Innehållsförteckning för 2022-01-18 från Mercury

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za INFLATION has come out tops as one of the most pressing issues that need to be resolved by the global community in order to promote steady recovery of the world economy as central banks have started correcting their monetary policies. The virtual World Economic Forum (WEF) Davos Agenda 2022 meeting kicked off on a high note yesterday. The US has already indicated that it will start hiking interest rates in March after inflation reached a 40-year high of 7 percent in the world’s largest economy. In China, inflation has eased to 1.5 percent from a 15-month high of 2.3 percent amid efforts by the governments to secure supply as well as the re-imposition of lockdown measures in some regions as the omicron strain spread…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SOUTH African stocks recovered yesterday after China posted an impressive 8.1 percent economic growth for 2021, but the rand faltered as oil prices rose to a 3-year high. The Chinese economy grew 8.1 percent in 2021, the fastest expansion in nearly a decade, exceeding the government's target of above 6 percent and following a revised 2.2 percent growth in 2020. The JSE All Share Index yesterday rose as much as 0.5 percent, to above 75 600 points by 3pm, lifted by oil giant Sasol, which was buoyed by the rally in global oil prices. The index closed at 75 593.47 points yesterday. Sasol rose more than 0.5 percent to R291.48 per share in the afternoon trade, before closing at…

A SIX-YEAR cold case investigation into the betrayal of Anne Frank has identified a surprising suspect in the death of the famous diarist, who was discovered in her canal-side hideout and died in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945. A relatively unknown figure, Jewish notary Arnold van den Bergh, has been named by a team that included retired US FBI agent Vincent Pankoke and around 20 historians, criminologists and data specialists. More than 75 years after Nazis stormed the annex in Amsterdam, researchers concluded it was “very likely” Van den Bergh gave the Frank family up in order to save his own family, research team member Pieter van Twisk told the daily NRC newspaper yesterday. Anne was discovered on August 4, 1944, after two years in hiding. Miep Gies, one…

NORMAN MAURICE | Scottburgh A few years ago, a vehicle drove into a storage shed at Oliver Tambo International Airport and drove out with a casket packed with monetary notes – millions of rand destined for overseas in questionable circumstances. We never heard how this operation was carried out so easily, or details about the mysterious senders or recipients of this money. Such is the state of security, and politics at our so called key points. And can we mention how the Guptas were allowed to use our military airport as a visa-free landing point for a wedding ceremony? In July last year, we (that is all thinking people) knew the Mooi River Toll Plaza was and always would be a risk area. Our police and defence force…

IT WAS every sports punter’s dream. The proposition was whether, in a football match between Manchester United and Liverpool on May 13 last year, United’s Marcus Rashford would score a goal. He did. Eighty-six punters in New Jersey, in the US, bet on the proposition and won $15 000. But it’s hardly surprising they scored. The two betting companies involved had mistakenly set the date of the match as May 14, a day later than it was actually played, and accepted the bets on May 14, the punters knowing the outcome. The bets were voided by the two companies – Malta-based Kambi and Chicago-based Rush Street Interactive – so rotten luck, punters! The bungle has come to light only now, according to Associated Press, in documents released by the New…

The body of a man, with his hands tied behind his back and gunshot wounds to his body, was found on an unpaved road between Ballito and oThongathi yesterday morning. Prem Balram from security firm Reaction Unit SA (Rusa), said the company responded to the scene at 6.58am and found the dead man. “His hands were bound behind his back with cable ties. He sustained two gunshot wounds and blunt force trauma to his head. Two 9mm spent cartridges were found near his body. The motive for the execution-style murder could not be confirmed.” Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said Umhlali police officers responded to the scene. “Police noticed the body of a man believed to be in his thirties with his hands bound behind his back, dressed in…

| Mercury Correspondent Calls are mounting for the return to traditional full-time school attendance, with advocacy groups and academics yesterday sending an open letter to the government in which it raised concern about the learning losses experienced by pupils due to rotational teaching. In a statement yesterday, Equal Education, Equal Education Law Centre, The Learning Trust, Legal Resources Centre, National Association of Social Change Entities in Education and academics said they had written the letter to the ministers of Basic Education, Health, and Co- operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) to express disappointment with the decision to continue with rotational learning in the new school year. Last week, Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said the department had decided to continue with the rotational programme due to the Covid-19…

