Indholdsfortegnelse for 2025-01-06 i Mercury

NEW Year saw a partial re-enactment in the Midlands of an incident that took place 40-odd years ago in Trafalgar Square, in dear old London town. It began in a flat near Trafalgar Square where a fellow – let’s call him Nigel – was hosting a splendid dinner party. Among the guests was another fellow – let’s call him Richard. Nigel and Richard were at Michaelhouse together, though not in the same house. As the dinner progressed, the two started slagging off the other’s house. Lots of derision. Then as midnight approached one of them threw down the challenge – a freestyle two-man gala around the fountain in Trafalgar Square. We’d see which was the superior house at Michaelhouse! This was serious. The entire dinner party trooped down to the…

The DA is appalled by the reckless actions of an Emondlo Bus Service driver who attempted to cross the heavily flooded Mvulane River near Vryheid in the Zululand District, despite severe weather conditions and heavy rains. This irresponsible decision, reportedly made under the influence of alcohol, not only endangered the lives of passengers but also constituted gross negligence and reckless driving. According to information at our disposal, passengers repeatedly warned the driver against crossing the flooded river. However, the driver allegedly disregarded these warnings. This action demonstrates a blatant disregard for safety and underscores the driver’s negligence and recklessness. The DA calls on the SAPS to investigate this incident thoroughly and to take swift, decisive action against the perpetrator. Such disregard for human life must not go unpunished. We also…

King Mzilikazi’s legacy offers valuable lessons in Ownership-Driven Leadership – “Own who you are, own the mission, own the result” – for today’s leaders, particularly in South Africa, where complex socio-economic challenges demand resilient and adaptable leadership. Mzilikazi embraced his identity as a leader, fostering a distinct Ndebele culture that blended Zulu warrior traditions with local customs. This self-awareness helped unify his followers, creating a shared identity that endured adversity. For modern leaders, owning who you are means understanding personal strengths and embracing the unique identity of their organisations or communities. Leaders can draw from this principle to cultivate trust, alignment and cultural pride. Facing daunting odds, Mzilikazi led his people on a perilous migration of over 1 600km, demonstrating perseverance and loyalty to his mission of ensuring their survival.…

NEWLY appointed uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) leader in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature, Mervyn Dirks, aims to ensure that the party will be ready to take over the governance of the province “soon”. Dirks said the party would soon take over the provincial government, which is currently led by the government of provincial unity under the IFP, DA, ANC, and the NFP. Political analysts said Dirks was the ideal person to build bridges with the other political parties that could enable the party to challenge for power in the province. The MKP, which is the largest party in KZN, has argued that it was unheard of that the party that got the most votes was not leading the provincial government. The party has vowed to be in charge by the…

Millions of rand are to be distributed to Amakhosi in traditional councils across KZN in a bid to enhance their ability to serve their communities. Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi has announced the distribution of R34.1 million to all traditional councils in the province. He said the funds, collected from traditional levies and held in trust by the department, would be returned to the traditional authorities from today. This distribution of funds is part of efforts by the MEC to decentralise and strengthen the autonomy of traditional authorities and Amakhosi as leaders of their communities. Cogta indicated they would give guidelines on how the money should be spent, but said the final decision lay with traditional councils. In a meeting in Ulundi last week, Buthelezi said…

An Orange level 6 warning for disruptive rain has been issued for KwaZulu-Natal for today. “Widespread showers and thundershowers are expected across KZN from Sunday afternoon into Monday (and possibly persisting until Tuesday morning). This will result in disruptive rain leading to significant impacts. “Rainfall amounts in excess of 120mm are expected in places over eastern KZN on Monday, becoming more disruptive from Monday afternoon,” the South African Weather Service (SAWS) said. Affected areas include the Big Five Hlabisa (Hlabisa, Hluhluwe), eThekwini, Jozini, KwaDukuza, Mandeni, Maphumulo, Mkhambathini, Mthonjaneni, Mtubatuba, Ndwedwe, Nkandla, Nongoma, Ray Nkonyeni, Richmond, Msunduzi, Ubuhlebezwe, Ulundi, uMdoni, uMhlabuyalingana, uMhlathuze, uMlalazi, uMshwathi, uMuziwabantu, uMvoti and uMzumbe. The weather service said this could lead to the flooding of roads, bridges and settlements (formal and informal); danger to life (fast-flowing streams/deep…

An investigation is under way into the cause of a massive fire that broke out at the Phelindaba Brewery, near Atteridgeville in Pretoria West, at the weekend resulting in the destruction of its decanting building and part of the canteen. A firefighter from the City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department was seriously injured. Emergency Services spokesperson Lindsay Zwelithini Mnguni said firefighting equipment from multiple fire stations was sent to the scene after the fire was reported at about 5pm on Saturday. The fire caused a minor spillage of hazardous chemicals including liquid sodium hydroxide UN1824 (caustic soda) that were being stored in 20-litre plastic cans. “While the firefighters were en route they saw a large plume of black smoke rising from the building fire,” Mnguni said. “On arrival, they found…

