Indholdsfortegnelse for 2026-01-23 i Mercury

DAVOS - Sekunjalo chairman Dr Iqbal Survé has called for closer collaboration between government, business and society to strengthen South Africa’s image as an attractive investment destination, saying the country’s future success depends on stakeholders working together. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Survé welcomed the tone and substance of speeches by Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola and Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana, saying they reinforced the message that South Africa is moving in the right direction. “I think they were really good speeches by the ministers,” said Survé. “They reaffirm South Africa’s trend towards becoming a more investment-friendly destination. That’s good for the country and good for South Africa’s brand image.” As a leading figure in the private sector,…

Sasol's Louisiana Integrated Polyethylene joint venture cracker experienced an extended outage in the three months to December 31. "The plant was successfully restarted at the end of December 2025. Our self-help measures continued to deliver benefits, which led to lower costs and capital expenditure," directors said on Thursday in a business update. An online search showed that LyondellBasell, as co-owner of the plant, had to balance the Louisiana outage first reported in November, against its global cracker network, mitigating supply disruptions through other facilities. The outage, however, did not appear to dampen investor sentiment following the release of Sasol's business update, as the share was a top mover on the JSE in the morning, rising 6.1% to R106.33. The price has risen steadily since a new strategy to optimise operations…

Agricultural industry leaders have responded positively to news that Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen has appointed a Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Industry Coordination Council. The news follows last week's announcement of Minister Steenhuisen's long-term plan to vaccinate South Africa’s entire national cattle herd as part of a comprehensive strategy to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Members of the newly appointed council include Johann Kotzé, Bennie van Zyl, Theo Boshoff, Frikkie Maré, Fanie Ferreira, Marlene Louw, Bongani Msimang, Kobus Bester, and Dewald Olivier. The Department of Agriculture said that this council has been established to ensure that the industry plays an active, coordinated role in supporting the phased rollout of the FMD strategy, including vaccine distribution, traceability, and disease control readiness. Steenhuisen expressed his full commitment to eradicating FMD. “This council…

Suspended Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi yesterday told parliamentarians how he came to know attempted murder accused tenderpreneur Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. Testifying before the Ad Hoc Committee, Mkhwanazi explained that his relationship with Matlala began in 2021. He said he first became aware of Matlala after EMPD intervention unit members informed him they had been training at a private shooting range alongside officers employed by Matlala’s security company. This happened when the metro was preparing for the State of the City Address amid threats of disruption by the opposition party ANC. Mkhwanazi said his colleagues had informed him about the former SAPS and military task force members who were working for Cat VIP Private Security, owned by Matlala, and the director of the private clinic, Medicare24.…

The National Consumer Tribunal has dismissed an application by a Gauteng woman who sought compensation for pain and suffering after allegedly consuming mouldy fruit juice produced by RFG Foods, the manufacturer behind the Rhodes brand. The tribunal rejected an application by Aluwani Caroline Madia for leave to directly refer her complaint, citing both procedural defects and a lack of jurisdiction to grant the relief sought. Madia told the tribunal she purchased a one-litre Rhodes Tropical Juice from a Pick n Pay store in Kelvin, Johannesburg, in January 2024. She claimed that after drinking the juice, she noticed mould inside the carton and that she and her daughter later experienced diarrhoea and vomiting. RFG Foods arranged for the carton to be couriered from Gauteng to its juice plant in Wellington in…

The State informed the Vanderbijlpark Magistrates’ Court yesterday that the 22-year-old scholar transport driver, who was involved in the horror crash that claimed the lives of 14 learners this week, is now facing charges of murder. The driver, 22, Ayanda Dludla, had initially been facing charges of culpable homicide in connection with the crash in which the scholar transport minibus he was driving veered onto an oncoming lane and crashed almost head-on with a tipper truck. While the death toll was placed at 12 pupils on Wednesday, police confirmed yesterday that 14 pupils had died. Families of the deceased learners filled the courtroom as Dludla, sporting a scar on his forehead, appeared in the dock. Dludla, who is also facing three charges of attempted murder, indicated to the court that…

Cape Town and Umhlanga have emerged as possibly the best-value luxury destinations in the world for foreign high-end property investors. According to Bradd Bendall, national head of sales at BetterBond, international buyers are discovering exceptional value due to lower interest rates, a stronger rand, and rising demand in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. The purchasing power of foreign currency in South Africa remains significant, also allowing buyers to invest in property that combines lifestyle, security, and luxury at a fraction of the cost of Europe or the United States. “Property prices have been rising, with a new record average purchase price of R1.63 million reached at the end of 2025. However, this hasn’t diminished the country’s appeal as a luxury investment destination. Even at R16.40/$ (as of 9 January 2026),…