Yogashen Pillay yogashen.pillay@inl.co.za A 19-YEAR-OLD Grade 12 pupil was among six people who were shot dead in Amaoti in Inanda on Friday. Families of the deceased, who spoke to The Mercury yesterday but declined to be named for fear of reprisals, said they had been left devastated by the shooting. A police report indicated that the motive may have been drug-related, but this has been denied by the families. Qaphelani Nkovu, 19, from Amandlethu Secondary School, was among those killed. His mother, who asked not to be named, said she’d had high hopes that her son would complete matric. She said her son had come home from school on Friday and left to go to a tuckshop. “He came home from school and changed his uniform, he told his sister…

A MAN, 47, accused of killing his 2-year-old daughter and hiding her body in the ceiling of his home, will remain behind bars. The National Prosecuting Authority said Mokete Legodi appeared in the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The case was adjourned until January 24. The body of the accused’s toddler was discovered in the ceiling of his residential home in Alabama, near Klerksdorp. “It is alleged that on May 13, Legodi went to his girlfriend’s home in Jouberton and took their daughter without the consent of the mother who was admitted to hospital at the time. “Family members taking care of the child assumed he would bring her back. Later he denied taking the child.” When the mother was discharged from hospital on May 14, the family searched for…

Ruling is a victory over politicians riding roughshod over the rule of law IT HAPPENED. Let us all take a deep breath and recognise: an administrative disaster has been averted. Like when the car coming straight at us swerves at the last moment, or when the Covid-19 or HIV test results come back negative. The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act and its amendment, on which the planned demerit system for traffic offences is based, will not be implemented in their current form nationwide, after they were declared inconsistent with the Constitution. Can it really be? On Thursday, the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, put the legislative responsibility for road traffic management back where it should always have been – in a shared space between Parliament, provincial legislatures, and…

The pressure on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is facing calls to resign over a string of alleged parties held at his official residence in Downing Street during the Covid-19 lockdown, increased yesterday with fresh revelations that he reportedly attended another celebration in December 2020. According to the Mirror newspaper, Johnson attended a leaving celebration for his defence adviser Captain Steve Higham in the run-up to Christmas 2020 and gave a speech. It is understood the prime minister was there for a few minutes to thank him for his service as a small number of No10 staff briefly said goodbye. Last Wednesday, Johnson apologised for participating in a party in the gardens of his official residence on May 20, 2020, but did not explicitly admit any wrongdoing as he…

The happy voices of children ring out as they play in front of an old concrete building covered in countless bullet marks located in a corner of a metropolitan park in Higashiyamato, Tokyo. The building was formerly an electrical substation. It now serves as an important relic from the past that illustrates the horror of warfare through its woeful appearance caused by damage amid air raids during World War II. According to the Higashiyamato city government, the electrical substation was constructed in 1938. The facility transformed and supplied electricity to the adjacent Hitachi aircraft plant in Tachikawa, which built engines for warplanes. Toward the end of the war, the substation became an air raid target for US forces and was bombed three times in 1945. It is said the air…

SUVA: Around 80% of power has been restored in Tonga’s capital city of Nuku’alofa, but internet connections remain disrupted after the violent volcanic eruption on Friday and Saturday. The island nation is sending naval boats to outlying islands to assess the damage from the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano and the consequent tsunami over the weekend. No casualties were reported on Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu, which is covered by ash, with several houses damaged, while significant damage was reported along the western coast of Tongatapu, including resorts and the waterfront of the capital.…

THE semi-finals of the DStv Compact Cup will take place on Saturday with Coastal United set to lock horns with Dinaledi, while Warriors will square off with Amabutho. Below we look at five players that could rise to the occasion. KEAGAN DOLLY – WARRIORS The Kaizer Chiefs midfielder enjoyed a fruitful return to local football last year following his time at French Ligue 1 side Montpellier. He was so good that he was also recalled to the national team by coach Hugo Broos. Dolly will be eager to continue where he left off last year by also standing out in the Viewers’ Choice Cup. And that’s why he’ll have to ensure that he’s at his best when it comes to dribbling, making runs, decision-making and passing accuracy. TEBOGO…