Two teenagers have been arrested in connection with the murder of Eastern Cape police officer Callan Andrews. The Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (known as the Hawks) said the suspects, aged 17 and 18, were arrested by the Gqeberha Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit on Saturday. Andrews, 29, a constable at Gelvandale police station, was murdered while on duty on New Year’s Eve. He was at Voisen Road, in Katanga, Gelvandale, in Gqeberha, attending to a complaint when suspects grabbed his service pistol and shot him, said Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana. The teenagers are expected to appear in the Gelvandale Magistrate’s Court today. “More arrests are imminent as the matter is still under investigation,” Mhlakuvana said. Meanwhile a 19-year-old is among five suspects who have been arrested in…

APART from Jacob Zuma who copied from Cope, the best way to understand the intentions of Cope is reading an IsiXhosa drama book by the name of Umkhonto kaTshiwo. The book is about insecure paranoid superstitious Xhosa king Tshiwo who handed over and ordered his lieutenant Khwane to go and kill the alleged witches. Therefore, the title is named Umkhonto ka Tshiwo loosely translated as Tshiwo’s spear. In essence it means Tshiwo’s spear that was meant for his people, nation, to kill them. Cope was formed as the centrist organisation that believed in the Freedom Charter. From the beginning, it was met with resistance from the ANC about the name because Congress of the People was the name given to the ANC “sponsored” or led gathering that took place on…

South African cricket is set for more cricket fever as the country’s premier T20 competition, the SA20 makes its return on Thursday. While the Proteas have carried South Africa on the festive mood into the new year after confirmation of their place in this year’s World Test Championship final, the conclusion of the ongoing New Year's Test match will only lead to more exciting and entertaining cricket from all parts of the country as some of the best in the world will take to the field for some white ball cricket. The Sunrisers Eastern Cape have done a little bit more than set the benchmark with their back-to-back wins of the first two editions of the competitions, and the honours will be on the rest of the sides to attempt…

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has urged other development finance institutions to advance infrastructure solutions that integrate climate resilience and sustainable development in Africa and other developing nations. This comes as Africa and Asia bear the brunt of climate impacts like droughts and floods, yet the financial resources required to adapt existing infrastructure are woefully insufficient. These regions are among the hardest hit by climate change. Prolonged droughts, rising sea levels, and devastating floods are wreaking havoc on economies and communities, disrupting livelihoods and threatening food security. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, Africa alone requires up to $100 billion annually by 2030 for climate adaptation, while many Asian nations face similarly staggering funding gaps. DBSA CEO, Boitumelo Mosako, said the absence of a cohesive climate finance…

At 11 or 12 years old my son Thulani asked an administrator of a school he attended, and where I was employed, that he be in my seventh grade home room. “I don’t see my dad very much,” he told Mrs L. “You live with him. You walk to school with him. I see you walking home with your dad. He’s at your soccer games. You’re both in the same building all day. “No, Thulani. You’ll be in Mrs P’s home room. And, you will have him five times a week for English,” said Mrs L. At 24, Thulani consulted with others, made a plan, and made a move to Harlem, New York, and he loves it. I recently walked for several blocks around his new neighbourhood. After a heavy…

Not since Franklin Roosevelt’s crushing victory over President Herbert Hoover in 1932 and the eager anticipation of his New Deal policies to lift America out of its depression woes, has such anticipation heralded the inauguration of a new occupant of the White House – Donald Trump. The dramatic realignment of the US political landscape which has reduced the Democratic Party to the left coast, the northeast coastal states and the interior holdouts of Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado and New Mexico, has also flipped the political compasses of some of Trump’s most hostile opponents. Pilgrimages to Trump HQ at Mar-a-Lago have been made by media moguls Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg. Also by Silicon Valley CEOs, like Tim Cook of Apple. Of equal significance have been the contacts by foreign leaders, notably,…

A widow is pinning her hopes on the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to grant her ownership of reproductive material kept at a fertility clinic after her husband died. She now wants to use her husband’s preserved sperm to produce a sibling for her only daughter. The Gauteng woman opted for artificial fertilisation after her husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Before he underwent chemotherapy, he was advised to freeze his gametes (sperm) for later use should he want children in the future. The woman said in court papers that due to the chemotherapy, they were unable to conceive naturally. Her husband donated sperm at a fertility clinic for preservation and 13 straws were frozen. Meanwhile, 16 eggs were retrieved from the woman, but only nine were mature. The other eggs…

