Indholdsfortegnelse for 2024-11-04 i Mercury

South Africa’s economy is limping, public services and workers are struggling. Cosatu and workers had expected much more from the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement tabled at Parliament on Wednesday. The Budget is government’s most strategic tool and needs to be used far more strategically to stimulate growth, slash unemployment and rebuild the state. Cosatu’s disappointment is that it was a business-as-usual budget statement with little new to tackle our many socio-economic challenges. Our number one crisis is our staggering unemployment rate of 42.6%. We are in danger of creating a class of the permanent unemployed with a youth unemployment rate of 70%. All our socio-economic challenges cascade from this, be it poverty, inequality, crime, disease, homelessness. Public services cannot cope when so many cannot find work. Whilst we appreciate that…

WOW, was Saturday's encounter between England and New Zealand not a humdinger? Thousands of people singing God Save The King at full pitch. Then, as the All Blacks performed their preliminary Haka dance, the same thousands replying at full pitch with the traditional Twickenham refrain. Swing low, sweet chariot, Coming for to carry me home … Goosebump stuff. And the rugby that followed absolutely lived up to it. The Boks will have taken notes. Another humdinger approaches. This is rugby at its best. Mini-controversy The match coincided with a mini-controversy. People were discussing whether the All Blacks should be allowed to perform their admittedly somewhat gruesome Maori Haka dance before a match. How absurd can you get? It's part of their rugby tradition. In fact, there was a time when…

In one of the most dubious, behind-your-back ways, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa and then minister of Foreign Affairs, Naledi Pandor, have cursed our beautiful nation South Africa, when a year ago they decided to rush off to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) without consulting the majority of our people first, to accuse Israel of genocide. They basically robbed us of our rights to debate and discuss this highly emotional, controversial issue wherein every South African citizen would've really appreciated to be heard. Ramaphosa, since taking office in 2020, has had multiple opportunities to prove himself as a strong leader, but he has chosen, on several occasions, to stab us in the back. During Covid, he locked us all up because that was the narrative on the street — he…

South Africa faces a mammoth task that is increasingly becoming insurmountable regarding the mayhem on our roads which are in many cases misnamed as ‘accidents’ when they are murder and grievous harm incidents. This is highlighted in the recent case of a football player who has been arrested for drunken driving, causing the death of one person and serious injuries to two others. It is alleged he was driving at high speed and recklessly in a township at 7.30 in the morning when this occurred. It is further alleged that bottles of liquor and drugs were found in the boot of his car and that he ran away from the scene and only handed himself over to the police later. What is confounding, is how on earth this man is…

KWADUKUZA Municipality residents have called for the municipality to be placed under administration, citing that it has been dysfunctional and paralysed by leadership squabbles. The residents, represented by the Dolphin Coast Residents & Ratepayers Association, have written to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, requesting intervention. They expressed concern that the municipality's dysfunction was exacerbated by vacancies within the executive committee. In their letter to the MEC, the residents stated: “We write to you today as a collective of concerned civil society organisations, representing over 30 000 households on the Dolphin Coast and in the wider KwaDukuza area. For nearly two months, our municipality has been in a state of paralysis due to the ongoing vacancies on the executive committee of Council.” The letter highlighted that…

More than one in three tree species globally are on the verge of extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List's newly released Global Tree Assessment. This data marks a milestone in conservation, showing the first global picture of tree species at risk, with 38% of all known species facing potential extinction. The assessment, published in the IUCN Red List update on October 28, 2024, comes as a reminder of the essential role trees play in maintaining global biodiversity and supporting countless human livelihoods. In a statement, Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General, said: “Trees are essential to support life on Earth, and millions of people depend on them. This assessment highlights the IUCN Red List's role as a barometer of life and as a…

The South African Police Service (SAPS) says at least 225 illegal miners resurfaced from an old mining shaft in Orkney, North West, after police blocked routes used to deliver food and water to them. Acting National Commissioner of the SAPS, Lieutenant-General Shadrack Sibiya, commended the Vala Umgodi task teams in the North West province for asserting the authority of the state. Sibiya stated that these 225 miners, along with an additional 340, are part of a larger group believed to be hundreds, if not a thousand, who were left underground without food, water, or necessities because the Vala Umgodi teams, led by SAPS and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), are blocking routes used to deliver supplies. Last week, SAPS and SANDF members prevented communities around the abandoned mining…

