Innehållsförteckning för 2022-02-01 från Mercury

Along with working from home and trying new dishes, online dating reached new heights during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a recent survey conducted by dating app QuackQuack, with people staying behind closed doors, online dating has become the new normal. While it may not provide the intimacy of physical proximity, cuddles, and canoodling, it has undoubtedly assisted people in overcoming their loneliness. Love takes over physical intimacy But the question now is, will dating resume and return to normalcy with the easing of lockdown restrictions? Due to the Covid outbreak, it is highly unlikely that dating will return to pre-pandemic levels. A survey conducted during the pandemic revealed a paradigm shift in the dating world. People are more connected than ever before, and online connections are becoming an essential…

Loyiso Sidimba loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za PUBLIC Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane yesterday refused to give assurances on when her office’s investigation into President Cyril Ramaphosa would be concluded. Mkhwebane is probing Ramaphosa over comments he allegedly made at an ANC national executive committee meeting last year on the use of public money to fund party campaigns. The public protector released several reports yesterday and provided updates on some of the cases she was investigating and related litigation. Suspended ANC MP Mervyn Dirks is fighting to have Ramaphosa hauled before the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) to provide an explanation on his comments, which are contained in a leaked audio recording. “I must indicate that I haven’t even seen the complaint yet. What the public must know is that all complaints lodged…

INVESTMENT analyst Dr James Greener suggests in his latest grumpy newsletter that the Cabinet needs to meet under a tree in Market Square, Cape Town, and work out the future. “As usual, the Minister of Finance Mr Enoch Godongwana has called on citizens for tips for what should be in his Budget Speech on February 23. Well, as always, it’s simple. “Cut government expenditure and reduce taxes. Remove any and all barriers to employment. Get your Cabinet out under a tree in Market Square (since somebody has managed to burn down the Parliament building) and tell them to come back in a week with a staff list cut in half. “Anyone unable to write a 300-word essay that explains exactly why taxpayers need their services will be bulleted.” Greener then…

EBRAHIM ESSA | Durban We were forced to move out of Clare Estate about four years ago, mainly because of the potholes there, and the ever-increasing growth rate of shacks that were nearly encroaching on the already terrible roads. By moving to a “classier” area like Musgrave, albeit at a much greater living cost, we imagined that with the higher quality of services, we would be rubbing shoulders with a better quality of people. Alas! In spite of a few old-age homes on St Thomas and Vause roads, no enforcement against speeding vehicles is ever visible in the area. Classy area means people of a better mentality? No, not here. There are some idiotic, spoilt brats of all races that must have been devoid of motherly love at…

NEVILLE MATTHEWS | New Germany The article in The Mercury regarding metro police overtime yesterday refers: Recently there was some or other road race in New Germany where the runners came down High Street and then into Campbell. The up-going lane of High Street was closed to vehicular traffic. Of course, a notice posted warning the residents was way too much to expect. They had to make a 3km detour when they lived in the road, but what the hell – the arrogance of the municipality at its best. Ratepayers are only there to provide money for their exorbitant salaries. There were three metro police people at the bottom of High Street to stop vehicles going up on a Sunday earning double time when one would have been…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za CAMBRIDGE police in the Eastern Cape are investigating a case of attempted murder after gunshots were fired at the home of ANC councillor Nanziwe Rulashe at the weekend. The councillor was at the centre of a dramatic video last week, which showed her being manhandled and dragged from her office by security. Five suspects were arrested and released on R500 bail each. Eastern Cape police spokesperson Tembinkosi Kinana said: “Cambridge police have registered a case of attempted murder after the home of a Amathole District councillor, 40, was allegedly attacked. The incident allegedly took place at about 2am on Sunday in the Baysville suburb in East London. “An unidentified suspect arrived and started shooting at the bedroom window. She was not present in the room at…

