Indholdsfortegnelse for 2025-04-01 i Mercury

Have a full, meaningful life before you conceive, adopt, or foster a child. Do this so the child is unlikely to become the centre of your universe and therefore have to occupy a place in your life, and have power in your life, that no child is designed or equipped to hold. Have a life outside of your child. Children who are least important to their parents’ salvation (success, reputation, happiness) are more likely to enjoy healthy adult lives than those who are faced with the unreasonable task of making their parents happy or appear successful. Allow natural, reasonable consequences to occur so that your child may appreciate the power of cause and effect, as imperfect as it sometimes is. Get out of the way as much as possible so…

The failure of the proposed Budget to plan and compensate for the funding shortfall created by the cancellation of Pepfar (US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief) disbursements is a damning indictment of the Health Departments’ lack of capacity to deal with crises and the abdication of its most fundamental responsibility: protecting the lives, health and well-being of South Africa’s people. The failure of the department to step into the breach for patients affected by the Pepfar funding cuts will lead to more infections, deaths and job losses – unless additional funding of up to R4 billion is allocated to cover gaps in supportive and preventative care. The DA is committed to ameliorating this crisis by reallocating money from the broken and inefficient parts of government while remaining steadfast in…

The country will know today whether the DA and the ANC, the two leading parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU) have reached an agreement to pass the contentious budget that includes a proposed 0.5% increase in Value Added Tax (VAT). Sources said the DA and ANC have agreed on a deal that would give the DA more influence over economic policies going forward. However, the Expropriation Act – a sticking point for the DA – will remain unchanged. However DA leader John Steenhuisen is expected to reveal all in a press briefing today. The DA said yesterday that after a period of negotiation over the Budget, economic growth and spending reforms, Steenhuisen will brief the media on the outcome, and the implications for the budget, the GNU…

A South African teacher is missing in Myanmar following the deadly earthquake that has claimed the lives of more than 2000 people. This was revealed by a fellow teacher based in Mandalay, which is the second biggest town in Myanmar and was hardest hit by the quake. On Friday, Myanmar was hit by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake, which was followed by an aftershock with a magnitude of 6.4. Smangele Motloung, an English teacher at King’s Valley International School (KVIS), which is a Cambridge International affiliate and a British Council Partnered school, said a South African teacher at another school is missing. “There are four South Africans (including myself) that I know of so far here in Mandalay, but one cannot be reached. She works at HCIS (Higher Champs International School),”…

Parliament has defended the escalation of costs for the restoration and rebuilding of the institution’s buildings that were gutted by fire in January 2022, saying the project was complex and was “not coming from the ground”. The escalation of costs, from the initial R2 billion estimate to now more than R3bn, was laid bare when the institution’s political leaders and officials appeared before the portfolio committee that has oversight over the national legislature. A presentation made at the meeting showed that the cost has ballooned to R3.3bn, up from the R2bn allocated by the National Treasury. Secretary to Parliament Xolile George said the assessments done by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure after the fire damage had estimated the costs at R2bn, resulting in the National Treasury allocating R2bn…

The South African Local Government Association (Salga) has rejected Water and Sanitation minister, Pemmy Majodina’s call for punitive legal action against municipalities over water issues, saying this would undermine collaborative problem-solving and also threaten to drain public resources. Achieving clean water and sanitation for all has long been a goal of democratic South Africa, however in 2022, access to clean water stood at 88.5%, and access to improved sanitation stood at 80.7%. The issue has been highlighted at the National Water and Sanitation Indaba last week, with water supply issues experienced in parts of the country in recent months. At the indaba, President Cyril Ramaphosa noted that “municipalities had not reinvested the revenue they earn from the provision of services to the upkeep of key water infrastructure”. He said: “Governance…

The country reports an estimated 280 000 new TB cases each year As the world observed World TB Day this year, Aids Healthcare Foundation South Africa (AHF) is sounding the alarm on tuberculosis (TB), which remains South Africa’s leading cause of death. Despite progress in diagnosis and treatment, TB continues to claim thousands of lives each year – more than HIV and malaria combined. AHF is calling for urgent and coordinated action to accelerate TB prevention, improve diagnosis and treatment, and strengthen the country’s response to drug-resistant TB (DR-TB). Globally, TB claimed 1.25 million lives in 2023, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a serious public health crisis, with only two in five people receiving treatment for drug-resistant TB in 2023. Nearly 11 million people…

