Innehållsförteckning för 2021-09-16 från Mercury

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za THE SOUTH African Special Risk Insurance Association (Sasria) could receive a R3.9 billion cash injection to strengthen its balance sheet as it starts to pay business insurance claims emerging from the civil unrest in July. This was revealed by the National Treasury yesterday as it asked Parliament to consider approving a second special appropriation bill. Sasria had made submissions to Parliament last week on why it required the R3.9bn. This is one bill that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana would wish to be passed with speed as he prepares to table his maiden Medium-Term Budget at the end of October. Sasria has so far authorised insurers to pay claims up to R1 million, while at the same time making interim payments for large claims. This week, Insurance Claims…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za QUESTIONS surrounding the death of her boyfriend brought alleged insurance claims killer and former policewoman Rosemary Ndlovu to tears in court yesterday. She had seemed unmoved by the initial proceedings in the high court trial which is sitting at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court. But she broke down when questioned about her boyfriend yesterday. Ndlovu has denied any wrongdoing. Ndlovu, 43, is accused of killing five of her relatives and her lover, Maurice Mabasa, and then cashing in on fraudulent life insurance claims. Mabasa was stabbed over 80 times in 2015, allegedly by hit men instructed by Ndlovu. His body was found dumped in Olifantsfontein. Ndlovu testified that she grew worried when Mabasa failed to return from work on October 14, 2015. Mabasa worked as a…

GLEN CHRISTIE | Durban North Besides those who make it to a university, some students fall out, some carry on; it’s the basic level of education at school level in this country that is of major concern. Matriculants are getting through with passes of 30-40% on various subjects, this in turn means they do not know 70 to 60% of the subjects they were exposed to at school. Many years back, virtually all universities would not even consider anyone for enrolment with a pass rate of under 50% for all subjects. For our graduates and those passing matrics, they need to pass by at least 50% in all subjects to have a meaningful contribution in the market place. Anything below this level basically means they do not know…

TONY BALL | Gillits Our cash-strapped eThekwini council has handed over R21 million in economic relief to cash-strapped small businesses (The Mercury, September 14). Perhaps mayor Mxolisi Kaunda could reassure us rate-paying citizens that unlike some of the council’s previous sorties into benevolence projects, the money is allocated to all race groups. I would be very interested to know what criteria was used to determine what qualifies a business for council assistance because I read that businesses that did not have any insurance in place during the looting and unrest will still receive a form of payout despite not having contributed any form of premium. Every business (and even private persons) know that unless one takes insurance cover, you cannot expect compensation in the event of a financial…

Britain’s state-run National Health Service (NHS) is conducting the world’s biggest trial of Grail Inc’s flagship Galleri blood test that can be used to detect more than 50 types of cancer before symptoms appear. The Galleri test looks at the DNA in a patient’s blood to determine if any comes from cancer cells. Earlier diagnosis of cancers leads to dramatically increased survival rates. The NHS said it wanted to recruit 140 000 volunteers in England to see how well the test worked as part of a randomised control trial. Half of the participants will have their blood sample screened with the Galleri test right away. “We need to study the Galleri test carefully to find out whether it can significantly reduce the number of cancers diagnosed at a late stage,”…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za Lawyers representing nearly 330 victims of the Marikana massacre want the hearing of their almost R1 billion damages claim against President Cyril Ramaphosa, Sibanye Stillwater and the government to be expedited. Their call follows the decision by Judge Colin Lamont, who was initially going to preside over the matter, to recuse himself on Tuesday. In his seven-page ruling, Judge Lamont maintained that he believed he was impartial and did not believe he would have acted in a biased way against the 329 plaintiffs, who included current and former Lonmin mineworkers injured and arrested during and after the August 2012 massacre. “I further believe that I could not be manipulated or given direction by anyone in relation to my conduct in the hearing,” the judge insisted. However, Judge…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za As three of the suspects charged in connection with a murder in Phoenix during the unrest appeared in court yesterday, a Durban-based lobby group called for all the suspects to be granted bail or have their charges withdrawn. Several suspects have been charged with murder and other crimes in connection with the violence which took place in Phoenix amid the unrest and looting in July. The three suspects who appeared in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court yesterday, brothers Dylan and Ned Govender and Jeetendra Jaikissoon, are seeking to apply for bail. They had initially abandoned their bail application. The case was adjourned to tomorrow. A group, the Phoenix Justice Project, has written to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) demanding that the suspects’ trials be expedited and that they…

