Innehållsförteckning för 2021-07-12 från Mercury

sakhiseni nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za AT LEAST 37 people have been arrested in KwaZulu-Natal in connection with protests, looting and the blocking of roads across the province. This is according to a statement by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS). The statement said the charges against the suspects ranged from malicious damage to property and public violence, to business burglary and the contravention of the Disaster Management Act regulations. According to Durban metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Parbhoo Sewpersad, police had responded to more than 120 protests in Durban and surrounding areas since Friday and a number of shops had been looted. In one of the serious incidents, there was a volatile protest yesterday on the M19 and protesters blocked the road and looted Checkers and other stores in the…

Sakhiseni Nxumalo sakhiseni.nxumalo@inl.co.za PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa said last night that the sporadic but increasingly violent protests in some parts of the country were endangering lives and damaging the government’s efforts to rebuild the economy. He said the Constitution guaranteed everyone’s right to freely express themselves and to engage in peaceful protest, but there was no justification for violent and disruptive actions. While he did not allude to the reasons for the protests, which appear to be linked to the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma, he said: “While there are those who may be hurt and angry at this moment, there can never be any justification for such violent, destructive and disruptive actions.” He added that it was concerning to all South Africans that some of these acts of violence…

HEY, this was more like it, the stand-in Sharks socking it to the Lions yet, as ever, not quite getting there. Until half-time – 26-26 – that is. Nothing like the debacle of last Wednesday. But the Lions’ fluidity became a torrent when a Shark was red-carded. You can’t beat the Lions with 14 men. They became Lions Rampant. When, oh when, will the rugby authorities accept that the red card, as currently used, diminishes the game? Punish the culprits by all means – financially even – but let a replacement come on. In spite of the eventual scoreline, the Sharks by no means disgraced themselves. Lockdown predicament A VIDEO comes this way that captures our predicament in this lockdown. A fellow is at home scooping the leaves out…

EBRAHIM ESSA | Durban In the main, we all remain primitive, mindless, brainless beings – nothing to do with race, religion, colour, language or country. We are very easily swayed by a handful of so-called leaders who are purely self-serving and have nothing but selfish vested interests. Democracy is also one big farce. The electorate is swayed by cash and false rhetoric or cajoled by threats. A majority that works, thoughtlessly, for a handful of manipulative, greedy, unpatriotic brigands. All countries show these symptoms of the majority that, like zombies, utilise less than 5% of their brains. Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe ... the lot. All brainwashed into submission to the Orwellian Few. Minds controlled by completely false promises. Waving beads and pink sweets to modern Neanderthals who…

FAROUK ARAIE | Benoni The sweeping Covid-19 third wave has morphed into a rampaging tsunami, engulfing all our communities and cruelly snatching our loved ones in its deadly embrace. We will not and cannot let these grim infection numbers pass unnoticed. It is always and everywhere the vocation of religion to remember the dead and mourn their passing. Considering the exponential growth of the virus in its multiple strains and the staggering number of fatalities it has caused, everything is bleak and uncertain. In these troubling and unsettling times, it is easy to fall into the bottomless pit of negativity. In few periods in human history have bereavement and grief been on so many people’s minds as they are today. As the rapidly mutating third wave ravages our…

Thami Magubane thami.magubane@inl.co.za THE eThekwini Municipality is proposing to spend about R3.4 million over the next three years on a career symposium for Grade 12 pupils. The career symposium aims to advance public awareness and attract Grade 12 pupils to consider pursuing careers in technical fields, including in the science, engineering, mathematics and technology sectors. The proposal was tabled before the human settlements and infrastructure portfolio committee meeting last week and still has to be passed by the executive committee and full council to take effect. However, the proposal has drawn criticism from an opposition party member on the committee, who said the money could have been better spent funding needy students to further their education. A report detailing the proposal said the city had seen a rapid increase in…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za Michael Zuma, one of former president Jacob Zuma’s brothers and a senior member of the Zuma family in Nkandla, has died. According to information from Khanya Zuma, another senior member of the family, Michael had not been well and died yesterday. His death comes as the former president remains at Estcourt Prison where he began serving his 15-month sentence for contempt of court. Zuma’s incarceration has seen protest action and looting flare up in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, with the protesters demanding that he be released. “Yes, he (Michael) passed away on Sunday at around 11am. He has not been well for some time now,” Khanya said when Independent Media asked him about the matter. Spokesperson of the Jacob Zuma Foundation Mzwanele Manyi said, as the foundation, they…