By 2050 sub-Saharan Africa will need to create 72.6 million new jobs This significant demographic shift positions African youth as key drivers in shaping global consumption, culture, and stability. However, this transformative potential is threatened by a lack of job opportunities across the continent. According to estimations, by then sub-Saharan Africa will need to create 72.6 million new jobs to accommodate the young people entering the labour market. This scenario poses a critical challenge, as youth unemployment remains alarmingly high across the continent. If unaddressed, the ILO warns of a potential “youth earthquake”, where frustration and joblessness could spark widespread social movements, as seen recently in Kenya, where protests highlighted the impact and energy such a crisis can generate. The concerning reality is that many African countries are not producing…

Iran’s leadership and allies are bracing for what they would regard as a dreadful outcome of the imminent US presidential election: A return to power of Donald Trump. Opinion polls suggest the Republican Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris remain locked in a close contest. But Iranian leaders and their regional allies in Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen are concerned that Trump could well triumph tomorrow and this could spell more trouble for them. Iran’s main concern is the potential for Trump to empower Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to strike Iran’s nuclear sites, conduct targeted assassinations and reimpose his “maximum pressure policy” through heightened sanctions on their oil industry, according to Iranian, Arab and Western officials. They anticipate that Trump, who was president in 2017-21, will exert utmost pressure…

Israeli forces stepped up bombardment of the Gaza Strip yesterday killing at least 23 people, Palestinian medics said, with over half the deaths in northern areas where the army has waged a month-long campaign it says is to prevent Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians said the new aerial and ground offensives and forced evacuations were “ethnic cleansing” aimed at emptying two north Gaza towns and a camp of their populations to create buffer zones. Israel denies this, saying it is fighting Hamas militants who launch attacks from there. Medics said at least 13 Palestinians were killed in separate attacks on houses in Beit Lahiya town and Jabalia, the largest of the enclave’s eight historic refugee camps and the focus of the army’s new military offensive. The rest were killed in separate…

LONDON: Thousands of people marched through central London yesterday demanding action on cleaning up Britain’s rivers and seas. Environmental activist and singer Feargal Sharkey and adventurer Bear Grylls were among those planning to join The March for Clean Water, which was backed by groups including Greenpeace, the Wildlife Trusts and British Rowing. Protesters are demanding reviews of water regulator Ofwat and the Environment Agency along with stricter enforcement for water companies who break existing pollution rules. River Action said that there were about 15 000 marchers, who were encouraged to wear blue and to bring a sample from a body of water close to their heart. | AFP…

KYIV: Russian air attacks on Kyiv damaged buildings, roads and power lines, the capital’s military administration reported yesterday. No injuries occurred in the multi-directional drone attack. Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv military administration, said all attack drones were destroyed in Russia’s second assault on Kyiv in two nights. Falling debris damaged entrances and windows of at least five buildings in the Shevchenkivskyi and Holosiivskyi districts, including a hostel and office building. Kyiv, its surrounding region and most of eastern Ukraine were under intermittent air raid alerts throughout the night. | Reuters…

“Dad, are we normal?” My son asked, bending from his perch on my shoulders, trying to look into my face. “Why do you ask?” I said, looking up at him while holding his ankles in one hand and feeling his weight swirl to one side. We did these “walks” around the block almost daily. We’d start out, his five-year-old body striding out ahead of me, beckoning me to hurry, usually toward the steel climbing equipment on the public school play area. I knew that if the walk was in the evening when the light was dimming and the alleys between the houses were throwing darker and changing shadows, my son would plead tiredness and beg to ride on my shoulders. I braced for big questions. Was his question about the…

The DA would like to congratulate His Excellency, Mr Duma Gideon Boko, leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), on winning Botswana’s national election. The UDC’s triumph ushers in a new political majority and a new government for Botswana, a monumental political shift after 58 years of rule by the outgoing Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). This development signals a wave of change in the Southern African region, where the once dominant political parties of independence and liberation are gradually being replaced by parties campaigning on the promise of delivery and a better future. The days of the African political fraternity are finally giving way for the days of healthy African democracy and the will of the people. The DA also welcomes the peaceful transfer of power from the outgoing…

Work has commenced on the final phase of the R4.8 billion mixed-use Oceans development in uMhlanga. This was announced during a walkabout at the site on Friday. The new R1.2bn, 29-floor development of the south tower was awarded to WBHO, which has commenced work on-site. Business tycoon Vivian Reddy, the co-developer, stated that there will be a major announcement regarding the details of the tower. “Our decision to proceed with the final phase was bolstered by the steady demand for apartments in the north tower, which is now at 83% occupancy, as well as the lowering of interest rates,” he said. He added that the new tower will create 2 400 new jobs during construction and is expected to be completed in 20 months. “We are insisting on the…