The ANC has challenged its members to take personal financial responsibility for attending the upcoming January 8 celebrations in Khayelitsha, Cape Town this week. Insiders suggest that the ANC’s decision is a clear indication of the party’s financial struggles. The move is seen as a desperate attempt to alleviate the party’s financial burden of hosting large-scale events and by passing the costs on to its members, the ANC is effectively admitting that it can no longer afford to foot the bill. Sources in the party said the ANC’s financial woes were not entirely surprising, given the party’s history of financial mismanagement and corruption. The decision to make members pay their own way may be seen as a pragmatic move, but it also raises questions about the party’s ability to deliver…

Thousands of members of the Ebuhleni branch of the Nazareth Baptist Church (commonly known as the Shembe Church) have begun their sacred seven-day pilgrimage to the holy mountain of Nhlangakazi in KwaZulu-Natal. The annual event, steeped in spirituality and tradition, sees congregants walking over 60km in a journey likened to the biblical story of Moses leading his people to Canaan. Thokozani Mncwabe, the church spokesperson, highlighted the significance of the pilgrimage and expressed confidence in its success due to meticulous planning. “We are expecting thousands of people to be part of the journey. The Nazareth Church is very big, and while we cannot provide a specific number, I can assure you that it will be thousands. Roads will be closed to accommodate the pilgrims,” he said. Mncwabe said the pilgrimage…

Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA) Dr Michael Masiapato revealed that it had arrested more than 120 illegal immigrants who tried to enter the country illegally at the weekend. Masiapato said BMA officials had intercepted the illegal immigrants at the Beitbridge port of entry on Saturday. He said many other illegal immigrants were intercepted as they attempted to cross the Limpopo River from Zimbabwe. He said the border experienced a high volume of people crossing and of the 20 000 people who crossed the border on January 4, 3 000 people were making their way to Zimbabwe. A large number of them were pedestrians crossing the border. “We deployed drones and we have been able to arrest more than 120 people who tried to enter the country illegally,” he…

A Senior Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) researcher, Dr Ridhwaan Suliman, has said there has been a seasonal increase in Covid-19 cases but there’s no cause for alarm. Suliman said the Covid-19 infection rates in South Africa started to increase again around October. He said this could be seen in the trends from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) sentinel surveillance programmes and wastewater surveillance. “The levels have risen to the highest observed over the past year. It should be noted that the flu season in South Africa has already ended, and anyone presenting with flu-like symptoms during this period is most likely to have had Covid-19,” said Suliman. South Africa had been experiencing these waves of Sars-COV-2 in summer since the emergence of the virus in…

A 45-year-old man from the Free State has been arrested for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl from a family he was close to. The man is expected to appear in the Selosesha Magistrate’s Court on Friday for a bail application. Police spokesperson Sergeant Sinah Mpakane said the girl’s mother arrived home on December 27 to find her child crying. She suspected that her daughter could be pregnant. The following day a doctor confirmed the pregnancy. The girl said that the suspect raped her in June and September. | Xolile Mtembu…

As we approach the looming presidential inauguration in Mozambique, the possibility of renewed violence looms ominously over the border that South Africa shares with its neighbour. The turmoil that erupted on October 24, when Daniel Chapo of the Frelimo party was declared the winner of a deeply contested election, has spiralled into chaos, claiming nearly 300 lives and igniting fears of further bloodshed. This disturbing reality demands immediate attention from President Cyril Ramaphosa and calls for collaboration with President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique. The ongoing violence has left countless Mozambicans disillusioned and fearful, with many blaming heavy-handed actions by security forces for unnecessary deaths. The situation is not merely a domestic issue for Mozambique; it has regional implications that South Africa cannot afford to ignore. Southern Africa can ill afford…

MUHSIN Ertugral is back – evidently a little older now with the wrinkles much more pronounced and the hair pretty grey. But the fieriness remains albeit seemingly better controlled for his touchline antics were less pronounced than they used to be. The celebration at the end of his victorious return to South African football after six years confirmed that the Turkish coach remains as passionate as ever, Ertugral meeting the final whistle with that trademark shout and double punch into the air before he hugged his players. It is a victory any coach would celebrate with such gusto – beating your former employers. And to do it just a few days after he’d joined City following the sacking of Eric Tinkler will serve to silence those detractors who feel the…

One often wonders if South Africa was better off during apartheid than after it. There can be no doubt that any system which subverts or suppresses a certain ethnic group or race is evil, but then there is the reverse side of this conclusion. What do I mean by this? Well, looking at South Africa since 1994 until now, what was supposed to be a time of true reconciliation has turned out to be a time of utter madness, revenge politics and disgusting black elite empowerment – the type of system which has made our country the worst in the world regarding equality. Never before has the black community suffered more so than under the ANC fat cats consisting of the Zuma/Ramaphosa gang of cadres. The Government of National Unity…

