Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-09-25 i Mercury

Global disruptions such as climate change, rapid digitalisation, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and new emerging technologies will be the topics of discussion at a conference that kicked off today on technical and vocational education and training (TVET). The conference, hosted by Unisa in Stellenbosch, is being held in partnership with the South African Public Colleges Organisation, supported by the Education Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority, the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Unesco-Unevoc International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training. The theme of the conference is: Advancing TVET for a Digitalised World, Youth Skilling, Employability and Sustainable Development. The Department of Higher Education and Training said the hybrid conference sought to collect input from the wider TVET community on how systems…

A Grey seal pup found injured on a Cornish beach, in England, has just celebrated her 50th birthday as Britain’s oldest-known seal, according to Sky News. Sheba was found with a head injury and a nasty eye infection by local resident Ken Jones in 1974. He took her home and he and his wife, Mary, nursed her back to a stable condition in a pool where they rehabilitated seals. Her health condition, including a loss of vision, prevented her from returning to the sea and she has now outlasted all the other pool animals that have come and gone. Over time, the Joneses’ rehab centre, which moved from their backyard to the village of Gweek, now looks after about 70 seal pups a year. “Reaching the age of 50 is…

The DA urgently calls on Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu to set aside the appointment of Major-General Patrick Mbotho to Divisional Commissioner in the Hawks, given the serious allegations against him. His appointment is nothing less than an insult to our nation’s commitment to building a professional, competent and clean law-enforcement community. On Wednesday, September 18, 2024, Mbotho’s appointment to his new position was debated in the portfolio committee on police, where the chairperson of the committee, Ian Cameron, raised critical concerns: “How do we justify an appointment of a general who was previously found not only (to have) sent pornographic material to his detective command … but also continuing with underworld activities, meeting with well-known underworld figures in Cape Town involved in extortion, among other things?” An officer…

ON MARCH 21, 2022 a Boeing 737-800NG of China Eastern Airlines (Flight MU 5735) was involved in a horror crash that defied aviation logic. The plane is a superb aircraft that is the workhorse of global aviation. The vertical nosedive plunge of 20 000 feet in less than one minute is unprecedented in aviation circles.The scope and depth of this sonic plunge is extraordinary, as it sends shivers down one’s spine. It is unprecedented for an aircraft at cruising mode to react in such a violent manner. The shattering impact of this bewildering plunge resulted in the plane disintegrating into over 49 000 pieces. Some pieces tore 60ft into the soft earth, the plane was obliterated as it crashed at a 90º angle, while a part of a wing…

Government and political party leaders marked Heritage Day in events across the country yesterday. The events were led by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) leader Jacob Zuma, EFF leader Julius Malema, African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader Vuyo Zungula and others. Zuma called for South Africans to be allowed to make their own laws and determine their own struggle and future. Zuma was speaking during a Heritage Day celebration and a ceremony for the coronation of Dr Lesedi Gabriel Monageng Motsatsi as the chief of Batlokwa ba Bogatsu in the North West. Zuma was in the company of fellow MKP leaders, among them national organiser Floyd Shivambu, the party’s head of the Presidency Magasela Mzobe, and MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla. Zuma said he had…

A 30-year-old woman, who is a Namibian national, was arrested at the OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park on suspicion that she was a drug mule. The SAPS said the woman, who was arrested on Sunday, was the 10th drug mule to be arrested at the busy Gauteng airport in the past two months. National police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the SAPS, and SA Revenue Service customs and immigration officials were following up on intelligence from the SAPS of a drug mule who would land from Sao Paulo, Brazil, at around 7am. “The team immediately intercepted the drug mule as she was making her way through immigration. “She was immediately arrested and taken to a local hospital where a medical X-ray confirmed and detected foreign objects in…

The Portfolio Committee of Public Works and Infrastructure says it is concerned over recent findings by the Auditor General (AG) against the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI). During a recent briefing by the AG, it was revealed that a total of 107 Public Works projects had been delayed, at an accumulated cost of R3.9 billion. Of the 107, it was found that 63 of these projects had been delayed by more than three years. These delays were largely due to poor contractor performance, the AG said, and this was preventing client departments from utilising the intended infrastructure. The Public Works Committee expressed concern that not only had the department’s annual performance targets been missed, but that the achievements it reported were not accurate. Although 86% of the…