The Ndlovu family from the Cabhane village in uMzumbe on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast are mourning the loss of three children who died after experiencing symptoms associated with food poisoning last week. This comes after a spate of food poisoning cases across the country resulted in several deaths and hospitalisations. Last week seven pupils from Bongucele Secondary School in Mtwalume were hospitalised when they became sick after they ate chips from a local vendor. KZN Social Development spokesperson Thuba Vilane said in the Cabhane incident, the three children died while their grandmother had been hospitalised. Two-year-old Ayanda Ndlovu and his six-year-old brother Okuhle Ndlovu died on Tuesday at home while their grandmother Celani Ndlovu, 64, and brother Cebo Ndlovu, 11, were taken to a hospital with vomiting and with diarrhoea.…

Businessman Louis Liebenberg believes there are far more sinister motives behind his arrest last week. Speaking exclusively to IOL from the Kgoši Mampuru ll Correctional Facility a day after his case was postponed, the well-known diamond dealer said he knew police were going to come after him and claimed he tried to meet with officers several times; however, they ignored him and his arrest was “just for show”. Liebenberg is accused of masterminding an elaborate diamond Ponzi scheme in which investors were allegedly swindled out of billions of rands. The 60-year-old, alongside his wife, Desiree, Magdelena Kleynhans, Johannes Badenhorst, Helena Schulenburg, Adriaan Strydom, Christelle Badenhorst, Nicolize van Heerden and Walter Niendinger, face charges of fraud (alternatively theft), racketeering, money laundering, theft, as well as contravening statutory laws and the Companies…

A 61-year-old former Department of Public Service and Administration official and deacon at a church has been sentenced to life in prison for raping his 10-year-old niece. The sentence was handed down by the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson of the Gauteng Division, Lumka Mahanjana, said the court heard that the victim was residing with her aunt, who was married to the accused. “On November 17, 2017, the victim and the man were moving some of their belongings to their new residence in Mamelodi East, Tsakane Section,” Mahanjana said. “On arrival, the man raped his niece and instructed her not to report the incident, claiming they were simply ‘playing’ a game.” A year later, the victim’s aunt learned of the rape and reported it to…

THE signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Maintenance Online Listing of Defaulters Project has been welcomed as a move to close the gap between maintenance courts, service providers and the credit industry. Through the project, the Justice and Constitutional Development department will develop a system to facilitate the forwarding of the details of persons against whom child maintenance enforcement orders have been granted (maintenance defaulters) to a partner Credit Bureau who will in turn make this information available to all other credit bureaus and credit providers. The department, the Social Justice Foundation and the Consumer Profile Bureau have come together to drive the initiative forward. Minister Thembi Simelane said they were “coming” for defaulters of maintenance court orders. “There is no doubt that the failure to pay maintenance…

THE South African government needs a paradigm shift that makes “Thinking digital first” a culture and tradition of government. Our people expect a government that provides services fast. It is unacceptable that our people still have to stand in long queues in government buildings for almost all government services and spend endless hours filing paperwork and taking government workers away from the more important tasks of analysing and preparing data for decision making. Some of the service conveniences that citizens want are online payments, digital permits, digital applications and approvals. A digitisation of government services will ensure the government focuses on critical work of collecting and collating data and identifying gaps in order to improve services. The government is lagging behind its own citizens on digitisation. Citizens already do most…

Pakistan’s second city of Lahore will close primary schools for a week over record pollution, government authorities said yesterday, to avoid exposing millions of children to smog several times above levels deemed dangerous. For days, the city of 14 million people has been enveloped by smog, a mix of fog and pollutants caused by low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal agricultural burning and winter cooling. The air quality index, which measures a range of pollutants, exceeded 1 000 on Saturday – well above the level of 300 considered “dangerous” – according to data from IQAir. The Punjab government also recorded peaks of over 1 000 yesterday, which it considered “unprecedented”. “Weather forecast for the next six days shows that wind patterns will remain the same. Therefore, we are closing all…

North Korean state media released a white paper yesterday accusing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol of exposing his country to the danger of nuclear war through his policies toward the North. The document, compiled by North Korea’s Institute of Enemy State Studies, criticised Yoon’s “reckless remarks” abandoning elements of an inter-Korean agreement, engaging in nuclear war planning with the US and seeking closer ties with Japan and Nato. Yoon, a conservative, has taken a hard line on North Korea, which has forged ahead with developing its arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions. Pyongyang has been taking steps to sever inter-Korean ties, redefining the South as a separate, hostile enemy state, since Kim Jong Un declared it a “primary foe” early…