An emotional Prince Harry this week blasted the publisher of two UK newspapers, accusing them of making his wife Meghan’s life “an absolute misery” as he finished testifying at London’s High Court. Holding back tears, the prince said pursuing the years-long joint legal action against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday, had been “a horrible experience”. He and six others, including pop icon Elton John, accuse the two tabloids of privacy invasions and unlawful information gathering, in the prince’s last active legal case in his long-running crusade against some UK media. “Having to sit here and go through this all over again and have them in their own defence claim that I don’t have any right to any privacy is disgusting,”…

A quarter of a century is a long time, but for Defender and the Kingsley Holgate Foundation, longevity has been earned the hard way across some of the most inaccessible parts of Africa. The two mark 25 years of continuous partnership this year, a relationship that began in 2 000 and has since supported more than 40 humanitarian and conservation expeditions. Every journey has been undertaken in a Defender, often far beyond the reach of conventional infrastructure and well outside the comfort zone of many vehicles. Outcome driven From arid deserts in the north to flood-prone equatorial forests and deep sand tracks across Southern Africa, the Foundation’s work over time has translated into tangible outcomes rather than marketing milestones. To date, the Kingsley Holgate Foundation has distributed more than 473…

Eskom CEO Dan Marokane says there is no replacement contract in place for the existing power supply agreement Eskom is racing against time to secure a new power supply agreement with Mozambique’s Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), as the current deal that supplies electricity to Mozal aluminium smelter is set to expire at the end of March, raising the risk of major operational disruptions if negotiations fail. Speaking amid growing concern over the looming deadline, Eskom CEO Dan Marokane on Thursday confirmed that the existing power supply agreement will formally end in March and that no replacement contract has yet been concluded. This has heightened anxiety around the future of Mozal, one of southern Africa’s largest aluminium smelters owned by South32 and a significant industrial consumer of electricity. Late last…

Zanele Matome, the CEO and founder of Welo Health, is making her mark on the global stage as one of the few African tech entrepreneurs invited to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Born and raised in Rustenburg in South Africa’s North West province, Matome is using her debut appearance at WEF to seek strategic investors who can help make her digital health startup a household name globally. Matome is the CEO and co-founder of Welo Health, a South Africa–based digital health tech startup that helps employers better manage the health of their workforce. Welo Health connects corporates, health insurers, and healthcare professionals through a single, flexible ecosystem designed to improve health outcomes while boosting productivity. Built as an infrastructure platform, Welo Health enables companies to reduce absenteeism, manage…

The financial state of the eThekwini Municipality is under scrutiny amid concerns that the municipality does not have adequate funds for its expenses. ActionSA said that the City’s financial state was laid bare during a meeting of the finance portfolio committee this week. The party’s councillor Zwakele Mncwango said that the financial ratios presented to the committee paint a worrying picture of a municipality under serious cash and operational strain. “eThekwini currently has a cash/cost coverage ratio of approximately 0.5, meaning the municipality has less than one month of cash available to cover its operating expenses. This level of cash coverage is extremely risky and leaves the city vulnerable to service delivery disruptions and financial shocks,” he said. According to a document shared by ActionSA with the media, in terms…

Penguins are bringing forward their breeding season at record rates as Antarctica rapidly warms due to climate change, according to research published by a global team of scientists this week. The unprecedented shift observed over a decade in penguin breeding patterns was "highly correlated" with rising temperatures on the frozen continent, said the study's lead author Ignacio Juarez Martinez. Penguin breeding is closely linked to food availability, and less sea ice has meant hunting grounds and nesting sites are more available during the year. Scientists observing penguin populations in Antarctica had expected breeding to occur a little earlier but were "very surprised both by the scale and the speed of the advance", Martinez told AFP. “The scale is so great that penguins in most areas are now breeding earlier than…

