Indholdsfortegnelse for 2025-04-03 i Mercury

For decades, Tupperware was a household name in food storage and a social phenomenon through its famous home-selling parties. When production ceased in December 2024, it marked the end of an era, and left many longtime customers devastated. However, there’s now a glimmer of hope for Tupperware enthusiasts, as a French entrepreneur is spearheading an ambitious plan to bring the brand back. French businessman Cédric Meston has taken ownership of Tupperware France and is planning to relaunch the brand in key European markets, including Belgium and Germany. His announcement follows the American parent company’s decision to drastically scale back operations after filing for bankruptcy in September 2024. Years of financial struggles, increasing competition, the rise of meal delivery services, and shifting consumer attitudes towards plastic had put Tupperware on a…

The controversy surrounding Act 13 of 2025, the Expropriation Act needs to be considered from two perspectives- the short term and the long term. Regarding the short term, a careful perusal of the Act should reveal that it is being widely misinterpreted because of one section, namely, Section 12 (3) and (4). The key words, “having regard for all relevant circumstances” in the event an expropriation would qualify for nil compensation, make it clear that due process informs the decision. The exceptions are sections 12 (3) (a) and (c) which deny compensation to land abandoned by an owner (based on 1937 legislation) or making no use of land while waiting to benefit from a rise in market value. What needs emphasis is that nil compensation is applicable in very limited…

At the time of writing, the world was waiting in agonised anticipation to know the likely effects of President Donald Trump’s updated table of trade tariffs. In an anticipatory piece, Sky News harks back to the days of the Iron Curtain and asks us to lodge in our brain the figure 48%. Sky News reports: “Last year, a group of economists carried out an analysis on the economic impact of the Iron Curtain; how much trade actually took place from East to West in spite of all the restrictions during the Cold War. They came to the conclusion that, at its height in 1951, “the Iron Curtain represented a tariff equivalent of 48%. “Right now, (before the new tariffs) the average dutiable rate of tariffs on China was somewhere between…

The National Assembly witnessed a dramatic showdown last night as the Budget was passed with a difference of just 12 votes between those for it and those against. The ANC, teaming up with smaller parties within the Government of National Unity (GNU), got 194 votes to pass the Budget while 182 voted against it including the DA, the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and the EFF. However the voting has created more questions than answers about the future of the GNU after the DA was adamant that it would not vote alongside its biggest partner. There are also questions over the 0.5% VAT hike for this year which was the major sticking point for most parties that voted against it. After the events of the National Assembly last night, the DA…

Parliament is edging closer to filling the deputy public protector position that has been vacant for almost two years. The justice and constitutional development portfolio committee resolved yesterday to recommend Advocate Dinkie Portia Dube to the National Assembly as the next deputy public protector. President Cyril Ramaphosa will make the appointment on the recommendation of the National Assembly. Dube, who previously worked as a director at the office of the Public Protector South Africa and as an ombud at several state institutions, was one of the eight shortlisted candidates. In October 2023, Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka was appointed Public Protector after serving in an acting capacity for over a year. The committee’s move to recommend Dube ends a protracted selection process that began anew last year after it was found that…

The number of unclaimed bodies in KwaZulu-Natal medico-legal mortuaries has been reduced from 1 600 to 620 since October last year. This was revealed by Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane during a KwaZulu-Natal Legislature health portfolio committee 2025/26 budget session meeting this week. Simelane said the national portfolio committee on health had visited the province last week and a meeting was held between the national Department of Health and the SAPS to resolve the issue of unclaimed bodies. Last year, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, chairperson of Parliament’s portfolio committee on health, disclosed that there were 3 186 unclaimed and unidentified bodies in government mortuaries across the country. Of those, 1 527 were in KZN. The committee heard that many bodies remained unclaimed because relatives had not come forward to identify and collect…

IF ASSASSINATED Zimbabwean author, poet, barrister, and liberation fighter Herbert Chitepo was not killed, maybe Zimbabwe would not be in the situation it is in. People who do not know history think that the death of Josiah Tongogara was the first major blow to the struggle for liberation and the future of Zimbabwe. Without comparing the two or downplaying the loss of Tongogara, it is significant to state that in the struggle for the liberation of Zimbabwe, there was Chitepo. Even before Robert Mugabe for that matter. It is not about age at all, but about who was involved in the struggle first. That Chitepo was to be made the leader of ZANU after its leader Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole was detained says it all, and not Mugabe. The death of…