Important that governments and political parties do not politicise the issue SOME of the information circulating these days on the Covid-19 vaccines may be described as fake news. While people do have the right to refuse to take the vaccines, they simply cannot propagate conspiracy theories such as that a vaccine contains a micro-chip that enables governments to monitor people. A number of commentators have recently highlighted the intersection, at this point in our history as the human race, of the pharma-sceptics and the techno-sceptics. These two groups of people, though marginal in the past, have become somewhat mainstream and therefore have been able to capture quite a few adherents. Pharma-sceptics would have us believe that we are not to trust the pharmaceutical companies or the governments that administer these…

NINETEEN suspects – 17 Colombian nationals and two US citizens of Haitian descent – have been arrested in the wake of the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise last week. The Caribbean nation has been under martial law since, with interim authorities asking the US and UN to deploy troops to help secure strategic infrastructure. Claude Joseph, the interim prime minister of Haiti, has said that President Jovenel Moise was tortured before his assassination, as he vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. “Mercenaries came to the president’s house, they tortured him and they killed him. We captured about 20 of them. They are in custody. And we believe, we staunchly believe, that justice will be provided to the President Jovenel Moise… We do have the right people (in custody),”…

Tel Aviv: Israeli same-sex couples can have children via surrogates within the country, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday – a step advocates hailed as strengthening equality but critics blasted as eroding family values. The court ruled that restrictions on surrogacy for same-sex couples and single men within the Jewish state must be lifted within six months. People who couldn’t have children with surrogates in Israel resorted to solutions overseas in countries. Surrogacy was legalised in Israel in 1996, at first only for heterosexual couples before single women were added. | AFP…

Zaahier Adams zaahier.adams@inl.co.za If there was any hint of complacency within the South African camp ahead of their ODI series against Ireland, the Proteas' first outing at a damp Malahide yesterday would surely have put those notions to bed now. There wasn't enough time to complete the first full ODI between these two countries on Irish soil since 2007 before the heavens opened once too many times, but Ireland certainly did enough to show that they will be no pushovers when the sun does indeed stay out long enough. Temba Bavuma won the toss and inserted the hosts and despite opting to rest Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje, the Proteas skipper would have expected his first-choice new ball pairing of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi to make the necessary…

SIPHELELE DLUDLA siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE alcohol industry has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to lift restrictions on the sale of alcohol, saying it cannot continue to endure a double pandemic of Covid-19 and poverty. The National Liquor Traders (NTL), representing 39 000 township-based taverns, shebeens and bottle stores, wrote to Ramaphosa over the weekend pleading for the lifting of the ban. The National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) met yesterday to assess developments in the Covid-19 pandemic and the national response to this challenge. The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance in SA (Saapa SA) urged the government to allow access to alcohol through off-consumption sales, while retaining the suspension of on-consumption trading, which it said “is clearly the best option”. NTL convener Lucky Ntimane said the devastation of the current ban…

Long-term effects will hit the poor the hardest, experts say Vernon Mchunu, Sakhiseni Nxumalo and Nonhlanhla Nozizwe Hlatshwayo THE ongoing looting and destruction of property – estimated at R100 million – sent a glaring message to investors to stay out of South Africa. And ultimately the aftermath would hit the pockets of the poor the hardest. These were the warnings issued by the business sector and economists amid threats of heightened violence today. Sporadic violent protests, which began across KwaZulu-Natal last Thursday, yesterday spread to other parts of the country, including Gauteng, as protesters continued to demand the release of former president Jacob Zuma. Zuma began a 15-month prison sentence last week after the Constitutional Court found him guilty of contempt of court. Organised business in the Midlands region, the…

One night of sleep loss is enough to disrupt your day-to-day mental and physical well-being, according to a new study. Published in the journal “Annals of Behavioral Medicine”, it also indicated that consecutive days of sleep loss can increase these negative impacts. The study examined daily diary data for eight consecutive days from 1 958 adults who took the Midlife in the US survey (Midus) conducted between 2004 and 2006. The analysis found that sleep loss for even one night resulted in increased negative well-being. As the number of consecutive days of sleep loss increased, the severity of adverse physical impacts – including body aches, gastrointestinal issues and respiratory symptoms such as a sore throat and runny nose – also increased, the study indicated. | IANS…

