number of voyages undertaken by the department as…

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has introduced a controversial gender-responsive pedagogy for early childhood education, known as the “ECE toolkit”. According to the DBE, the toolkit intends to support African early childhood educators and school leaders to foster a gender-responsive and play-based learning environment. Proponents of the toolkit argue that it fosters a more equitable learning environment to better support children. However, critics have slammed the toolkit as indoctrinating young children with confusing gender ideology without their parents’ knowledge. The toolkit is the result of a collaboration between the DBE, the VVOB – Education for Development, and the Institute for Life Course Health Research (ILCHR) from Stellenbosch University. The VVOB, known as the Flemish Association for Development Corporation and Technical Assistance, aims to develop and strengthen inclusive, gender-responsive learning…

Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resign clashed with government supporters yesterday, with dozens killed in one of the deadliest days since demonstrations began. Rallies that began last month against civil service job quotas have escalated into some of the worst unrest of Hasina’s 15-year rule and shifted into wider calls for the 76-year-old to step down. At least 37 people were killed yesterday alone, the rival sides battling with sticks and knives and security forces firing rifles, taking the total killed since protests began in July to at least 243. However, soldiers and police in several cases did not intervene to stem the protests, unlike the past month of rallies that repeatedly ended in deadly crackdowns. A respected former army chief also demanded that the government…

Two of the Russian dissidents freed from prison and who arrived in Germany as part of last week’s major East-West prisoner swop, say they are already thinking about returning to Russia, but vow to continue political activism even from abroad. The swop saw eight Russians, including a convicted murderer, returned home from Western countries in exchange for 16 prisoners freed from Russian and Belarusian jails, many of them Russian dissidents alongside Americans like Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. “(Russian authorities) will not allow us to return, but we want to,” dissident Andrei Pivovarov said in Bonn at the weekend. Ilya Yashin was imprisoned in 2022 for criticising President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “It’s emotionally difficult for me because I was set free at the price of setting free…

MIAMI: Tropical Storm Debby was expected to gather strength and become a hurricane yesterday, the US National Hurricane Center said. Forecasters were expecting a large number of Atlantic hurricanes in the 2024 season, which began on June 1, with four to seven seen as major, among 25 named storms. Debby was crawling at 20km/h into the Gulf Coast, packing maximum sustained winds of nearly 95km/h as it gains strength. Governor Ron DeSantis called up 3 000 National Guard and placed most of Florida’s cities and counties under emergency orders, while evacuations were ordered in parts of the Gulf Coast counties of Pasco Hernando and Citrus. | Reuters…

ABUJA: Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu called for the suspension of nationwide protests and an end to “bloodshed” yesterday after security forces cracked down on rallies over economic hardship. Thousands of people began taking to the streets last week to protest government policies and the high cost of living. Rights group Amnesty International accused security forces of killing at least 13 demonstrators while police say seven people died and deny responsibility. Tinubu blamed organisers for failing to prevent disorder and outlined measures he said would benefit young Nigerians and the economy. | AFP…

Enea Bastianini of Ducati won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone yesterday to complete a weekend double, taking the chequered flag ahead of new world championship leader Jorge Martin and two-time MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia. Having qualified second on the grid, Bagnaia had taken the lead over pole-sitter Aleix Espargaro on the opening lap but found himself in the battle for third in the second part of the race after Martin overtook him with eight laps to go. Martin, who had shown promising pace throughout the weekend, then looked on course to victory but made a costly mistake in the final moments, with Bastianini capitalising after qualifying third. “It has been a very difficult race because I made some mistakes in the start and was in the fourth place, but…