The US said yesterday it has approved the possible sale of $5.58 billion in F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, as Washington backs its ally in rising tensions over China. The State Department said it was green-lighting a sale that includes 20 F-16 jets and related equipment to the Philippines, a treaty-bound ally of the US. The sale would “improve the security of a strategic partner that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace and economic progress in Southeast Asia,” a State Department statement said. It would also boost “the Philippine Air Force’s ability to conduct maritime domain awareness” and “enhance its suppression of enemy air defenses,” the statement said. The news follows months of increasing confrontations between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea,…

A key Kremlin negotiator is expected in Washington this week for talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration, two sources familiar with the plan said, the most senior Russian official to visit since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022. Kirill Dmitriev, the chief of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, who was appointed by President Vladimir Putin as special investment and international economic envoy, will meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, one source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Their meeting was reported earlier by CNN, which said Dmitriev and Witkoff will hold talks about strengthening relations between the two countries as they seek to end the war in Ukraine. | Reuters…

Egypt welcomed on Tuesday the European Parliament’s approval of a second tranche of a financial support package to the country worth 4 billion euros. The approval shows “the great appreciation that the European Union and its institutions have for the comprehensive strategic partnership with Egypt,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Earlier in the day, the European Parliament announced that the financial assistance for Egypt was adopted by Parliament by 452 votes in favour. In March 2024, the European Union (EU) agreed to provide a substantial financial support package for Egypt worth 7.4bn euros for 2024-2027, including 5bn euros in concessional loans, to bolster the Egyptian economy.…

Food insecurity is worsening in several regions of Somalia, with 18 areas experiencing an increase in the number of people facing a food crisis, according to a report released on Monday. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis said that nearly 4.6 million people in Somalia will likely experience high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above) between April and June. “This includes about 784 000 people (4% of the population analysed) in IPC Phase 4 (emergency) and nearly 3.8m people (20% of the population analysed) in IPC Phase 3 (crisis),” the IPC said in its updated report for April to June 2025. This, it said, reflects an increase compared to the projection done in January, which estimated that 4.4m people would be in IPC…

The DA in eThekwini strongly condemns the ANC-IFP-EFF coalition’s continued display of incompetence, following the last-minute tabling of the 600-page draft budget at the full council meeting held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) Complex this week. The DA raised this issue with the speaker of council, councillor Thabani Nyawose, highlighting the unreasonable time given to councillors to process the report by the city leadership. It is deeply concerning that councillors were given only 15 minutes to absorb and prepare for a debate on the R78 billion budget. This rushed process is not only disrespectful to the councillors, but also undermines the integrity of the budget debate and decision-making process. The DA calls on the city administration and leadership to seriously reconsider this approach in the best…

SOUTH Africans didn’t wait for Eskom to fix the grid, we adapted first. Faced with rolling blackouts and a staggering 12.74% electricity tariff increase, households have taken energy matters into their own hands, by embracing smart technologies that are playing a key role in making power usage more efficient in their homes. Fortunately, the private sector has risen to this challenge, offering tools and solutions: most notably, through the localised manufacturing of smart geyser devices. Often overlooked, these small but powerful little machines are playing a quiet yet critical role in addressing South Africa’s energy crisis. By helping households reduce electricity consumption and lower energy costs, while maintaining access to hot water during power outages, smart geyser devices are improving grid stability while ensuring a continued sense of normalcy, even…

A groundbreaking study by the University of Cape Town (UCT) has shed light on the economic and health consequences of tobacco and alcohol consumption in South Africa, particularly for lower-income households and children. PhD candidate Zunda Chisha, who graduates this week with a doctorate in economics, found that tobacco and alcohol use diverts spending from essential needs such as education, housing, and transport. His research further revealed that parental spending on these substances negatively affects child health outcomes, including height-for-age and weight-for-age indicators. “Tobacco spending diverts resources from essential needs, particularly education, housing, transport, and household goods, posing especially severe challenges for lower-income households,” Chisha explained. “Notably, alcohol expenditure tends to rise in tandem with tobacco spending, underscoring the interconnectedness of these substances.” Chisha, a programme director at the World…

KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Transport has transitioned to a cashless payment system in motor licensing offices across the province. The move, announced by MEC Siboniso Duma this week, comes amid a surge in cash-in-transit (CIT) heists in the province. Duma confirmed that the cashless system took effect on Tuesday. The department said that it will no longer accept cash payments in licensing offices, requiring motorists to use debit or credit cards instead. “We are encouraged by the members of the public who have embraced this change,” he said. The decision follows a series of violent CIT robberies. On March 28 a cash van was ambushed on Selby Msimango Road in Pietermaritzburg. Ten armed suspects forced the driver to stop, shot a guard, and stole money and firearms. On March 31, a…

Heinous acts of violating women and children must end MOST South African men who have never been tried for or accused of rape are certain they have never raped anyone. I ask, how certain are you? The question above emanates from levels of ignorance of South African men when it comes to rape, turning the country into a hub for such a heinous act against women and children. It is no surprise Professor Dineo Gqola declares rape a South African nightmare. It is a nightmare women and children will never wake up from. While the nation is still bleeding from what happened to Uyinene, we are wounded again by the case of Cwecwe. For how long, my fellow brothers? This past weekend I came across a WhatsApp status that was…

Massive student-led protests in Serbia have been met with a barrage of disinformation from pro-government media and social networks, in what analysts say is an attempt to undermine the anti-graft movement. The nationwide wave of demonstrations kicked off after a recently renovated train station roof collapsed in November in Serbia’s second city Novi Sad, killing 16 people. With many blaming the deaths on state corruption and inadequate oversight, the protests have piled pressure on the nationalist government of President Aleksandar Vucic. Top officials and pro-government news outlets – which dominate Serbia’s media landscape – for months have been portraying the students and their supporters as “foreign agents”, violent troublemakers planning “a coup” or accused them of being funded by the opposition. The Kurir tabloid said students “terrorise Belgrade” while the…

South Korean police will mobilise “all available resources” to prevent violence when a court rules Friday on the fate of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, with top tourist sites to close and embassies warning citizens to stay away. The country’s Constitutional Court will issue a ruling on whether to strip Yoon of office over his abortive declaration of martial law, which has already seen him suspended by lawmakers and arrested on insurrection charges. The court in downtown Seoul has become a flashpoint, with near-constant protests in the area until the police moved Tuesday to seal the streets to head off possible clashes. “The situation has become more grave than ever,” Lee Ho-young, acting chief of the Korean National Police Agency, said yesterday. Hundreds of thousands of people for and against…

Namibia has announced plans to revive the national carrier, Air Namibia, through a public-private partnership model, with operations expected to resume by late 2026. The Namibian Presidency confirmed on Tuesday its position in a statement on its social media page, reaffirming President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s commitment to relaunching the airline under a sustainable business framework. Air Namibia ceased operations in 2021 after years of financial struggles, requiring repeated government bailouts. | Xinhua…

iOCO’s (formerly EOH Holdings) plans to reduce debt in the second half of its financial year, and it may consider share buybacks or acquisitions after that, co-CEO Thys Summerton said on Wednesday. Summerton spoke in an online presentation after the technology group reported six consecutive months of profitability, and a focus on growth initiatives, strategic investments and working capital management which was expected to maintain the momentum of profitability for the rest of the year. iOCO has been through a long period of “doing some things right and doing some things wrong”. When Summerton came to the group at the end of 2024 it was producing some R6 billion in cash a year, putting it among the most cash generative South African companies on the JSE, but its profits ranked…

It’s absurd. It’s outrageous. It’s bonkers! Eskom wants to punish the innocent consumer. Ever heard of the innocent getting punished for some crime they did not commit? But here in the land of sun, sea and fun, it is possible. Eskom enjoyed an unchallenged monopoly in electricity generation from 1923. As the population and economy grew, Eskom expanded till it became the largest power utility on the continent. It generates 95% of South Africa’s electricity needs. It never had any competition until the dawn of democracy saw the power utility choke with inefficiency, mismanagement and corruption never before seen in the country. Eskom became unprofitable. Since 2008 it has received R500 billion in bailouts. Still it could not generate enough power and began implementing load-shedding, plunging the country into darkness.…

Divorce is painful for the children. Pain is an inevitable result of almost all divorces. The enduring stress – the separation period preceding the divorce, the event itself, and the process of adjustment – impacts all family members, especially the children. Assuming no violence has occurred, the following attitudes expressed by the adults to the children will allow for the best outcome when two adults divorce: ◆ We will discuss our divorce with you, together, on a regular basis. ◆ We are divorced but remain your parents. ◆ It is our divorce. The implications affect everybody, but it remains our divorce. ◆ We were once happy together and you were born out of our love. ◆ We will always help and protect you and cooperate with each other concerning you.…