Victoria Beckham has launched a “timeless monogram” for her Pre-Autumn 2022 collection and explained her process. The Spice Girl turned high fashion designer thinks the “challenge” she set herself of incorporating her initials “VB” into her Pre-Fall 2022 collection was a success though she was previously sceptical. Discussing her designing process with Vogue’s Anders Christian Madsen, the 47-year-old fashionista said: “Most of my starting points in designing are things that I don’t like. And I don’t like monograms, so I really enjoyed that challenge. “And actually, this is now in my personal wardrobe and I’m really excited to wear it. It’s elegant, it’s chic. I think it’s going to feel quite timeless, so it’s something I can continue through the season.” The star described herself – and her fashion and…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za THE race to replace incumbent KwaZulu-Natal premier and provincial chairperson of the ANC, Sihle Zikalala, is now on with senior members of his provincial cabinet, including Nomusa Dube-Ncube and Peggy Nkonyeni, throwing their hats in the ring. Zikalala has been left off most of the preliminary slates being circulated by lobbyists ahead of the provincial conference scheduled for June. The slates are being used to mobilise support in the six regions, including eThekwini metro, which are yet to host their elective conferences. If the slates eventually stand as they are, Dube-Ncube who is the current MEC for finance and the provincial treasurer of the ANC, and Nkonyeni, a senior cabinet member, holding the transport, community safety and liaison portfolio, would take on Zikalala. So far there are…

Zama Ngcoya and Nomonde Zondi LADYSMITH residents who had to be evacuated from their homes after severe flooding in the town over the past few days, say they are devastated and have lost all their belongings. Yesterday when The Mercury visited the town, parts of the CBD were still under water and some residents were trying to make it across the flooded streets. The KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Department said that at least 70 residents had been evacuated from the flooded areas in Ladysmith and moved to the Indoor Sports Centre. It said Ladysmith had received significant rainfall over the weekend, which led to the Klip River bursting its banks and flooding parts of the CBD. Residents of Forbes Street in Ladysmith, who had been evacuated to…

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg IN THE name of modernism, liberalism and appeasing Western friends and protectors, the “House of Saud”, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, distorts and misrepresents important principles of Islam. The absolute monarchy-led regime’s religious, social, political and economic restructuring is not according to the teachings of the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammed’s traditions, his famous farewell sermon and lifestyle. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) shaped Arabia, not the current Saudi Arabia, into a place like no other. The Qur’an and Islam, as a way of life, not only guarantees human rights, rule of law, accountability and fundamental human values, it also offers solutions for the transgression of these inalienable rights. Although Arabia is the place of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, home to the blessed…

MMABATHO TEMBE | DA KZN Spokesperson on Social Development The DA in KwaZulu-Natal is deeply saddened by the horrific murder of social worker Mrs Sithembile Vilakazi who was stationed in Henley, Pietermaritzburg. Mrs Vilakazi was brutally murdered outside her home in front of her children. The DA conveys its deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. We pray that they will find some peace during this very difficult and traumatic time. Social workers are the unsung heroes of our society. They assist in some of the worst cases of social ills. Ultimately, they – along with all KZN’s citizens – deserve protection and security. The perpetuation of serious crime in our province needs to be curbed urgently. Not only has society lost a selfless individual, her children…

| African News Agency (ANA) The SABC has commended its security officers for containing an incident at its Bloemfontein office after a man was arrested for vandalising the building on Sunday. The Hawks confirmed the arrest of the 27-year-old man at the SABC offices. The SABC said it could confirm that an intruder broke into its Bloemfontein office “vandalising the building near its studios”. It said the suspect was confronted by security officers. “A fight broke out, and a security officer fired a shot at the suspect, injuring his lower body. The suspect was taken to hospital.” Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo said a security officer at the Bloemfontein SABC building noticed there was an intruder inside the building at 4.30am and requested backup. “The suspect attacked the security…