When Belgium’s Willy Claes took over as Nato secretary-general in 1994, Bill Clinton was US president, the Cold War had ended and Europe still took American protection for granted. But now, some 30 years after his brief stint in charge, the fierce anti-European stance of Donald Trump’s administration and its outreach to Russia is making the ex-Belgian foreign minister queasy with nerves. “Their disdain is incredible,” Claes, 86, said. “I can’t understand why they’re being so anti-European and showing solidarity with the Russians at the expense of their long-standing allies. It makes me sick.” Claes’s tenure at Nato lasted just 13 months – making him the shortest serving secretary-general – and ended in disgrace when he had to resign over a corruption scandal. But it was a critical period for…

BRUSSELS: A general strike over proposed pension reforms severely disrupted air traffic and other services in Belgium yesterday, with the country’s two main airports cancelling all outbound flights. Government plans to scrap a special pension scheme and align the retirement age for all civil servants with that of the private sector at 66 have enraged trade unions and many workers. A large section of security and maintenance staff, including baggage handlers, were expected to down tools, prompting the Brussels and Charleroi airports pre-emptively to cancel all departures. Most inbound flights were also affected by the 24-hour strike called by the Christian CSC and socialist FGTB unions. In Brussels, public transport was disrupted, with metro, tram, and bus services suffering delays yesterday. | AFP…

NINE Durban municipal workers who had fallen into a deep sleep in the shade of a tree while they waited for instructions from their foreman, who had yet to arrive, were this week mistakenly loaded into a mortuary van. So deep was their sleep, so shallow their breathing that the morticians took them to be bona fide corpses, and it was only as their municipal overalls were being exchanged at the mortuary for burial shrouds that … Gotcha! April Fools! It’s April 1 today! April Fools’ Day has been celebrated for several centuries by different cultures. April Fools' Day traditions include hoaxes or playing practical jokes on others, often yelling “April Fool!” at them as a clue to the subject of the prank. While its origins remain a mystery, the…

THE powerful 7.7 earthquake that shook Thailand and Myanmar is a graphic reminder to humanity that nature has the power to rock planet Earth. Monster earthquakes are going off all around the Pacific Ocean’s ring of fire. Historical records show earthquakes became more frequent and more intense during the 20th century. One Japanese earthquake was so powerful that it shifted the Earth’s axis by 4 – 10 inches (10 – 25cm). The ring of fire, a 40 000km horseshoe shape, is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs and volcanic belts and/or plate movements. The ring of fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes. Within this area a mega earthquake is overdue. The cascadia subduction zone…

The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has emerged victorious in its legal battle against the South African Revenue Service (Sars), with the Gauteng Division of the High Court granting an interim interdict that prevents the tax authority from deducting R5.1 billion under contentious circumstances. The ruling underscores the court’s view that such deductions would financially jeopardise the RAF and potentially endanger the support it provides to vehicle accident victims across the country. This legal confrontation stems from a dispute over RAF diesel levy refunds that Sars is allegedly obliged to pay to Eskom, following an agreement struck in October 2024 between the two entities. The RAF contends that Sars’s plans to offset the amount owed to Eskom against the levies it collects represents a breach of legal stipulations established in the…

The KwaZulu-Natal government has announced progress in securing permanent housing for families displaced by the devastating April 2022 floods. Human Settlements MEC Sboniso Duma confirmed that seven parcels of land have been rezoned for housing, with bulk infrastructure developments under way. The province currently accommodates 1 069 families in hotels and rented facilities under the Transitional Emergency Accommodation programme, including 41 families displaced by the February floods in Lamontville. “We are currently speeding up the provision of bulk infrastructure (water and electricity) in order to ensure that we build decent houses,” Duma said. The Shallcross area has been identified as one of the relocation sites, but tensions have arisen with residents over the choice of land. The government is in discussions with the Shallcross Ratepayers Association to address concerns. “In…

As negotiations between the DA and the ANC drag on over the proposed budget, it is crucial that the ANC remains resolute in its stance regarding the Expropriation Act. On Sunday, the focus was primarily on the controversial VAT increase proposed by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. According to media reports, amidst these discussions, the DA has hinted at a concerning demand: the replacement of “nil compensation” with phrases like “just and equitable” in the Expropriation Act. If the ANC were to bow to this demand, it would not only be a betrayal of the principles of justice and equity but also an affront to the dignity of all racial groups who were disposed of their land under the oppressive apartheid regime. This proposal risks further entrenching inequality in land ownership,…