Undoubtedly one of the most recognised shapes on the road and certainly one of the more aspirational cars on the market, the Mercedes-Benz AMG G63 never fails to draw attention. First designed for military use, Mercedes quickly realised its potential for the civilian market, and since its introduction in 1979, more than 600 000 G-Wagons, as they have become known, have been sold globally. It’s an ultimate stock adventure vehicle with owners having travelled to the most extreme parts of the globe, enduring searing heat, freezing snow and ice. And while the G63 has all the prowess needed for the rough stuff, it’s not why people own them. Okay, the 22-inch road-biased tyres probably wouldn’t make it past the first rocky obstacle, so it’s more about the ultimate flex than…

Hyundai South Africa has weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding a zero-star safety rating given to its Hyundai Grand i10 hatchback. The Korean brand’s entry-level hatchback hit the headlines in early December after independent crash testing authority Global NCAP handed it a zero-star rating for adult occupant protection and a three-star rating for child protection. Although the vehicle is built in India, the rating applies to the South African specification as it was evaluated in accordance with Global NCAP’s #SaferCarsForAfrica campaign. Hyundai South Africa did not immediately respond to the crash test report after it was released late last year, but after mounting pressure on social media – with even the Automobile Association weighing in to say it has no authority to “ban” such vehicles – the importer released…

Liverpool took a big step towards automatic qualification for the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday as Mohamed Salah returned in a 3-0 victory at Marseille. Dominik Szoboszlai put the six-time European champions ahead on the stroke of half-time, before a Geronimo Rulli own goal and a Cody Gakpo strike added gloss to the scoreline in the second half. "We always keep saying it after a win or a good result," captain Virgil van Dijk told TNT Sports of Liverpool's attempts to build momentum in what has been a difficult season so far for the Premier League winners. "Full focus on recovery now and then we go to Bournemouth on Saturday, and they're hard to beat. We have to be more than ready. We fly back tomorrow. On to the…

As Mamelodi Sundowns strive to add a second star above their crest, one of the three surviving squad members from the triumphant class of 2016 has urged the current crop of players to leave the jersey better than they found it. Sundowns are chasing their second CAF Champions League title this season, a decade after winning their maiden crown under homegrown and legendary coach Pitso Mosimane. Their pursuit of the title over the years has included heartbreak, most notably last season when they came agonisingly close, finishing as losing finalists to Pyramids, who were victorious at the first attempt. One encouraging aspect of the current squad is that they do not need to seek motivation from outside, as they still have three surviving members - Denis Onyango, Thapelo Morena and…

The Lions’ demise in the Challenge Cup has at least given them clarity of purpose for the remainder of the season, and to that end, they have picked their strongest possible side for tonight’s United Rugby Championship encounter with the Ospreys in Bridgend. Coach Ivan van Rooyen held back a few senior stars for last week’s Challenge Cup match against Perpignan. The 20-20 draw was hard-fought, but the two points were not enough for the Joburgers to advance to the Round of 16. Now it is all about the URC and making the playoffs for the first time in Lions history. The Lions will empty the tank against the Ospreys in a bid to end their tour on a high and build on their current position of seventh on the…

State defence entity Denel has remained mum as labour and political parties have sounded strong alarm bells after employees at Denel PMP and Denel Dynamics were informed that the divisions are unable to pay salaries for this month, in what appears to be another salary crisis at the state-owned company. Strong views have been expressed calling for the appointment of a new, permanent board with appropriate expertise in the defence industry, engineering, finance and project execution; consequence management for the non-implementation of board-approved strategies; a new management approach with zero tolerance for corruption; and serious consideration of public–private partnerships to restore sustainability, protect strategic capabilities and secure jobs. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), which among other labour organisations has been involved in charting a turnaround plan,…

A stronger rand is translating to mixed fortunes to the cost profile of South32’s aluminium production in South Africa and Mozambique while higher energy costs and other raw materials are also weighing In South Africa, South32 produces aluminium from Hillside Aluminium, which is located in KwaZulu- Natal while it also mines for manganese at the Wessels mine in the Northern Cape. The company also operated Mozal Aluminium, which it was planning to mothball due to a failure to secure a power supply agreement for the operation. Over the quarterly period to December, South32 completed planned maintenance works at the South Africa mine. This helped to bring up South32’s total manganese production for the period by 58% “as Australia Manganese returned to normalised production rates, while South Africa Manganese completed planned…