Sonri Naidoo THE trial of three police officers accused of the murder of 16-year-old Nathaniel Julies resumed yesterday in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s court. Julies, who had Down syndrome, was gunned down near his home in Eldorado Park as he returned from a local store, having bought biscuits – his favourite treat. The three officers accused of his murder, Caylene Whiteboy, Simon “Scorpion” Ndyalvane and Voster Nesthiongolo all face charges of murder, possession of illegal ammunition and defeating the ends of justice. The officers have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Yesterday Netshiongolo took to the stand and testified that he was forced by an investigating officer from the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) to make a statement and change his version of events. He said he was told if…

KWAZULU-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala’s suggestion that foundations that provide commentary on political issues should also disclose their donors, should be given serious consideration. Speaking to hundreds of ANC members at the party’s provincial January 8 event in Mpophomeni township in Howick on Sunday, Zikalala said that if the country was serious about rooting out corruption, its focus should go beyond the government and political parties. “If we are to deal with corruption, let’s deal with corruption not in a selective approach. We must deal with corruption in the whole of society and in all areas. As the ANC, we want to support the policy that political parties must declare the donations they get. “But equally, these foundations that are named after our glorious leaders that we salute must equally declare…

Geneva: The Covid-19 crisis is continuing to hit jobs hard around the world, the UN said yesterday, warning it could take years for employment levels to reach pre-pandemic levels. In a new study, the UN’s International Labour Organisation revised its previous forecast that the global employment market will make a nearly full recovery from the virus this year. Blaming the impacts of Covid variants, such as Delta and Omicron, and uncertainty around how the pandemic will evolve, it now projects a significant deficit in working hours this year compared to before Covid-19 emerged. “Global labour markets are recovering from the crisis much more slowly than we previously expected,” ILO chief Guy Ryder told reporters, warning that the outlook “remains fragile”. “We are already seeing potentially lasting damage to labour…

LOS ANGELES: Denzel Washington knows he’s “only got so much time left”. The 67-year-old actor admitted the death of his mother Lennis last June has made him question his purpose as a human being so he is determined to “contribute” as much as he can with his life. He said: “That’s become clearer for me recently. It came to a head this year. I buried my mother. “And then I started to understand that you’re only here for a time and then you’re out. I’ve only got so much time left. But I’m excited about the future.”…

Millions of Americans hunkered down as a major winter storm hit the eastern US with heavy snow and ice knocking power out for an estimated 190 000 customers early yesterday. The National Weather Service (NWS) said the storm was bringing a miserable combination of heavy snow, freezing rain and high winds, affecting the south-east and coastal mid-Atlantic before moving up to New England and southern Canada. A swathe from the upper Ohio Valley north to the lower Great Lakes region could expect more than 30cm yesterday, it warned. “Heavy snow and ice accumulations are likely to produce hazardous travel, downed trees, and power outages for portions of the eastern US,” it said. In all, more than 80 million people fell under the winter weather alerts, US media reported.…

BRUSSELS: The European Commission has welcomed a referendum held by Serbia at the weekend to improve judicial independence, although a senior EU official said it regretted that Serbs in Kosovo were banned from voting. The Serbian parliament scrapped the turnout mandate allowing a simple majority to decide the outcome. The country’s electoral body said that, with 35% of ballots counted, almost 62% backed the constitutional changes which focused on the election of judges and prosecutors. The turnout exceeded 30%. Only mainland Serbia voted in the ballot.…

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za CAPITAL & Regional, the UK convenience, and community-focused shopping centre real estate investment trust (Reit), yesterday said it saw positive operational momentum with a solid performance over the festive trading period, as it considers resuming dividend payments later this year. The JSE-listed company issued an update on its trading and rent collections. The Reit said it would provide further details when the group announced its results for the year ended December 30, 2021, on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Capital & Regional chief executive Lawrence Hutchings said: “Our Community Shopping Centres have continued to see positive operational momentum with a solid performance over the Christmas trading period. “Footfall continues to significantly outperform the national index while leasing activity and occupancy were maintained, which is a credit to our…