ELECTRICITY fraud is costing the Msunduzi Municipality in Pietermaritzburg millions of rand each month as thousands of its prepaid electricity meters have been bypassed. The municipality revealed that it is facing a challenge with the prepaid meters, saying only about 60% of its 40 000 prepaid meter customers are buying electricity. Acting municipal manager Neli Ngcobo said most of the prepaid meters had been bypassed, resulting in a loss of revenue to the municipality and an increase in electricity losses. “The municipality is currently conducting a council-wide meter audit. Any meter found to have been tampered with is removed and a tampering penalty charged. “The owners are then required to come to the municipality to apply for the reinstatement of services.” Ngcobo said that apart from the audit the municipality…

Pope Francis, recently back from a gruelling Asia-Pacific trip and suffering mild flu, is set to begin a visit to Luxembourg and Belgium tomorrow, partly devoted to meeting victims of clerical sex abuse there. After showing astonishing resilience throughout a fast-paced 12 days in four countries in Asia and Oceania earlier this month, Francis, 87, cancelled his audiences on Monday due to a “mild flu”. The Vatican said the pope, who had part of one lung removed in his youth, needed to rest before he resumed his travels. The heart of the Argentinian pontiff’s 46th trip abroad will be addressing priest paedophilia in Belgium, tarred by decades of scandals and cover-ups. The confessions of a disgraced bishop 14 years ago prompted thousands of victims to come forward. During his stay,…

WASHINGTON: US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said this week that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wanted the Democrats to win the 2024 US election. But some of his allies have argued that Ukraine would welcome Trump back as they believe he has the acumen to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end Moscow’s war on Ukraine. “I think Zelenskiy is the greatest salesperson in history. Every time he comes into the country, he walks away with $60 billion (R1.03 trillion),” Trump said. “He wants them to win this election so badly, but I would … work out peace.” Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ campaign called out Trump for not having said he wants Ukraine to win the war. | Reuters…

BERLIN: At least four people were arrested in south-western Germany early yesterday in a series of raids conducted on suspicion of human smuggling, police said. The raids were carried out by 400 police officers in Mannheim, Karlsruhe and Worms, with 24 properties searched. The case pertains to migrants from the Caucasus region, smuggled into Germany to work illegally and below the statutory minimum wage. The probe came after one of the migrants was arrested trying to leave Germany via Frankfurt airport. Earlier this month, the government imposed tighter controls at all land borders to tackle irregular migration. | Reuters…

ZURICH: Swiss police have arrested several people after a controversial futuristic-looking capsule designed to allow its occupant to commit suicide was used for the first time, authorities said yesterday. Police in the northern canton of Schaffhausen bordering Germany said the so-called “Sarco” capsule had been deployed in a wood in the municipality of Merishausen. The group behind the capsule, The Last Resort, said the deceased was a 64-year-old American woman who had been suffering from a severely compromised immune system. The “Sarco” causes death when its occupant releases nitrogen gas inside, lowering the amount of oxygen to lethal levels. | Reuters…

What kind of day will you have today? An honest day, a day of kindness, a forgiving one, a day with time and an ear for the elderly and a smile for the foolishness of the blatantly arrogant. What kind of person will you be today? A patient one, a person who listens to others, one who meets a financial need – small or large – of at least one other person today, a person who offers respect to people even if it is not returned. It will not be by accident if you and I can ease into our beds this evening having had the kind of day and having been the kind of person as outlined briefly above. It will be the result of a plan. It will…

Snow is beautiful. It can transform a drab countryside into a winter wonderland. When there’s news of snowfall in the Midlands, hundreds of people from the coast hop into the cars and drive up to see this magic of nature. A Gauteng motorist drove 350km from Johannesburg to Warden over the weekend, to show his children the beauty of snow. But snow is not always a pleasure. When there’s too much of it, life can become difficult. Heavy snowfall, as much as 2m deep in some places, fell over the weekend in the KZN Midlands, Drakensberg and Free State, causing problems for travellers, farmers, livestock, towns and communities. Nearly 2 000 motorists were stranded in freezing conditions in their snowbound vehicles on the N3. Some were stuck for as…