The US has revoked several transnational oil and gas companies’ licenses to operate in Venezuela, Caracas said, which had been granted despite Washington’s sanctions against the South American country. US President Donald Trump is seeking to strangle Venezuela economically in order to cripple its leader Nicolas Maduro, and announced a week ago 25% tariffs on imports from countries buying Venezuelan oil and gas. Venezuela did not specify which companies were affected but French oil firm Maurel & Prom (M&P) said yesterday that the special license it had been granted last May had been revoked. M&P said the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) had given it until May 27 to wind down its activities in Venezuela. “It is M&P’s understanding that this action is part of a broader…

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned yesterday of a forceful retaliation if the Islamic republic is attacked, following a threat by US President Donald Trump. “They threaten to do mischief,” Khamenei said of Trump’s latest threat, during a speech on Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadaan. “If it is carried out, they will definitely receive a strong counter-attack.” In an interview on Saturday, Trump said Iran will be bombed if it does not reach a deal on its nuclear programme. “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” he said, according to NBC News, which said he also threatened to punish Iran with what he called “secondary tariffs”. It was not clear whether Trump was threatening bombing by US…

Vilnius: The vehicle of four US soldiers that went missing last week in Lithuania has been recovered, the Lithuanian army said yesterday, but did not say whether the soldiers had been found. Authorities from the Baltic state received a report last week that the soldiers had disappeared during a military drill on a training ground in the eastern city of Pabrade, near the border with Belarus. Search and rescue teams used heavy equipment and excavators to remove silt from the body of water where the vehicle was located and managed to attach cables to tow it out of the swamp. “The vehicle has been recovered,” Lithuanian Armed Forces chief General Raimundas Vaiksnoras said yesterday morning on social media. “I ask for everyone’s respect and solidarity as we await further information…

Brad Binder had to retire his bike during Sunday’s MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas due to electrical issues, concluding a miserable weekend for the South African and Red Bull KTM. It was all the more disappointing as the main event could have been his most solid finish of the season so far. Held at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, Binder managed to complete only 12 laps before he had to retire. The 29-year-old had a good start to the race and worked his way up the pack to P5 before his bike let him down. His teammate Pedro Acosta, meanwhile, also had to retire his bike but after just 10 laps. Acosta suffered “rear vibrations” during the Sprint on Saturday and a day later encountered…

Keeping players focused through a congested and difficult fixture schedule has been a challenge for Carlo Ancelotti, but the Real Madrid coach is finding extra motivation from the prospect of reaching another Copa del Rey final. Hosts Real Madrid have a 1-0 lead over Real Sociedad going into the second leg of their semi-final on Tuesday, the first of five games in 15 days. “The preparation for matches, the burden of injuries ... we have to manage all this in the hope that one day we can have more time to prepare for the matches,” Ancelotti said on Monday. Real Madrid, who are three points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona, face Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals on April 8 and 16. “It’s going to be a very demanding season,…

The IFP Women’s Brigade has noted with shock the tragic abuse of a 7-year-old child in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape. While we note the decision to deregister the Bergview college, where the incident took place, serious questions must be asked. Were teachers at the school not vetted? Why has nobody been arrested for this horrific crime? Does the community of Matatiele have enough social workers? Why is the system meant to protect children, failing our children? We seek urgent answers from the ministers of Basic Education, Police and Social Development. Our children are our future. And gender-based violence is a national crisis. We must take responsibility to ensure more is done to protect our children. We join the nation’s call for justice for CweCwe.…

THIRTY YEARS of ANC rule after all the sacrifices and difficulties they had to endure during the many years of the liberation struggle, are bound to make it exceedingly difficult for the ANC to let go of the power they had finally managed to win, finally becoming conquerors against all odds. A great achievement by all accounts. However, they must appreciate and be grateful for all the support they enjoyed for 30 years from a nation that patiently supported them for a long 30 years, even though they failed to deliver on those lofty promises, with everything falling apart. While they were getting richer, the rest of us were not only getting poorer, but also suffering in ways we had never known before, until the nightmare we were living…