DEMOCRATIC Alliance leader John Steenhuisen appears to have weathered the recent political storm, with his home province of KwaZulu-Natal endorsing his bid to retain the leadership of the party. Provincial leaders who spoke to The Mercury said leading the DA into government for the very first time in its history is Steenhuisen’s biggest achievement and could be his saviour as he fights to retain the top job. The party is expected to hold an elective conference this year. Steenhuisen, who had faced accusations emerging from inside the party, is expected to retain the post, and to date, no challenger has emerged. A senior leader of the DA in KwaZulu-Natal, Dean Macpherson, gave the strongest indication that Steenhuisen could retain his post, pointing out that he had rescued it from dysfunction.…

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has suffered a blow in its bid to recover millions of rand from ex-State attorney boss and a disbarred advocate for overcharging and being paid for services not rendered. The matter has been brought before the Special Tribunal by the SIU against erstwhile head of the Office of the State Attorney, Johannesburg, Kgosisephuthabatho Gustav Lekabe and former advocate Hassan Ebrahim Kajee, who was struck off the roll in 2023. The Office of the State Attorney in Johannesburg, when it was headed by Lekabe, is accused of facilitating 547 payments to Kajee amounting to just under R64.2 million, arising from representing the government against a lawsuit involving the Health Department. The unlawful collusive action between Lekabe and Kajee took place between 2014 and October 2018, when…

Ford Racing has unveiled the Mustang Dark Horse SC, the most extreme interpretation of the Dark Horse yet. Unfortunately for local enthusiasts, the supercharged V8 Pony Car has not been confirmed for South Africa yet. Positioned between the standard Mustang Dark Horse and the exclusive GTD, the Dark Horse SC is the product of Ford Racing’s growing effort to align its road cars more closely with its global motorsport programme. Development The Dark Horse SC was engineered using lessons learned and data from the Mustang GT3 and GT4 race programmes, as well as technology developed for the GTD flagship. Ford says nearly every dynamic system was reworked, including the powertrain, suspension, braking, aerodynamics and cooling. “Mustang Dark Horse SC draws directly on what we’ve learned at the very top of…

The Pretoria Capitals (PC) have all the cards stacked in their favour after booking an early ticket to the SA20 final. Whichever team they face on Sunday, will have to deal with not only a confident PC outfit but also the looming threat of physical fatigue. Ultimately, PC's seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) in Qualifier 1 earlier this week boiled down to patience. There was a point in the game where it looked as though SEC were going to set a target in excess of 190 runs — a total that would have almost certainly taken the match away from the Capitals. During Jordan Hermann and Jonny Bairstow's 81-run stand, the pair scored at over eight runs an over, touching the nine runs an over mark at one…

Novak Djokovic sent 141st-ranked qualifier Francesco Maestrelli packing in straight sets to ease into the Australian Open third round yesterday with a little help from his favourite tree. The Serbian great is on his latest mission to win a record 25th Grand Slam title and dismissed the Italian 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. Djokovic faces 75th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands next. The former world number one, who won his first match by the same comprehensive scoreline, said: "Similar feeling on the court of generally positive." The fourth seed did not play a warm-up tournament and said his longer off-season was paying off. "I'm really happy I'm able to play this way, considering the lack of competitive matches for more than two months," the 38-year-old said. "It's all been…

New Durban City head coach Sinethemba Badela has labelled the chance to work with technical director Ernest Middendorp as a blessing, with the pair aiming to build an even stronger second half of the Betway Premiership season. Badela faces the immediate challenge of maintaining his new side’s impressive start to the campaign when he begins his tenure with a league encounter against Polokwane City on Sunday at Chatsworth Stadium (6pm kick-off). The former Chippa United coach makes his return to the top flight after his spell with the Gqeberha-based club came to an abrupt end earlier this season, following a reported fallout with then Chilli Boys technical director Sinesipho Mali. Badela, who has previously been in charge of the Mamelodi Sundowns DDC side, will now work alongside Middendorp, one of…

With one not-so-subtle post on X confirming that attack guru Tony Brown won’t be leaving the Springboks anytime soon, Rassie Erasmus has ignited a fiery debate. Rather than issuing a bland statement or allowing stories on Brown’s future to dictate the discourse, Erasmus took to X on Saturday. In his typical fashion, he got his point across with a sense of humour that rugby could probably use a bit more of. Following the sacking of Scott Robertson, the rumour mill went into overdrive. As quickly as “Razor sacked” began to trend, Brown was linked to South Africa’s fiercest rivals. Whispers from New Zealand suggested he could be drawn into an All Blacks set-up, possibly alongside Jamie Joseph as part of a revival plan heading towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup.…