TWO husbands have been given the green light to use the surnames of their wives after a court overturned the provisions of an outdated law which prohibited this. A section of the Births and Registration Act, which prohibited a husband from taking on his wife’s surname upon marriage, was found to be discriminatory on the ground of gender. The two couples turned to the Bloemfontein High Court where they challenged this outdated law. The first couple was only identified by their initials, while the second couple was cited as Jess Donnelly-Bornman and Andreas Bornman. The Commission for Gender Equality said yesterday that it welcomed the court ruling. The first and second applicants were married in July 2021 at the Home Affairs offices in Bloemfontein. After their marriage was solemnised, and…

RECORDINGS of court procedures (court records) would be in English only and no exception to the rule would be allowed, a court said in striking two appeals from the roll where the records handed to the court were partially in Afrikaans. Judge Bantubonke Tokota, sitting in the Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda, said it was the Constitutional right of anyone before court to testify in their own language, using the services of an interpreter to interpret into English, as the final court record had to be in English. He made the observations after two appeals by accused persons against their convictions. The judge directed that the magistrates who handled their hearings in the criminal trials, ensure that portions of each record in Afrikaans were translated into English. Judge Tokota…

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has said that it will continue to push for the adoption of a compulsory levy for households. Moreover, the SABC has asked that the South African Revenue Service (Sars) and MultiChoice help in enforcing revenue collection. These comments were made recently by SABC head of policy and regulatory affairs, Philly Moilwa, during a public hearing by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies. The public hearing was part of the process to allow government to introduce the SABC Bill, which will allow for a new TV licence regime and funding model. Moilwa made it clear that the organisation wants to move away from the failing TV licence business model. “We have moved far ahead of accessing the SABC from a TV, you can…

THE Blood Lions organisation says the recent discovery of a tiger cub at a residential property in Chase Valley in Pietermaritzburg highlights the highly unregulated nature of the captive predator industry. This comes after it was discovered in May that two lion cubs were being kept without a permit at a residential property in Dawncliffe, Westville in Durban. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesperson Musa Mntambo said that on September 8, Ezemvelo’s honorary officers in Pietermaritzburg received reports of a tiger being illegally kept in an enclosure at a property in Northern Park. Mntambo said that when officers arrived at the property they discovered a male tiger, estimated to be between four and six months old. The animal was immediately confiscated. “The tiger was taken to the Free Me Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre…

Israel announced dozens of new air strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon yesterday, a day after 558 people, including 50 children, were killed in the deadliest bombardment since a devastating war in 2006. Israel’s overnight strikes on southern Lebanon came after it said it had killed a “large number” of militants when it hit about 1 600 suspected Hezbollah targets across the country. Hezbollah said yesterday that it had launched volleys of missiles at Israeli military bases, hours after 180 of its projectiles and an unmanned aerial vehicle crossed into Israeli airspace, sending people in the city of Haifa running for shelter. The Israeli military said more than 50 projectiles were fired into northern Israel in less than 10 minutes yesterday morning, most of which were intercepted. It said it…

The Russian parliament is working on a law that would ban what the authorities cast as the harmful promotion of a child-free way of life with heavy fines for “childlessness propaganda”, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin said yesterday. Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairperson of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, said parliamentarians had begun to examine legislation to outlaw what he described as propaganda on the internet, in films, in advertising and in the media that encourages “a conscious refusal to have children”. Putin, who has cast Russia as a bastion of “traditional values” locked in an existential struggle with a decadent West, has encouraged women to have at least three children, saying that will help secure the future of Russians. The issue has taken on greater…

SEOUL: Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, criticised the presence of a US nuclear submarine in the South Korean port of Busan, state media KCNA said yesterday. Kim called it a proof of US ambitions to “bring out its nuclear strategic assets, show off its strength and increase threats”. Her remarks came after the US, South Korea and Japan foreign ministers met to discuss North Korea’s claims of uranium enrichment facilities and military co-operation with Russia. | Reuters…