San Francisco: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has offered an enterprising teenager $5 000 (about R78 000) to remove a Twitter bot tracking the movements of his private plane. The billionaire reached out to the 19-year-old, Jack Sweeney, last November to express concern about a Twitter account he runs called @ElonJet, which provides regular updates on flights of well-known figures by using publicly available data. Musk offered Jack $5 000 to stop tweeting about his jet. However, Jack turned down Musk’s offer and instead demanded $50 000, saying the amount would cover his college fees and help him buy a Tesla car. Musk said he would think about it, but so far has not paid up. The negotiation between Musk and Sweeney reportedly happened over several direct messages on Twitter. The…

Kailene Pillay and Zelda Venter The long-awaited interviews for South Africa’s next Chief Justice are set to begin this morning as the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) begins the process to make an appointment for the top judicial post. President Cyril Ramaphosa invited the public in September last year to nominate people for the position. The panel set up to short-list candidates – chaired by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay – gave its report to Ramaphosa on November 17, and he submitted four names to the JSC. The shortlisted four senior judges for the job are current Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, Supreme Court of Appeal Judge President Mandisa Maya, Constitutional Court Judge Mbuyiseli Madlanga and Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo. These four judges will this week…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za THE state of decline of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife facilities has prompted the Finance Committee in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature to embark on a fact-finding mission to some of the properties owned by the entity. Today committee members will visit Midmar Nature Reserve, Thendele resort and Ithala Game Reserve, before moving to other properties tomorrow. Member of the Provincial Legislature and Finance committee chairperson Sipho KK Nkosi expressed concern on the overall state of the entity. “The committee is very unhappy about the entity, specifically the state of facilities, mainly road infrastructure and accommodation,” said Nkosi. He added that revenue collection and a high rate of vacancies were other areas that the committee was concerned about, and this had prompted the Focus Intervention Study (FIS) that would be conducted…

THE lack of political will and the absence of accountability has to come to an abrupt end if the government is serious about stopping political killings at the local government level. While political violence including the killings of councillors is a phenomenon that is common in KwaZulu-Natal, other provinces such as Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape are quickly catching on. In the eThekwini Municipality, newly sworn-in councillor Minenhle Mkhize was shot dead last week outside his home in Cliffdale, west of Durban, when he was returning from a family bereavement. On the eve of last year’s local government elections, an ANC councillor candidate, Siyabonga Mkhize, and an ANC member, Mzukisi Nyanga, were gunned down after conducting a door-to-door campaign in Cato Crest, Mayville. In another incident, IFP National Council member…

Tehran: A female lion in an Iranian zoo attacked and killed a keeper and escaped with a mate before the pair were re-captured, local media reported. An employee told state broadcaster IRIB: “The lioness, which has been in the zoo for several years, managed to open a door of the cage, get out and then attack the 40-year-old guard who had just brought food to the pair of felines.” He said the animals escaped on Sunday from the zoo in the city of Arak, Markazi province. Amir Hadi, the governor of the province, told state news agency IRNA that after the incident security forces took control of the zoo.…

The Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) that controls northern Yemen yesterday urged people in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to keep away from important infrastructure objects as they may soon come under attack. Earlier in the day, the UAE Defence Ministry said the country’s air defence systems downed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis which caused no casualties. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sare’e also said the movement attacked the UAE capital of Abu-Dhabi with rockets and sent mined drones to Dubai. “The Yemeni armed forces are once again urging UAE nationals, foreigners living there, and companies to stay away from their offices and other vital facilities as they will be targeted in the near future,” Sare’e said in a broadcast of Yemeni TV channel Almasirah. The Houthi attack yesterday coincided…