I FIND myself in some unusual places. This week I am at Waldorf University in northern Iowa just a little south of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I will be here for a week to present a morning lecture to a group of about 80 young people. It’s my first time in Iowa but it is not my first time addressing students. All over the world young students deal with similar challenges and hurdles: absent parents (one or both); rejection by peers; fear of current political tides and climates; invasion of boundaries; pressures to engage in sexual activities; the use of legal, or illegal, harmful products or substances, while trying to get educated and make plans for a successful future! I know every generation has faced its own set of pressures and these…

GLEN CHRISTIE | Durban North Jacob Zuma must stay in jail for 15 months as sentenced. Why should someone of his calibre suddenly warrant sympathy, bearing in mind the damage he has allowed to happen to this country? He also has his arms deal case coming up and with the knowledge so far produced, there is a good chance that he will be found guilty and sentenced to jail for this as well. Regarding his supporters, who have created anarchy, with all the videos and reports circulating, it certainly looks like the SAPS cannot handle the job. Mr President, bring in the army. Law enforcement in this country is far too weak and ineffective, and if this is allowed to carry on unabated, this country’s credit ratings will…

Xolile Bhengu xolile.bhengu@inl.co.za THE number of pupils between the ages of seven and 17 who dropped out of school rose by more than 500 000 during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is according to the latest National Income Dynamics Study – Coronavirus Rapid Mobile (Nids-Cram) survey. The survey found that the number of drop-outs rose from 230 000 before the Covid-19 pandemic – to 750 000 by May 2021, to reach the highest level in 20 years. It also said millions of pupils from poor and working class households were more heavily affected by Covid-19 disruptions to schooling, and that only 8.5% of households had children that had access to the internet. Equal Education (EE) researcher Katherine Sutherland said the survey had laid bare the existing inequalities in the…

THE SA Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) will sign a wage agreement with the government today, following three months of public sector wage talks. Sadtu general secretary Mugwena Maluleke said the union would sign the deal after consultation with members. The Mercury’s sister newspaper The Star understands that some public service unions affiliated to Cosatu will not be part of those accepting the offer and signing today. Maluleke said a level 1 person would get an increase of around 11% and level 2 would get 10%. Only two categories, 11 and 12, would get less because of their high salary scale. Maluleke said the union recognised that the government had moved from a 0% increase to the current sliding-scale offer that would see different percentages for the various levels of employees.…

Mushtak Parker “SOUTH Africa enjoys some of the lowest renewable energy prices in the world, as low as 92c per kWh. Indications are that prices will continue to fall over the next few cycles,” says the latest report of the Paris-based International Energy Transition Observatory 2021, a think tank on energy transition especially through renewable energy aimed at curbing global warming, comprising six international law firms. In a wider context, South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) confirmed that “South Africa is in the top 20 emitters of CO2 in the world and the highest emitter in Africa, partly due to an energy system which relies heavily on fossil fuels – coal and oil”. On July 1, the PCC presented its initial recommendations to President Cyril Ramaphosa on transitioning to…

British billionaire Richard Branson yesterday soared more than 80km above the New Mexico desert aboard his Virgin Galactic rocket plane and safely returned in the vehicle’s first fully crewed test flight to space, a symbolic milestone for a venture he started 17 years ago. Branson, one of six Virgin Galactic Holding Inc employees strapped in for the ride, has touted the mission as a precursor to a new era of space tourism, with the company he founded in 2004 poised to begin commercial operations next year. The success of the flight also gave the flamboyant entrepreneur bragging rights in a highly publicised rivalry with fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos, the Amazon online retail mogul who had hoped to fly into space first aboard his own space company’s rocket. Yesterday’s launch of…

NEW developments in the global Covid-19 crisis are causing concern. British authorities were worried about the risk of large gatherings at fan zones and pubs across England to watch the country’s first appearance in a major football final in more than half a century. London hosted more than 60 000 fans last night at Wembley Stadium when England and Italy clashed for the Euro 2020 title. Australia yesterday announced its first Covid-19-related death in the current Sydney virus outbreak, as the country’s biggest city struggles to bring the Delta variant under control. A woman in her 90s died on Saturday, hours after testing positive for Covid – the first death from a locally-acquired infection in Australia this year. Thai beauty queens who took part in a pageant last month could…

MATSHELANE MAMABOLO kolobe24@gmail.com KHAMA BILLIAT says he has ‘seen this movie before’ and would love nothing better than a repeat. Delighted that he has recovered from a long-term injury in time for Kaizer Chiefs’ maiden CAF Champions League final clash against Al Ahly, the Zimbabwean winger is eager to have a second winner’s medal dangle down his neck. Billiat won the continental title back in 2016 with Mamelodi Sundowns under the guidance of Pitso Mosimane, who will be on the opposite bench this time around as coach of the nine-time African champions from Egypt. Such is the influence of Mosimane on those that he works with that Billiat borrowed from the outspoken coach’s lexicon as he looked ahead to Saturday’s clash at the King Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca. “It’s…