The abduction of the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli army is morally reprehensible and should cause global outrage and condemnation. Dr Abu Safiya is accused of being a member of Hamas, a charge which is ridiculous and utterly false. At the time of writing, Kamal Adwan Hospital has been destroyed by the Israeli army who have concluded their operations at the hospital. Kamal Adwan was the last functioning hospital in North Gaza; 750 000 people will be without healthcare amidst an ongoing genocide. Dr Abu Safiya’s unwavering commitment to his patients and the people of Gaza throughout the genocide, despite being severely injured from a missile attack on the hospital, bears testament to his integrity and his dedication…

WITH a week to go before the 2024 matric results are made known, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Information Regulator are set to battle it out in court tomorrow to determine whether the results will be released in newspapers. The Information Regulator insists that publishing the results without the permission of learners will go against the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia). In papers before the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, chairperson of the Information Regulator, Pansy Tlakula, stated that the DBE will not suffer any harm if it is interdicted from publishing the results other than by simply issuing the matriculants’ results at the schools which they attended or through the department’s SMS platform. She said in this way the results are accessed only by the learners…

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has reiterated the call for collective action against gender-based violence (GBV) and other social ills during a prayer service at St Martin’s Church in Edendale, Pietermaritzburg, yesterday. Addressing congregants at the service, which had the theme, Inspiring New Hope, the premier emphasised the crucial role of faith-based organisations in fostering moral regeneration and combating societal challenges. “The spiritual foundation provided by churches and faith-based organisations is crucial in the fight against the social ills that plague our province,” said Ntuli. “Together, through faith and action, we can create a safer and more hopeful future for all.” During the service, the premier prayed for an end to GBV, which continues to ravage communities across the province. He urged congregants to actively participate in efforts to eradicate violence…

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) have criticised the decision to terminate the Community Work Programme (CWP) contracts of workers aged 55 and above. Saftu said it was a “cruel act” in line with the government’s “neoliberal agenda, which prioritised austerity and the so-called fiscal consolidation targets” over the well-being of workers. Cosatu said the development was worrying because those afected would be plunged into poverty and would struggle to secure other employment. This was after Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa said that the contracts of people aged 55 and over would be terminated. He said it was mostly because of budget cuts. The terminations are expected to take effect at the end of this…

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) recorded 7 448 arrests on South African roads from December 1 to January 1. The RTMC said more than a million vehicles were checked. Offenders were arrested for offences including drunk driving, speeding, and attempted bribery. Eastern Cape recorded 455 arrests for motorists allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol in December. The highest speed recorded was in Limpopo on the N1 (where) a motorist was caught driving 209km/h in a 120km/h zone on December 17. “By January 1, a total of 1 157 032 vehicles were stopped and checked by road traffic authorities as part of the festive season enforcement plan aimed at promoting safety on national roads. Officers issued 408 783 written charges for traffic violations and 6034 vehicles were discontinued. The…

The New York judge presiding over US president-elect Donald Trump’s hush money case has set sentencing for 10 days before his January 20 inauguration and said he was not inclined to impose jail time. Judge Juan Merchan said Trump, the first former president ever convicted of a crime, could appear in person or virtually at his sentencing on Friday. In an 18-page decision, Merchan upheld Trump’s conviction by a New York jury, rejecting motions from Trump’s lawyers seeking to have it thrown out. The judge said that instead of imprisonment he was leaning towards an unconditional discharge – meaning the real estate tycoon would not be subject to any conditions. The sentence would nevertheless see Trump entering the White House as a convicted felon. The 78-year-old Trump faced up to…

Nation’s AGOA benefits and G20 presidency hang in balance as US political shift looms IT COULD not be more surreal that events in the past year will determine the outcomes in the coming year, as if the birth and immediate future of the year 2025 remains conjoined to the umbilical cord of 2024 with all its vagaries. Never mind the projections, predictions and pontifications of the self-styled soothsayers. The reality is that as nightfall follows daylight the certainty, barring a miracle, that faces the world is the pending scheduled second inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States on Monday, January 20, 2025. Never has the ascendancy of a politician couched in the self-styled if not dubious sobriquet of “the leader of the free world” in…

WHEN they gather at Chloorkop this morning to inspect the wreckage from their CAF Champions League trip to Morocco, Mamelodi Sundowns will discover that the two players who have generally been their heroes were culpable for their maiden defeat in the continent’s premier club knockout competition’s group phase. The South African champions were beaten 1-0 by Raja Casablanca in an ill-tempered match that saw them losing two players - Bathusi Aubaas and Khuliso Mudau - to sending offs with handbags being thrown about late in the tie. Benaisa Benamar scored the match’s only goal just before half time as the Bafana Ba Style’s attempt at an offside trap got undone by a player who probably should not have been in the box. Lucas Ribeiro Costa is an attacker of…