Jamila Mohammad, a Syrian refugee in her 50s, worked hard with help from her four children to fix her tent, which was damaged by the heavy storm that hit Lebanon over the past few days. As Jamila was removing snow from the top of her tent, she told Xinhua she has been trying hard to protect her children from frosty cold in the absence of heating diesel which has soared in price given the unprecedented financial crisis. The woman, who fled Syria’s war to Bar Elias camp in Lebanon’s Bekaa region, said the snowstorm exacerbated her family’s suffering as the winds and snow almost broke the tent with heavy rain leaking into her shelter and wetting mattresses and pillows. “I have a feeling that death is chasing us everywhere,” she…

Eshlin Vedan eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za The Nedbank Cup Round of 32 begins this Friday with favourites Mamelodi Sundowns playing against Richards Bay. While the Brazilians will be expected to convincingly beat their GladAfrica Championship counterparts, Richards Bay will take confidence from the fact that they eliminated Kaizer Chiefs from the competition last season. Sundowns could hand starts to recent signings Bradley Ralani and Teboho Mokoena in the game as they look to fully integrate the new arrivals into their squad. Friday’s action also sees Stellenbosch FC host Baroka FC. Saturday will see Premiership relegation candidates Swallows FC come up against TS Sporting. Dube Birds coach Dylan Kerr and striker Ruzaigh Gamildien will be fired up after they led Warriors FC to the Compact Cup title after downing Coastal United FC at the…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za SOUTH African households and companies are showing increased appetite to take out loans as economic activity continues ticking up on the back of relaxed Covid-19 restrictions, a sign of positive business sentiment. Data from the SA Reserve Bank (Sarb) yesterday showed that private sector credit extension accelerated to 2.58 percent from a year before in December 2021 after rising by 2.46 percent in November. This was in line with market forecasts of 2.6 percent, marking the 6th straight month of increase in private sector credit and the strongest rise since February last year. Data showed that all the components of credit, except the volatile investment and bills, recorded annual increases, but demand for asset-backed finance seemed to be losing some momentum. The Sarb said…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za THE University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is yet to receive the full list of returning students that have qualified for the National Student Financial Aid scheme (NSFAS) funding. UKZN’s executive director for Corporate Relations, Normah Zondo, said this yesterday after there were protests at the university’s Pietermaritzburg and Westville campuses. Students, who spoke to The Mercury at the Westville campus yesterday, said they were frustrated as they were unable to register for the academic year because they had not been financially cleared. The university said the formal process of classifying students as funded had not yet commenced. “We are encouraging this category of students to proceed with the non-financial part of registration. The financial part of their registration will commence once we receive communication from NSFAS,” said…

“Our daughter, 15, has started to habitually ‘retreat’ into her room for hours. There was a time she resisted being alone. I ask her if everything is okay, and she gets annoyed by the question. She says everything is fine. She has a close group of friends, although she prefers me not to ask. She is not being herself. Maybe this is who she really is now that she is growing up. She is still an excellent pupil in school and has top marks in all her subjects. Should I be worried?” (Edited) Give your daughter all the room and privacy she needs. Young people go through all manner of changes on the journey to adulthood. The loving thing for you to do is accept and love her no matter…

NARENDH GANESH | Durban North This letter is addressed to the mayor and acting city manager of eThekwini Municipality. I address my correspondence to you two gentlemen as the senior city fathers. The municipality and particularly the City of Durban have been run into the ground by utter incompetence and embarrassing leadership for a very long time. One only has to drive through some of the suburbs to get a real picture of the horrible quality that the municipality has degenerated to. Deteriorating and poorly marked roads, unkempt verges, overgrown trees, poorly lit streets, illegal dumping of waste – the list goes on, reflecting the downward spiral this municipality is undergoing. Let me be clear: the people, the hard-working ratepayers, are at the end of their tether. To…

ESQUIRE | Kloof The Mark Boucher matter has been handled in a manner that shows very clearly that the Cricket SA (CSA) management and board are not at the level that a board should be and have handled this matter, in particular, with an ill-conceived management approach. It is clear from the outset that Boucher was never going to get fair treatment by CSA. It is also clear that there is a racial undertone to their actions, which should not be happening in this era in South Africa and is unfortunate. It will not end with Boucher either. Their next target will be Graeme Smith. Boucher has been one of few people that has kept South Africa at the forefront of world cricket and lost an eye doing…