Lionel Messi was uncharacteristically quiet in Argentina’s 1-0 win over Brazil on Saturday but his performance was irrelevant compared to what the victory means – a first major title for Messi in the blue and white of the national side. The Barcelona striker has won the Fifa World Player of the Year a record six times and is widely considered one of the greatest players ever to play the game, alongside Pele and countryman Diego Maradona. But his inability to win an international title with Argentina always left an asterisk beside his name on the all-time greats list. That is now gone after an emotional Copa America final at the Maracana stadium decided by a first half goal from Angel di Maria. Messi had a quiet game by his own…

Julian Kiewietz julian.kiewietz@inl.co.za8 THE darling of South African mixed martial arts, Dricus du Plessis, earned himself a R1.1million performance bonus after an emphatic display at UFC 264 yesterday. Under the bright lights of the sold-out T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas - building up to the much-anticipated trilogy fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor - Dricus (16-2) reaffirmed his star-power and skill to the world when he beat the dangerous and higher-ranked Trevin Giles (14-3) in their preliminary middleweight bout. Following his short-notice UFC debut fight and first round knockout over Brazil’s Markus Perez late last year, Dricus finished American Trevin with a second round KO. Leading into the fight, Dricus acknowledged Trevin’s fast hands and explosive power and it is also well-documented that he has a good takedown defence…

Venues such as gyms and fitness centres can also operate, subject to strict health protocols Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za The RESTAURANT industry has heaved a sigh of relief as the government has slightly relaxed the lockdown restrictions, although the healthcare system remains under pressure. President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday announced that the country would remain at adjusted level 4 of the lockdown for another 14 days, until July 25. Ramaphosa said that restaurants and eateries would be able to operate, albeit while observing strict health protocols, in a bid to boost economic activity. The restaurant industry has been pleading with the government to be allowed to reopen, because a number of establishments have closed or were on the brink of collapse because of the economic fallout from the pandemic. “Such establishments may…

Zintle Mahlati zintle.mahlati@inl.co.za THE SAPS and Johannesburg metro police department (JMPD) officers were dispatched to the Joburg CBD yesterday as unrest swept through parts of the city. The Joburg metro police confirmed that sections of the M2 highway had to be closed early yesterday as guns were being fired at passing vehicles. JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the gunshots came from the Denver and George Goch hostels. A building was also set on fire in Jeppestown. “At the moment the M2 has been closed off near Cleveland. We have received reports of gunshots being fired at passing vehicles, so it had to be closed off. Inside the areas of Jeppestown and Denver, there is also sporadic unrest, so officers have been deployed and we do have a high police presence…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West HAS history taught us anything? Why is this happening? I am referring to video-grabs of people looting a major national supermarket in KwaMashu in Durban over the weekend. Are they criminals, anarchists or hungry people desperate and angry with no other choice but to engage in what you are seeing? Are they doing this in protest against the incarceration of Jacob Zuma? Did you study the history of the French Revolution of 1779? My history teacher and later my history lecturer taught me that it was brazen criminality and anarchists using revolution as a pretext or cover to commit horrible crimes. I was thrown out of class in 1970 and detained after school for daring to say people were angry and hungry…

DUNCAN DU BOIS | Bluff BY FAILING to act with superior force in confronting the acts of arson, violence and wanton destruction that have taken place in KwaZulu-Natal, the Ramaphosa government has missed a crucial opportunity to capitalise on its apparent new-found willingness to uphold law and order which it demonstrated by executing the court order to imprison Jacob Zuma. The anarchy perpetrated over the past days has not been merely a protest over Zuma’s incarceration. It is a new phase in the ANC’s ongoing, factional struggle for power which needs to be recognised for what it is – terrorism. History shows that failure to respond decisively and forcefully to terrorism ensures further acts of terrorism. Thus, the appropriate response to what has happened at Mooi River and…