Kampala: At least 14 people, including several children, were killed in a Ugandan refugee camp when lightning hit a makeshift church where they were sheltering, local officials said yesterday. Around 50 people took shelter in the church in Palabek refugee camp in northern Uganda on Saturday when a heavy storm hit the area. Fourteen people died when lightning hit its metal roof, including five girls and nine boys aged between 14 and 18, said William Komech, resident district commissioner for Lamwo region. The refugees were mostly from the Nuer community of South Sudan. Uganda has suffered several lightning-related deaths in recent years. | AFP…

Dhaka: Indian conglomerate Adani has halved its electricity supply to Bangladesh due to approximately $850 million in unpaid bills, according to power officials. The state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board is working to address the shortfall through alternative plants. Adani’s Godda plant typically provides 7-10% of Bangladesh’s 13 GW baseload power demand. The company warned Dhaka in September to settle outstanding payments. Bangladesh, struggling with foreign currency availability, paid $97 million in October. The Godda plant is supplying 724 megawatts (MW), against its 1 496 MW capacity, while Bangladesh faces 1 680 MW of load shedding. | AFP…

Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad may be gleaming about the state of his current top six after their superlative efforts in the recent 2-0 series win over Bangladesh, but he will be concerned about the batters’ efforts in the first round of the Division 1 CSA 4-Day Series the past weekend. Although defending champions, the Lions only start their first-class campaign tomorrow at the Wanderers in a rematch of the T20 Challenge final, there were three matches played around the country. There were 12 innings overall but not a single batter managed an individual century. Warriors opener Jordan Hermann produced the top score of the weekend with 99 off 184 balls (14x4), but was unfortunately dismissed for a duck in the second innings. Warriors debutant and former Wynberg Boys’ High…

Despite claims to the contrary, the official narrative has insisted the US 2020 election was “the most secure in history.” Yet since then, evidence has trickled out challenging that narrative to the extent that a NPR/PBS Marist poll conducted last month found that 58% of voters feared the 2024 election would be marred by fraud. The ground for fraud in two swing states was laid in March 2020 when the need for signature verification was removed from election regulations in Georgia and Pennsylvania. In December 2021, forensic audits found that the number of votes cast in Pennsylvania exceeded the total number of voters on the voters’ roll by 49 141. In Wisconsin, 61 000 votes were found to be illegal. An audit done in May 2022 of votes cast in…

I want to highlight the silent mental health crisis affecting men across our country. Every day, 18 South Africans take their own lives and 14 of them are men. The stigma that surrounds men’s mental health is keeping them from seeking help. Societal expectations of stoicism and toughness trap men in a cycle of silence, leading to untreated mental health issues, rising suicides and preventable deaths. We must act now. One innovative approach we’re exploring is harnessing barbershops as safe spaces where men can open up. By training barbers, or even personal trainers and barmen with basic counselling skills, we can empower them to act as first responders that can encourage men to break the silence (and potentially save lives). Join brovember.co.za and commit to growing a moustache for 30…

WORKERS in the eThekwini Municipality are under severe financial strain as a result of “predatory loans” that are consuming a large percentage of their salaries, leaving them struggling to make ends meet every month. A municipal labour union has flagged five loan companies which it said had trapped workers in a vicious cycle of debt where they are borrowing money every pay-day just to survive. These companies put in a stop order via the employer which means they take their loan repayments before the employee gets their wages, forcing the worker to survive on whatever is left. The Mercury has seen payslips showing that in some cases, more than 95% of the employees’ wages are deducted as stop orders. The employees are then forced to borrow again to survive for…

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) will be discussing the growing resource crisis in the country’s criminal justice cluster, among other issues at its Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting, which is set to begin today in Johannesburg. The five-day conference set to take place at the Birchwood Hotel is expected to draw more than 800 delegates, including academics, guests and key stakeholders, to deliberate on the escalating crises presented by crime and violence in the country. In a statement, Popcru said the discussions will look at whether current crime-fighting strategies are being set up for failure — a sentiment aggravated by the recent budget cuts revealed in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS). Documents released on the National Treasury’s Adjusted Estimates of National Expenditure (AENE) show that the…