The Department of Home Affairs has issued a new immigration directive granting temporary relief to foreign nationals affected by persistent delays in the processing of visa waivers, long-term visa applications, and appeals. The directive was signed on Friday, days before the March 31 concession deadline was set to expire. In Immigration Directive No 4 of 2025, signed by Minister of Home Affairs Dr Leon Schreiber, the department has extended the validity of temporary visa statuses until September 30 for affected applicants, citing ongoing challenges with application processing and the printing of outcomes. “The department has, since issuing Immigration Directive No 16 of 2024 dated 18 December, addressed the backlog in its visa and permitting processes. However, many outcomes of applications will not be ready for collection prior to the deadline…

A Northern Cape teenager who raped three boys from the time he was 14 has been sentenced to an cumulative sentence of 60 years in jail. However, his sentences will run concurrently therefore he will serve an effective 12 years in prison. The teenager, who is now 17 and cannot be named, was sentenced this week in the Calvinia Regional Court. He was found guilty on five counts of rape which took place in Niewoudtville. North West police spokesperson Colonel Cherelle Ehlers said the teenager raped three young boys, aged four, six and eight, on several occasions since 2021, before he was arrested. Police said the teenager accosted his victims when they were playing soccer alone.…

As the world grapples with climate change, Africa faces the pressing task of achieving net-zero agriculture. The continent must confront extreme weather events threatening food security while reducing emissions from livestock farming, rice cultivation, and fertiliser use. However, current policies supporting climate-smart agricultural practices require evaluation to ensure they effectively drive change, according to a new commentary published this month in the journal "Sustainability Science". Africa is home to over one billion people across 55 nations and stands at a critical juncture as its population is expected to more than double by 2050. This rapid growth presents both significant challenges and immense opportunities for sustainable development, particularly in the agricultural sector, which employs 65% of the continent’s workforce and contributes nearly a third of its GDP. The road to net-zero…

EU lawmakers were to converge on the bloc’s parliament yesterday rocked by a new cash-for-influence probe in their midst – and at loggerheads over efforts to bolster ethical safeguards at the heart of Europe. The plenary session in Strasbourg, France comes just weeks after offices were sealed and five people charged over suspicions that members of parliament were bribed to sway sensitive EU policies in favour of Chinese tech giant Huawei. Daniel Freund, a transparency campaigner turned lawmaker for Europe’s Greens, said his first thought on hearing of the arrests was “Oh, not again!” The European Parliament has been tarnished by a drip-drip of scandals over the years, with lawmakers still smarting from the biggest in decades, the 2022 “Qatargate” case, which is winding through the Belgian courts. “I fear…

BANGKOK: People were pulled alive out of rubble in Myanmar and signs of life were detected in the ruins of a skyscraper in Bangkok yesterday as efforts intensified to find survivors three days after a massive earthquake that killed around 2 000. Rescuers freed four people, including a pregnant woman and a girl, from collapsed buildings in Mandalay, the city in Myanmar near the epicentre of Friday’s 7.7-magnitude earthquake. Signs of life were detected under the rubble of an under-construction skyscraper in the Thai capital that collapsed in the quake, Bangkok’s Deputy Governor Tavida Kamolvej said. Rescuers were urgently working out how to access the area it came from, given three days had passed since the quake, she said. By medical standards, realistic chances of survival diminish after 72 hours,…

WASHINGTON: US authorities are investigating a fire that damaged the Republican Party of New Mexico’s headquarters in Albuquerque at the weekend in what the party called a “deliberate act of arson”. The fire burned the entryway and caused smoke damage but didn’t cause any injuries, with firefighters bringing it under control within five minutes, Albuquerque Fire Rescue said. Teams from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were on site, it said. The Republican Party shared a photo of “ICE=KKK” sprayed on the building and blamed their Democratic rivals for “failure to stand against political violence.” ICE, or the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has been deployed to carry out Donald Trump’s promise to deport illegal immigrants from the country. |…

Punjab Kings began their season on a promising note with an 11-run win over Gujarat Titans in their opening contest. Shreyas Iyer’s side will return to action after a seven-day gap to face Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday. While a long break in a short-format tournament could disrupt momentum, the Punjab Kings camp believes the time off has allowed them to adapt and prepare for the conditions. “It has been a slower start to the tournament for us this season in terms of games,” said fast bowling coach James Hopes, at the pre-match press conference on Monday. However, it gives us the advantage of preparing our skills for our next challenge. “We know it will be a spin-heavy night – we didn’t face…