Empty political prattle doesn’t fill bellies or make our country a better place AS candidates launch their election manifestos, we expect them to conduct election campaigns that match up to our expectations and priorities. In 2013, the government adopted the National Development Plan (NDP), a development vision to put the economy on a new growth strategy. The NDP sets out an integrated strategy for accelerating growth, eliminating poverty and reducing inequality by 2033. The NDP was designed to build on the successes of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), which was adopted by South Africa at the dawn of democracy to address the basic needs of the people to create an equal society and has always featured in every election manifesto of major political parties. The RDP objectives included providing…

LONDON: Detectives investigating the murder of journalist Lyra McKee in 2019 in Northern Ireland have arrested four men under the Terrorism Act, the Police Service of Northern Ireland announced yesterday. McKee, aged 29, was shot dead on April 18, 2019, as she observed riots taking place in the city of Derry, also known as Londonderry. Following the incident, the New IRA, a dissident branch of now extinct Irish Republican Army, claimed responsibility for her murder. The four men, aged 19, 20, 21 and 33, were arrested yesterday in the Derry area. Another man named Paul McIntyre, 53, has already been charged in relation to McKee’s murder.…

The UN has decided to withdraw some 450 Gabonese peacekeepers from the Central African Republic (CAR) over allegations of sexual abuse, Gabon’s defence ministry announced yesterday. “In recent weeks, exceptionally serious acts that go against military ethics and the honour of the armed forces, committed by certain elements in the Gabonese battalions – have been reported,” the ministry said. “Following many cases of alleged sexual exploitation and abuse that are being processed, the UN today decided to withdraw the Gabonese contingent from Minusca”, the UN mission in the CAR, and “an investigation has been opened by Gabon,” the statement read. One of the world’s poorest countries, CAR has been chronically unstable since it gained independence from France in 1960. It currently suffers from the aftermath of a brutal civil conflict…

BRYSON DeChambeau said he has “wrecked” his hands by training for long-drive contests, as the American ramps up his preparation for next week's Ryder Cup. The world number seven will make his second appearance at the Ryder Cup, a biennial team competition between the United States and Europe, which will be held at Whistling Straits from next Friday to Sunday. After the Ryder Cup, he will travel to Nevada for the Professional Long Drive World Championships from September 27, becoming the first full-time PGA Tour professional to compete in the event. DeChambeau, who packed on 20 pounds of muscle last year and is the longest hitter on the PGA Tour, said the long drive training had taken a toll. “My hands are wrecked from it,” the 2020 US Open champion…

Banele Ginindza banele.ginindza@inl.co.za SOUTH Africa’s Special Economic Zones (SEZ) are scrambling for investment with a brighter global economic outlook ahead, following the harsh 18-month lockdown period due to Covid-19, which led tenants to negotiate rental holidays and other special concessions. More than 50 percent capacity is currently available at SEZs, divisional heads of the SEZs, the OR Tambo, the Dube Trade Port, Saldanha Bay Trade Port and Richards Bay said at a webinar yesterday. “The Covid-19 impact was negative to all of us and our investors were not immune. We had to negotiate rental holidays, make special arrangements for our clients. We had to look at each case according to its merits and liaise with the relevant government and provincial authorities,” said Dube Trade Port chief operations officer, Khaya…

Ntombi Nkosi and Tarryn-Leigh Solomons THE non-payment of salaries and UIF for ANC employees has reached crisis levels after the SAPS confirmed that a case of theft and corruption was registered at Johannesburg Central Police Station, against senior ANC officials. This comes after fired ANC employee Carl Niehaus, and party employee McDonald Mathabe, registered a criminal case against the party and its senior leaders. This is after the ruling party failed to pay salaries and UIF, for almost three months – to date. Niehaus, who was fired by the ANC last Thursday for alleged misconduct, yesterday said he would officially submit an appeal against his dismissal. SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo confirmed that the case had been opened. “I can confirm that a case of fraud and theft…