Equal leave for all parents has come under the judicial spotlight in the Constitutional Court in a matter in which sections of the country's employment laws are being challenged that permit four months of maternity leave to biological mothers only. As the law stands, fathers are only entitled to a 10-day paternity leave. The lower court has ruled that both parents are entitled to maternity leave. A year ago, Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, Deputy Judge President Roland Sutherland concluded that the provisions of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act regulating parental leave unfairly discriminate against various types of parents. Judge Sutherland concluded that the provisions of the Act regulating parental leave did offend against Sections 9 and 10 of the Constitution as they unfairly discriminate between mothers and fathers and…

THE Mawana Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal, from which elephants escaped, says its working to address the problem of the roaming wild animals. The animals have been spotted in neighbouring villages leaving residents fearful and angry. This is according to Johannes van der Walt, who is one of the owners of the reserve. Last week, The Mercury reported that herdsmen and residents encounter elephants daily, affecting their lives. In March, an elephant attacked a herdsman. Van der Walt said the elephants have been escaping from the reserve since 2014, and an estimate of 40-45 free-roaming elephants remain. He said the legal status of the elephants is Res Nullius, which means that they are ‘unowned’. “As soon as a game reserve loses their Certificate of Adequate Enclosure, like we did in…

The South African Weather Service (Saws) is warning of disruptive snow in the Eastern Cape from today. “Snowfalls are expected over the high-lying areas due to a high-pressure system ridging from far south of the country with a southerly to south-easterly wind, resulting in cold to very cold and wet conditions over the Chris Hani and Joe Gqabi district municipalities, as well as over the Beyers Naude, Blue Crain Route, Matatiele, Uzimvubu and Raymond Mhlaba local municipalities,” the forecaster warned. This is expected to make driving conditions dangerous and difficult. The weather is also expected to disrupt traffic routes, lead to road closures for a short period and possibly result in the loss of crops and livestock. Meanwhile, Saws says widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected over most parts of…

THE withdrawal of corruption-related charges against former sports, arts and culture minister Zizi Kodwa adds to a list of high-profile state capture cases the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has not been able to successfully prosecute. That the reasons behind the NPA’s about turn on the Kodwa decision have not been made public further hampers its stated objective of transparency. In whose interest is it to keep the public in the dark about why the Shamila Batohi-led NPA suddenly withdrew the charges? Surely not the public’s? The NPA made the most of this case when it charged Kodwa, and his co-accused Jehan Mackay, re-affirming that they had a case to answer over allegations that he accepted bribes of R1.6 million from Mackay, an EOH executive, in exchange for securing contracts. It’s…

Moldovans were voting yesterday in a tense presidential election run-off that could decide whether the ex-Soviet country continues on a pro-European path or tilts back toward Russia’s influence. The election in the small nation sandwiched between war-torn Ukraine and the EU is taking place amid fears of Russian interference, and just two weeks after a referendum on joining the EU passed by a razor-thin margin. Pro-EU incumbent Maia Sandu scored 42.5% of the vote in the first round of the presidential election two weeks ago. Alexandr Stoianoglo, supported by the pro-Russian Socialists and who was fired as prosecutor general by Sandu last year, received 26%. But Stoianoglo has since gained the support of other defeated candidates and analysts are predicting a close battle, similar to Georgia’s vote last weekend, when…

London: UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy yesterday vowed a “new approach” with Africa that will “listen, rather than tell” as he began a visit to Nigeria and South Africa. “Our new approach will deliver respectful partnerships that listen, rather than tell, deliver long-term growth rather than short-term solutions and build a freer, safer, more prosperous continent,” he said. “I want to hear what our African partners need and foster relationships so that the UK and our friends and partners in Africa can grow together.” Lammy said that economic growth would “underpin our relationships in Nigeria, South Africa and beyond”. In South Africa, Lammy will attend the Earthshot+ environmental conference in Cape Town. | AFP…

Prague: A top Slovak mountaineer died on a descent of the 7 234-metre Langtang Lirung peak in Nepal after an historic ascent up its east face, Slovakia’s climbers association said. Ondrej Huserka, a member of the Slovak national mountaineering teams, fell into a crevasse on Thursday. His Czech climbing partner Marek Holecek said that the pair had just completed the first ascent of the Langtang Lirung peak. Holecek said Huserka had “hit an angled surface, then continued down a labyrinth into the depths of the glacier”. Holecek added that he had spent hours trying to rescue Huserka but failed as the Slovak was trapped head down and paralysed. | AFP…