Bongani Nkosi bongani.nkosi@inl.co.za IT IS no longer sustainable to the public purse for the government to rely on “expensive, protracted” court proceedings before settling skyrocketing medical negligence claims. This is according to the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC), which has invited the public to comment on its proposals intended to curb the financial burden of medico-legal claims on the fiscus. Claims against the provincial and national health departments for negligence at public health institutions stood at a staggering R147.12 billion at the end of the 2019/2020 financial year, the SALRC said. Billions of rand of this money went to lawyers as contingency fees. About 72% of the claims were made against the provincial health departments. The SALRC highlighted a report that pointed out that about 50% of all claims…

Jolene Marriah-Maharaj jolene.marriah@inl.co.za KwaZulu-Natal police have finally caught an alleged serial rapist who has been terrorising victims since 2008. The 50-year-old has allegedly been linked to 22 cases. According to police, the man was arrested at the weekend in Malukazi near Isipingo and faces an array of charges. Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said the first reported case dates back to 2008. “It is alleged the suspect targeted unsuspecting victims in the Durban CBD. “In a calm and convincing manner, he would ask them to accompany him to Isipingo, either because he did not know the area very well, or he would offer some assistance to the victim who was in distress. In doing so, he would lure them to Isipingo. “They would board a taxi, and once at Isipingo,…

Karen Singh karen.singh@inl.co.za THE SA Post Office has announced the launch of an online service for motorists to renew motor vehicle licences with collection from a post office counter or to be delivered. Post Office spokesperson Johan Kruger said the full renewal process, including payment, will be done online, leaving only the last step of accessing the actual disc. He said this would be done in one of two ways: “The SA Post Office can deliver the disc to the customer at an affordable delivery fee or the disc can be collected from a post office counter.” Kruger added that payment would be done safely and securely through Masterpass, which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for Android devices and the Apple App Store for Apple devices. “No…

64 are at high risk, 111 at medium risk, with only 16 stable, mostly in the Western Cape THE retention under provincial government administration of more than 29 struggling municipalities nationwide now clearly heralds a deep-seated crisis. The level of incessant financial difficulties in these municipalities is serious: it is characterised by unfunded budgets, huge budget deficits, persistent power-cut threats from Eskom, infrastructure and service delivery backlogs. Even the ANC NEC lekgotla held on January 22 to 23 recognised the seriousness of the situation, and it has decided to set up a Special Service Delivery cluster, or another appropriate institutional arrangement, to improve overall service delivery in areas such as housing, water and sanitation “in direct response to community concerns about the poor state of this critical infrastructure across several…

SYDNEY: The Australian Navy frigate HMAS Adelaide was crippled by a massive power failure after completing a humanitarian mission in Tonga, earlier devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami, the ship’s commander, Captain Stuart Watters, said yesterday. “Marine Technical Department have worked throughout the past few days to restore power and get us operational again. We are still experiencing issues with external communications. Everyone onboard is safe,” Watters said. The warship was “stranded” for some time because of a power failure, including the backup power. The warship delivered humanitarian supplies to Tonga last week.…

NEW YORK: Russia and the US faced off yesterday at the UN Security Council over Moscow’s troop build-up on the Ukrainian border, as Western nations intensified their high-stakes diplomatic push to avert open conflict in Europe. With tensions soaring, the US has declared itself ready to push back against any “disinformation” Moscow puts forward in one of the most closely watched UN sessions in years. The US-requested meeting came with fears growing of an imminent incursion into Ukraine, despite Kremlin denials. Russia tried to block the 15-member council from holding the meeting at all – with its envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, accusing the US of trying to “whip up hysteria” by pushing a Security Council debate. But Washington’s UN envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Moscow’s troop build-up justified the…