KEN CRITCHLOW | Kloof HOW sad that this beautiful country is being spoilt by small bands of people that are allowed to run rampant on the streets and centres of our towns causing havoc and mayhem wherever they go. As I write this letter, thugs are stoning at Watercress Mall. Yesterday, it was Hillcrest. It is only a matter of time before some innocent person is killed. And where are the police when all this is happening? Probably locked in their headquarters, too afraid to come out. It appears that most of these thugs are pyromaniacs born with a box of matches in their hands. No other country in the world would allow this to go on unchecked. Where is our Police Minister, Bheki Cele. Is he out…

| Mercury Correspondent THE Department of Basic Education has urged all teachers and staff to get vaccinated after extending the vaccination programme deadline to Wednesday. The extension became necessary for the department that is aiming to reach more than half a million members amid the relentless Covid-19 third wave. Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said the extension would enable the sector to vaccinate more people and “mop up” where some sites experienced some technical challenges resulting in delays. According to the Department of Health, 437 386 educators and staff have been vaccinated since the rollout began. Mhlanga said the sector had seen an increasing demand for the vaccines in recent days. Mhlanga said that in order to address the challenges that had been experienced, the Department of Health put in place…

The Msunduzi Municipality said it was concerned about the spate of land invasions in the province’s capital, Pietermaritzburg. This comes after reports surfaced at the weekend of people preparing to build structures on Signal Hill on land earmarked for middle-income rental properties by the municipality. Municipal spokesperson Thobeka Mafumbatha said: “We have been made aware of instances where people decide to erect structures, and have gone as far as getting a court order last week.” She said one person had been arrested following the Signal Hill incident and the municipality was hoping this would warn land grabbers. “It suggests that somebody is behind this, and our security is on high alert to ensure that no structures are built there,” Mafumbatha said. She cautioned members of the public not to…

THE right to protest is one of the rights that are guaranteed and enshrined in the country’s Constitution. This is provided for in Section 17 of the Bill of Rights, which states that “everyone has the right, peacefully and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket and to present petitions”. However, the sporadic protests witnessed in parts of KwaZulu-Natal over the past few days were the opposite of what is generally unacceptable in a democracy. They flew in the face of the struggles waged by patriotic South Africans to ensure this right and many others are enjoyed by all. The sporadic protests formed part of the #FreeJacobZuma campaign, which was instigated by some of his fervent supporters. Several incidents were reported where there was malicious damage to property, arson, looting,…

Steep bread and diesel price hikes went into force in government-held parts of war-torn Syria yesterday, bringing more pain for civilians in a long-running economic crisis. Damascus has raised fuel prices in recent years to tackle a financial crunch sparked by the country’s decade-long civil war and compounded by a spate of Western sanctions. The price of diesel fuel nearly tripled and the price of bread doubled yesterday, only days after Damascus announced a 25% increase in the price of petrol. The price hikes coincided with a decree issued yesterday by President Bashar al-Assad that increases public sector salaries by 50%. This sets the minimum wage at 71 515 Syrian pounds per month ($28 or R397 at the official rate), up from 47 000 pounds ($18 or R255). In…

Kabul: Afghanistan has urged European countries to halt forced deportations of Afghan migrants for the next three months, as security forces battle a wave of violence triggered by a Taliban offensive. There were almost 2.5 million registered refugees from Afghanistan in 2018 – the second-largest refugee population in the world, according to the UN refugee agency. The vast majority are in neighbouring Pakistan, followed by Iran and Europe. While more than 570 Afghan refugees voluntarily returned to the country between January and March this year, aided by the UN, just six came from outside Pakistan and Iran. | AFP…

Mike Greenaway mike.greenaway@inl.co.za WHEN the Springboks resumed training yesterday afternoon in Johannesburg, it was Rassie Erasmus who had the whistle around his neck in a reprisal of his role of head coach at the last World Cup, and he will continue to do so until Jacques Nienaber concludes his self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19. Nienaber was one of a number of management and players who tested positive last week in a chaotic time for the Boks, giving rise to speculation that the tour of the British & Irish Lions might not even get as far as the Test series, which is not long away now (the first Test is on July 24). But the good news is that yesterday morning a large group of players were cleared to return…

Australian great Evonne Goolagong said Ash Barty's Wimbledon win on Saturday made her more emotional than her own triumph at the grasscourt major 50 years ago. Barty was a woman on a mission at Wimbledon this year and emulated Goolagong, with whom she shares indigenous Australian heritage, by beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7 (7/4), 6-3 in the final. "Everybody reacts differently when they win Wimbledon for the first time. It didn't hit me until later, because you turn numb. You're in shock, just as Ash was," Goolagong said in a video released by Tennis Australia on Sunday. "We were so excited. Now I see the other side ... my family, how they were when they were watching me win. They were jumping up, crying, screaming ... exactly what we were…