Gerry Cupido geraldine.cupido@inl.co.za If the beehive thought that Beyoncé had the most Instagram followers, they would be disappointed to know that she doesn’t. She has fewer followers than Kim Kardashian and believe it or not, Kim has even fewer followers than her baby sister Kylie Jenner. Having reached, and now surpassed, the 300 million followers mark, Jenner is officially the most-followed woman on Instagram. This makes the young businesswoman the third most-followed account on Instagram. The official Instagram page tops the “most followers” list, with Cristiano Ronaldo coming in second with his 390 million followers. Behind the soon-to-be mother of two is soccer legend Lionel Messi with 300 million followers and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson with 289 million followers. Her famous sister Kardashian isn’t too far behind with her 278…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za MAKHOSI Khoza says she has only vacated her position as the chairperson of ActionSA in KwaZulu-Natal. The provincial chairperson position has since been given to Musa Khubeka, who will hold it on an interim basis. When Khoza’s resignation from the position was first announced on December 23 last year, it was said she would direct all her energy toward fighting corruption in eThekwini Municipality using her position as the chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (Mpac). ActionSA president Herman Mashaba said at that time: “The engagements held came to the view that the Mpac was not anticipated or planned for, but is an extremely important role both for the residents of eThekwini and ActionSA.” “It represents the opportunity to see the first real fight against wrongdoing…

WRITERS search within themselves for opening lines. Like athletes may recall a winning goal or an impossible rugby try, we admire a good one. My all-time favourite is Frederick Buechner’s opener of his memoir Telling Secrets. It lulls. It seduces. Then, all in one sentence, it delivers an unforgettable punch. I’d love to know how long it took him to perfect. Buechner’s opener recalls that early one morning his father popped into the bedroom preteen-Frederick shared with his brother – the sentence suggests something habitual or repetitive is occurring – and then made his way to the garage, where within minutes, his father died at his own hand from exhaust fumes. The sad event, the dad, the loss was never explained or referred to or talked about. Not ever. The…

Dr JAIRAM REDDY | Musgrave The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) appears to be ill-prepared to swiftly prosecute the alleged state capture criminals revealed in the Zondo Commission report. Shamila Batohi, head of the NPA, revealed in Parliament that it has not fully recovered from the hollowing out of the institution during the period of state capture. The recent departure of Hermione Cronje, head of the NPA’s investigative directorate, has added to its woes. The NPA has admitted that it is constrained by the lack of capacity, both human and financial. An example of the weaknesses of the NPA is the alleged corruption at SAA being handled by the south Gauteng director of public prosecutions, Andrew Chauke, and the prosecutor assigned to the case, advocate Raymond Mathenjwa – among…

VISVIN REDDY | ADeC Leader The recent charges against Zandile Mafe, arising from the fire that gutted the Houses of Parliament, are yet another diversion to cover up the ongoing clandestine war being waged in South Africa. In my opinion, this battle began the day Jacob Zuma was unceremoniously removed as president of the ANC, and consequently, as head of state. The battle lines were drawn when the Zondo commission no longer reported to Zuma but his political opponent, Cyril Ramaphosa. Just under a year ago, when Zuma was arrested, and his supporters threatened to make the country ungovernable, South Africa was under siege by looters and rioters. The Ramaphosa government was rendered useless as mobs attacked malls and private residences. In the wake of this mayhem, more…

South African citizens who refuse to be counted during Census 2022 may face up to six months’ imprisonment or be liable for a R10 000 fine, according to the head of Stats SA in Limpopo, Nthambeleni Mukwevho. This as the R20 billion project is expected to see about 160 000 field workers counting the population from February 3 to 28. The project kicks off on the night of February 2, when the homeless will be counted. The census is held every 10 years, and the data of each individual in every household is collected. While the country continues to battle the effects of Covid-19, Mukwevho has urged the public to register online – as the census goes online for the first time. Field workers will use digital devices to capture…

Chulumanco Mahamba chulumanco.mahamba@inl.co.za THE families of the two boys from a Gauteng school, who both died after a tragic shooting incident last week, have said it was an “unfortunate accident” and that there was no quarrelling among the boys. The 2022 school year started on a tragic note after a Grade 10 pupil from Lesiba Secondary School in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni, allegedly fatally shot a fellow Grade 10 pupil, before turning the gun on himself last Wednesday. It was reported last week that the two pupils died after a quarrel; but the grieving families of the pupils have set the record straight, saying the fatal inci- dent was an “unfortunate accident”. Last Tuesday the two boys Njabulo Ndhlebe and Zukiso Majola, along with a third unnamed friend, sneaked out of school…