Paris: France now has “one of the worst” public deficits in its modern history, the new finance minister said yesterday, confirming new taxes on the wealthy and big businesses are on the table to get finances back in order. Antoine Armand said that he would be talking to economic actors including unions and bosses’ organisations in a bid to slash government overspending. The deficit is expected to reach 5.6% or more of national output this year, almost double the EU limit. The new government under conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier must try to get a 2025 budget through the Assembly lower house, after July’s inconclusive snap election. | AFP…

Trade unions and financial experts have warned the public to be mindful of the impact on their retirement fund when withdrawing money in terms of the two-pot savings system. This as Sanlam revealed that it had processed more than 60 000 applications since the launch of the two-pot retirement system on September 1. The system allows workers to withdraw up to R30 000 from their retirement fund. Sanlam said clients should consider the negative impact of early withdrawals on their retirement proceeds, which “could be significant as they may lose out on many years of compounded returns.” Anna Siwiak, head: Product Development for the Sanlam Umbrella Solutions, said that they are seeing notable trends among middle-aged, middle-income individuals opting to withdraw funds. “This group often balances the dual pressures…

Imagine for a minute that you are a Palestinian who is separated from your family. Maybe you are studying abroad or left Palestine because you were forced to become a refugee and fled to Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, South Africa, Germany or any other country because of the Israeli occupation. Maybe you left to seek a better life for yourself, a life where you would be able to travel freely, without fear of being killed, arrested or having your home, property or land confiscated and your livelihood destroyed by the Israeli occupation. Imagine what it feels like to be away from your family, alone, in a foreign country while witnessing the genocide of your people unfolding before your eyes. Imagine how it must feel to be able to do nothing because…

IT’S unlikely that the average South African is aware of Ukraine’s massive contribution of wheat, corn and vegetable oil to the world. Records show that more than 60 million metric tons of grain were harvested in 2023. Ukraine produces between 10 and 15% of the world’s grain production – that’s enough grain to feed the tens of millions of starving people in Africa. In 1932, as history records, the Soviet Union, under Joseph Stalin, introduced an impossible grain quota procurement policy in Ukraine that destroyed the grain industry. Translated, this was a tax introduced by Stalin to procure most of the grain produced in Ukraine for consumption in the USSR (Russia). This was a death sentence to 5 million Ukrainians who died of starvation between 1932 and 1933. For those…

THE government has been challenged to be better prepared for extreme weather conditions after hundreds of motorists were stranded amid unprecedented heavy snowfall in KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend. Some motorists were stuck on the N3 in the snow for up to two days while one person who had been travelling in a taxi collapsed and died from hypothermia. Climate expert Professor Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine(LSHTM), said there were gaps in the country’s early warning systems. Mabhaudhi said one of the issues was the dissemination of information in affected areas and to vulnerable people, and in advising the public on the appropriate action to be taken. He said the SA Weather Service had issued an Orange Level 6 warning…

The extensive search for US student, Brook Cecilia Cheuvront, who had been missing for more than 12 hours, ended tragically when she was found dead on the slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town. The student, 20, had gone hiking a day before she was found. It is believed that she fell down a rocky cliff and died. In the hours before her body was found on the slopes of the mountain, a frantic search involving multiple role players in Cape Town had swung into action. Cheuvront, according to her LinkedIn page, was a double major in English and Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a minor in Astronomy. In August, she moved to Cape Town, joining the Justice Desk as a student intern on…

The Middelburg Magistrate’s Court has convicted and sentenced a 36-year-old man for vehicle fraud after he used fake documents to purchase a Suzuki Ertiga and did not pay the monthly instalments. The conviction and sentence came after Jacob Aphane was charged for vehicle finance fraud to the value of R496 211. “On October 7, 2022, the accused applied for vehicle finance at a Middelburg dealership, using fraudulent documents, payslip and bank statement. He alleged he was employed at GT Auto Company in Marblehall. Wesbank approved the finance application based on the fraudulent documents presented,” said Captain Sekgotodi Dineo, Mpumalanga spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks. After the approval, Aphane collected the vehicle, a Suzuki Ertiga. However, Aphane did not pay the monthly instalment…