SABER AHMED JAZBHAY | Newlands West After reading an online article by University of Ibadan’s Professor Basit Olatunji, aptly titled “On the Fatality of Silence”, he mentioned that Nigeria, his country, literally floating on crude oil deposits colonised by the US/UK, was a place where the craziest and creepiest of things happen every day. One would have expected that every – well, the majority of Nigerians – would have become enriched like the Arab nationals, where they aptly have almost no personal taxes and things like housing, education and health aren’t a drain on the fiscus. The citizens of those nations are content not to rebel against the ruling elite. I’m informed that, not so in Nigeria, a federal republic where crime and corruption seep through the entire…

I frequently get letters from women who cannot successfully forgive a husband or partner’s unfaithfulness. “Even though it was 10 years ago and I have said I forgive him, it still haunts me,” writes one person. “He expects me to just get over it,” writes another. “He rolls his eyes at me, he sighs, as if it is my issue – and he was the one who cheated!” These are frequent themes in letters. Infidelity violates sacred trust. While most relationships are resilient, and can survive much stress and trauma, infidelity often serves the deathblow to all vibrancy in the marriage. This can be true even if a couple stays married for years after the ending of an affair. Unfaithfulness undercuts the very humanity of the partner who has offered…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za The deaths investigated, following Covid-19 vaccinations, have not been linked to any of the vaccines used in South Africa, the National Immunisation Safety Expert Committee (Nisec) says. “To date, among the deaths following Covid-19 vaccination that were fully investigated, none was related to any of the Covid-19 vaccines we are using in South Africa,” Nisec chairperson Professor Hannelie Meyer said. Meyer was speaking at the self-reporting suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) of medicine and vaccines webinar on Monday, where she emphasised that an adverse event following immunisation (AEFI) did not equate to an adverse event caused by immunisation. As of Monday, 14 922 954 Covid-19 vaccines had been administered in South Africa since the roll-out started. Meyer said that from May 17 to August 31, the South…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za RECENT revelations by the Competition Commission that nearly 3 000 milk producers have disappeared in South Africa, is one of the matters that will dominate discussions at today’s board meeting of Milk South Africa. The organisation is made up of the Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO), the South African Milk Processors’ Organisation (Sampro) and was formed in 2002 to address the needs of the dairy industry in the country. The industry is one of the key pillars of the country’s food supply, with products that include milk, cheese and maas. Sampro’s Zola Gebeda said the Competition Commission’s report was a source of concern and provided scope for further interrogation. Today’s board meeting was expected to discuss, among other matters: How the dairy industry has managed to lose so…

IS THE world taking that great leap forward into a digitisation future towards official digital currencies? The Innovation Hub of the Basel-based Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the gatekeeper of the global banking system, often dubbed the “Central Banks’ Bank”, recently took a major step in that direction “to test the use of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) for international settlements”. Codenamed Project Dunbar, the initiative is led by the Innovation Hub’s Singapore Centre and four of the world’s most stable central banks – Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank Negara Malaysia, Monetary Authority of Singapore, and SA Reserve Bank (SARB). Project Dunbar aims to develop prototype shared platforms for cross-border transactions using multiple CBDC platforms, which “will allow financial institutions to transact directly with each other in digital currencies issued…

LONDON: The UK’s energy crisis worsened as a fire shut down a major cable bringing power from France, adding to the risk of economic disruption as Britain heads into winter. Gas and power prices jumped as the UK grid operator said the cable will be out for at least a month. Firefighters battling the blaze at a converter station said it will take several hours to put out. The timing couldn’t be worse. Britain is already struggling with shortages, with gas and power prices breaking records day after day. The energy crunch is fuelling concerns about inflation and a potential hit to businesses just as the economy emerges from the worst impact of the pandemic. “This is a major event,” said Phil Hewitt, executive director at Enappsys Ltd, a consultant.…

WINDHOEK: The Ministry of Finance has terminated the medical aid benefits of 15 162 retired government employees who do not contribute to the Public Services Employees Medical Aid Scheme. The ministry said that it conducted a membership verification project and established that the retired staff members were not contributing to the fund and had failed to re-apply for medical aid at retirement even though they fully benefited from the scheme. According to the public services staff rules, a retiree must apply for membership within 90 days from the date of retirement and if they failed to do so, membership could be suspended or terminated.…