Zelda Venter zelda.venter@inl.co.za THE fate of thousands of matriculants unable to go to their schools this week to collect their matric results is due to be decided by the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria today. It will be argued that by publishing the matric results in the media and online, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) will not encroach on the Protection of Personal Information Act as no personal information about the matriculants would be disclosed. As before, only the exam number of those who had passed would be published, said Anlé Spies, who wrote matric last year and was waiting her exam results. Spies will face the department during an urgent application in which she is the first applicant, while AfriForum is cited as the second applicant. The department…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za THE family of Tshegofatso Pule, the 28-year-old woman whose brutal killing in June 2020 shocked the country, say they are frustrated with the slow pace of the murder case. The case against Ntuthuko Shoba, Pule’s boyfriend who is accused of masterminding her killing, did not go ahead in the South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, yesterday as cellphone data records were still outstanding. State prosecutor Faghre Mohamed informed Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng that the delay necessitated a postponement of the case to next week. The 32-year-old former JSE analyst Shoba faces a charge of murder and another of defeating the ends of justice. He has been behind bars since his arrest in February last year, as three bail applications he brought were refused. Police pounced on him following the…

WHEN the Greeks invented the term “democracy”, they never envisaged that as time passed, stronger and more powerful nations would manipulate, even mutilate it in such a way and to such an extent as to suit their own narrow understanding of it. This is exactly what has now culminated in what the world’s two most powerful nations, the Americans and the Chinese, are doing, having created their own narrow “American” and “Chinese” democracies. Did the American founding fathers foresee that their great country would also become the Judas goat of the world? It should be mentioned at the outset that the great British statesman, Winston Churchill, warned that until such time as mankind finds something better to replace democracy with, it remains the best political system, fraught as it is…

At least 17 people have died in separate attacks by armed groups in the DRC’s troubled north-eastern province of Ituri, local sources and monitors said yesterday. A militia group called the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (Codeco) on Sunday ransacked the village of Mabanga in Djugu territory, “killing six people, including four women”, said Ngandjole Assani, a representative of local grassroots groups. In Irumu territory farther south, members of Codeco and a group called the Patriotic and Integrationist Force of the Congo (FPIC) on Sunday attacked the village of Kokonyangi,. “Eleven bodies were found and 10 other civilians were injured,” said Jonas Lemi Zorabo, a traditional leader in the Babao-Bokoe area. A US-headquartered monitoring group, the Kivu Security Tracker, said nine people died in Kokonyangi. The armed forces…

DUBAI: On the first day of the Australian Open, the world’s best male tennis player was taking selfies with fans at a Dubai airport arrivals gate. Instead of warming up for his first scheduled match on centre court at Melbourne Park in front of thousands, Novak Djokovic was 11 600km away, agreeing to photos with a handful of fellow travellers. “Hey mate, sorry about what’s happened,” one man said as he lowered his mask for a snap with Djokovic, who kept his own mask on as he waited just off the airbridge for his entourage to exit the plane. The world number one flew out of Melbourne late on Sunday after the Federal Court upheld a government decision to cancel his visa, capping days of drama over the country’s Covid-19…

TEHRAN: Iran has arrested a niece of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, her brother and activists said, months after she took part in a celebration praising the widow of the ousted shah. Farideh Moradkhani, who has gained prominence as an anti-death penalty activist, was detained by security forces, her brother Mahmoud Moradkhani told London-based Iran International TV. “We are very worried, we now know she is in Evin Prison in Tehran and under the control of the ministry of intelligence,” he said. There were no details over why Moradkhani, the daughter of Khamenei’s sister, had been suddenly arrested.…

THE growing depth at the Sharks is illustrated by the quality of the line-up announced to play Griquas in a Currie Cup match in Durban tomorrow, which is just a few days before another Sharks team visits the Lions for a United Rugby Championship fixture. Head coach Sean Everitt will take a considerably stronger match-23 up to Ellis Park on Saturday for the resumption of the URC but his counterpart for the Currie Cup season, Etienne Fynn, has a side packed with experience and perfectly capable of beating Griquas. It is Fynn’s coaching debut at senior level and the former Springbok and Sharks tighthead prop says he is relishing the new challenge. “It is about results and nothing else,” he said. “I am looking forward to it. There…