THE case load of ethical misconduct cases against teachers continues to rise, according to the South African Council for Educators (Sace). The council said this was leading to a backlog as its financial and human resources could not keep up with the demand. “Council is looking into additional funding and internal capacity to address this challenge,” Sace chairperson Mabutho Cele said. However, Sace overall recorded a decrease in misconduct cases against teachers during the 2023/24 financial year. In its report tabled in Parliament, CEO Mapula Ella Mokgalane said Sace received 606 cases of misconduct during the period under review. “This number is lower when comparing to the number of cases received from the last financial year of 2022/23 where a total of 734 cases were registered,” Mokgalane said. The Western…

For the first 30 minutes, motorists stranded in the heavy snow would have thought it was temporary, and that they would continue with their journeys in no time. But as minutes became hours and darkness crept in, one can only imagine their fear inside their freezing cars, buses, taxis and trucks. Videos shared on social media showed the snow trapped calling out to their “neighbours” in the morning on Saturday to establish if they were still alive, especially those whose car lights were no longer flashing. Others opened their windows and waved or greeted back, while there was dead silence in some of the vehicles enveloped in snow. It was almost like watching a movie scene on the sinking of the Titanic, or a Mount Everest expedition in freezing temperatures.…

China unveiled some of its boldest measures in years yesterday aimed at boosting its struggling economy as leaders grapple with a prolonged property sector debt crisis, continued deflationary pressure and high youth unemployment. The world’s second-largest economy has yet to achieve a highly anticipated post-pandemic recovery and the government has set a goal of 5% growth in 2024, an objective analysts say is optimistic given the headwinds. Central bank chief Pan Gongsheng said in Beijing yesterday the bank would cut a string of rates to boost growth, pledging to “promote the expansion of consumption and investment”. The moves represent “the most significant … stimulus package since the early days of the pandemic”, said Julian Evans-Pritchard, head of China economics at Capital Economics. However “it may not be enough”, he warned,…

A young child born with severe disabilities has confounded doctors by surviving the withdrawal of life-support treatment in what is believed to be a unique case, and should receive full treatment again, a British judge has ordered. The 4-year-old boy was born in March 2020 with a brain malformation and other serious medical issues and was placed on a ventilator last October after he suffered two heart attacks. Doctors at King’s College Hospital in south London said there was no prospect he would recover and the child would survive for a few days after treatment ended. Judge Nigel Poole ruled at London’s High Court in April that it was in the child’s best interests for life-sustaining treatment to be withdrawn and it was stopped in May. But, over four…

Mexico City: At least two people died after Hurricane John slammed into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast overnight, authorities said yesterday, with the cyclone since downgraded to a tropical storm and expected to weaken further. But forecasters warned of strong rains and flash floods inundating the coast for the next few days. “This heavy rainfall will likely cause significant and possibly catastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides” in the southern states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Strong winds and rain battered beaches ahead of John making landfall near Marquelia in Guerrero. Maximum sustained winds weakened to 110km/h. | AFP…

ABUJA: Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has directed security and law enforcement agencies to crack down on individuals trafficking stolen vehicles, in a bid to strengthen the country’s economic and financial integrity against organised crime. Nigeria would work with its international partners to clamp down on cyber criminals and organised crime groups involved in transnational car theft, he said. He acknowledged the recent handover of 53 vehicles and $180 300 by the country’s Financial Crimes Commission to Canadian police, on behalf of two Canadian citizens who fell prey to cybercrime perpetrated by Nigerian nationals. | Xinhua…

THE optimists were chanting “the glory days are back again” after Kaizer Chiefs opened the 2024/25 Premiership season with a 2-1 victory over newcomers Marumo Gallants last weekend. The pessimists retorted by saying it is way too early and that you can’t read too much into a hard-fought victory over such a lowly opponent. Not that Nasreddine Nabi, the Tunisian coach of Amakhosi, would have given any of those much thought. He is too experienced a coach to read too much into one win. For the Chiefs fans who have endured a long period of suffering during a barren spell that lasted nine seasons, small victories such as those against Gallants are understandably celebrated with gusto. And you can bet they would love to celebrate yet again tonight as their…