Course record holder and 2018 winner, Stephen Mokoka and SA Marathon record holder, Gerda Steyn, were unveiled yesterday as South Africa’s leading runners in a stellar men’s and women’s field for the Cape Town Marathon on 17 October. Mokoka’s return to the Cape Town Marathon stems from a deep desire to own the fastest marathon time on SA soil. “It is no secret that my (late) father-in-law (Zithulele Sinqe) has the fastest marathon time on South Africa soil. I want to own that 2:08:04, and the fast and flat course of Cape Town is perfect to run that time.” For Steyn, the Cape Town Marathon has a special meaning. Since turning her focus onto the marathon, Steyn has improved steadily and made a big marathon breakthrough when she qualified for…

EBRAHIM ESSA | Durban Again, there have been varying views on the vaccine. More than enough to further confuse this most confounding “thingee” (note I haven’t used any “controversial” term like “virus”, “epidemic” or “pandemic”) that just made my beloved brother-in-law (fully fit and an exercise fanatic) just vanish from this Earthly abode, merely two weeks ago because he just happened to drop his guard and possibly allowed that dreadful “thingee” to infiltrate his alveoli and clog his lungs. Whatever name I give it, that strange, mysterious, something just deleted him, forever. Like it’s doing to millions daily across the Earth. In a desperate bid to reduce the speed at which this evil “spirit” is annihilating mankind, the usual vested interests (aka the pharmaceutical companies) work round the…

FAROUK ARAIE | Gauteng Our nation is now in adjusted level 2. Medical experts are warning us of the possible dire consequences of a full-scale Covid-19 fourth wave. Our medical capacity will be rapidly overwhelmed if we remain complacent and if containment fails. As the pandemic enters its 20th month, we are all suffering from pandemic fatigue. To protect our loved ones, and ourselves, we must continue to stay focused. Wearing a helmet when riding a bike, stopping at traffic lights and many other life-saving habits begin with a decision. The same principle can apply to washing hands, maintaining physical distance and wearing a mask in public. When you first start flossing or putting your child in a safety seat, it might seem like a chore, even though…

INVESTMENT analyst Dr James Greener laments in his latest grumpy newsletter that our phones are becoming instruments of coercion by the authorities. “The faux lament that ‘my whole life is on my phone’ is no longer a subtle boast of just how tech savvy one is. It’s becoming real. “News is that our leaders are about to introduce the so-called Vaccination Certificate Passports which will reside in our smartphones. The combination of the poorly understood pandemic, rapidly growing technological capabilities and throngs of largely clueless politicians and their advisers is turning out to be a toxic mix from which a large and nasty ogre of control is emerging. “Governments are behaving badly and are mostly delighted with these developments. But for the rest of us they should ring a huge…

MOCKING someone’s surname because it has “too many awkwardly placed vowels” in a racially divided country like ours is no laughing matter, and public officials must know this. That is why City of Cape Town Safety and Security Mayco member JP Smith has been criticised for mocking radio host Abongile Nzelenzele’s surname. However, this comes as no surprise considering Smith’s history. What was rather astonishing is the City’s defence of his actions: “The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, has called and spoken with Mr Nzelenzele. He confirms that he took no offence at the remark, nor did Mr Nzelenzele think there was any ill intent.” This falls far short, considering what the outrage was about. Nzelenzele may have not been offended, but many, especially…

Violent protests have erupted in Aden and other cities in south Yemen over widespread poverty and electricity outages as a Saudi-backed alliance struggles with a complete collapse of public services in areas they control. Hundreds of protesters clashed with security forces in Aden’s Khour Maksour, Crater and Sheikh Othman districts where demonstrators blocked roads, set fire to government buildings and burned cars in the streets. One protester was killed and dozens were wounded in Sheikh Othman, eyewitnesses told Reuters. Other witnesses said dozens of demonstrators stormed Maashiq presidential palace where the Saudi-backed government is based. “We came out to protest after our life has become impossible, there is no electricity, no water, and salaries can’t buy us anything. “We are not going to wait until we die,” said Ahmed Saleh,…

BRUSSELS: Twenty-four million workers across the European Union live below the poverty line on minimal salaries, the European Trade Union (ETUC) said yesterday. “The real state of the union: 24 million workers across the EU are on minimum wages which leave them living below the poverty line. It’s time to deliver fair minimum wages and collective bargaining for all,” the ETUC tweeted. The tweet is timed to coincide with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the Union address in the European Parliament. The ETUC represents 45 million members of 90 trade unions across 38 European nations.…