The Resistance Against Impunity Movement (RAIM) has issued a condemnation of South African banks for their practice of arbitrarily closing accounts using the controversial criterion of “reputational risk”. This practice has notably targeted black individuals and black-owned businesses. In the US, a recent decision taken by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has eliminated the use of reputational risk as a criterion for banking decisions, highlighting how such a vague and subjective measure can lead to abuse and unjust denial of financial services to legitimate individuals and enterprises. In contrast, South African banks continue to utilise this excuse to perpetuate racial and economic discrimination. The consequences of this practice are far-reaching: ◆ Arbitrary account closures disrupt business operations, hinder payment of employees, and obstruct contributions to economic…

A man who claimed he was “only fooling around” with a female colleague in the boardroom, while she claimed he "groped her breasts” and tried to force her skirt and panties down, lost his legal bid to get his job back. Once again, a warning against sexual harassment – especially in the workplace – was issued by a Johannesburg Labour Court judge who confirmed the man’s dismissal. Judge Molatolo Makhura, in turning down the applicant’s bid to be reinstated, remarked that “this is a man who should be nowhere near any workplace, especially one with 80% of female employees”. The applicant was charged and dismissed for sexual harassment. The CCMA found in its arbitration award that the dismissal was substantively fair but procedurally unfair. The commissioner awarded the applicant three…

A Durban family continues to pray for the safe return of a loved one, reported missing following the Myanmar earthquake. Cowan Titus, 28, was reported missing hours after a devastating earthquake struck the area where he lives. Titus’s mother, Samantha Titus, said her son moved to Mandalay, a city in Myanmar more than a year ago, to pursue a teaching career. Titus, who previously lived on the Bluff, is renting an apartment in Mandalay and lives alone. “He had just renewed his contract as he teaches English to Grade 5 learners,” she said. “We do a check-in every morning and hours before the quake, I sent him a message and there was only one tick. I also called to check on him and there was no answer,” Samantha said. She…

FROM now onwards, the DA’s continued stay in the so-called Government of National Unity (GNU) is untenable. In fact, it is now an unwelcome guest, judging by ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leaked recording in which he says the DA has characterised itself outside the coalition government. It must be even more unsettling for Deputy Finance Minister Ashor Sarupen, a DA MP, to help implement a budget his party has viciously opposed. It’s taken the DA several hard knocks to finally get to this point. It lost the battle on the NHI. It was overpowered on the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, or Bela. The ANC further showed it the middle finger in signing the Expropriation Bill into law. It also received a nosebleed when Communications Minister Solly Malatsi attempted to…

Denmark’s prime minister will visit semi-autonomous Greenland today for talks with the territory’s incoming government, following US President Donald Trump’s repeated expressions of interest in controlling the Arctic island. Mette Frederiksen begins her three-day trip less than a week after a visit to the territory by US Vice President JD Vance received a frosty reception from authorities in Denmark and Greenland. Greenland’s incoming Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who won last month’s general election and will form a coalition government, has said he welcomes Frederiksen’s trip, stating on Monday that Denmark remains “Greenland’s closest partner”. | Reuters…

China’s President Xi Jinping and European Union leaders are set to visit Vietnam in the next few weeks in a swirl of diplomatic activity amid growing risks from US trade tariffs, officials said. China, the EU and Vietnam run very large trade surpluses with the US and have all faced new tariffs from Donald Trump’s administration. Xi Jinping is expected to meet Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi on April 14, two Vietnamese officials with direct knowledge of the plans told Reuters, in what would be his second visit to the country in less than 18 months. Xi’s multi-day visit to Vietnam is part of a wider trip to Southeast Asia, including Cambodia and Malaysia, according to two diplomats. The Chinese foreign ministry said it had no information to share when asked…

The Addis Ababa City Administration has introduced 100 electric buses across Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, as part of an effort to promote electric mobility in the East African country. Assembled by the local company Belayneh Kindie Metal Engineering Complex, with components imported from China, the new fleet of electric buses is equipped with integrated Intelligent Transportation System and Fare Collection System technologies, the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation reported Tuesday. These electric buses have officially begun offering a convenient commuting experience for the city’s residents along the Bus Rapid Transit, a new mass transport route in the city. | Xinhua…