LOS ANGELES: Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst has died. The 30-year-old lawyer’s family have confirmed she passed away over the weekend, though they did not confirm reports she took her own life after jumping from the 60-storey apartment building in New York where she lived on the ninth floor. Her family said in a statement: “In devastation and great sorrow, we share the passing of our beloved Cheslie. Her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength. She cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined.”…

The Cyprus Supreme Court yesterday overturned the conviction of a young British woman who had been found guilty of lying about being gang-raped by up to 12 Israeli tourists. Defence lawyers successfully argued there had been a miscarriage of justice when a district court in January 2020 found her guilty of public mischief and handed her a suspended four-month jail term. The woman, now aged 21, had in July 2019 told police she had been raped by the Israeli tourists, aged 15 to 22, in a hotel room in the Mediterranean island’s resort town of Ayia Napa. She was charged after she retracted her initial complaint, but later said she had been pressured to do so by local police. The woman’s family yesterday asked that the rape case be re-investigated…

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za ANGLO American Platinum (Amplats) has agreed to sell its 50 percent share in the Kroondal mine to Sibanye-Stillwater for the grand sum of R1, in a deal that will double its lifespan, sustaining 2 500 jobs until 2029. By 4pm Amplats share price had soared 4 percent to R1 851.92, while Sibanye-Stillwater’s shares were up 1.61 percent at R55.56. Sibanye-Stillwater and Anglo Am- plats have a 50/50 percent share in Kroondal. The deal will nullify the venture, and Sibanye-Stillwater will expand its operations from the low-cost mechanised Kroondal operation in Rustenburg. Amplats said yesterday that is was pleased to sell its assets due to the mine’s short lifespan. Sibanye-Stillwater said yes- terday it would buy Amplats’s stake for R1 and in…

Philippa Larkin philippa.larkin@inl.co.za OCEANA said yesterday that it had been cleared of any wrongdoing by an investigation into its accounting treatment of the group’s 25 percent shareholding in Westbank Fishing held by Daybrook Fisheries, its US subsidi- ary, however, a new accountancy treatment was needed and the fishing company has had to delay the release of its annual results. “There has been no evidence of fraud, misappropriation or loss of funds or management override of controls arising from any of the matters raised,” it said. Oceana had advised shareholders on October 29, 2021, of a delay in publishing year-end results after it was made aware of queries raised by a whistle-blower relating to its US subsidiary. Oceana appointed ENSafrica to carry out an investigation, while its accounting advisory…

Sibusiso Mboto sibusiso.mboto@inl.co.za THE Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) says it is hopeful that the parting of ways with vice-chancellor and principal Dr Enoch Duma Malaza will herald a new era, characterised by stability at executive management level. In a statement dated January 28 and signed by council chairperson Morailane Morailane, the institution said the MUT council had agreed to a proposal to terminate the employment of Malaza as the vice-chancellor and principal of the university. The statement went further to stress that Malaza’s employment at the university was terminated by mutual agreement, which was reached on January 28. “It is the considered view of council that this will end a period of unwelcome instability in the executive management and leadership ranks of the university and will allow restoration of…

Sihle Mavuso sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za FORMER president Jacob Zuma will have to wait for at least three weeks before he knows whether the Pietermaritzburg High Court will grant him leave to approach the Supreme Court of Appeal as he continues his battle to have State advocate Billy Downer SC removed as the lead prosecutor in his fraud and corruption trial. The fairness of the trial was at the centre of arguments by the State and the defence yesterday, in the leave to appeal application brought by Zuma after his special plea to have Downer removed from the case failed. Judge Piet Koen dismissed Zuma’s special plea last October. Zuma is facing multiple charges of fraud, racketeering, money laundering and corruption related to the arms deal. He is charged alongside French arms company…

Despite a lot of buzz around digital transformation amid the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly three out of four people from the current and prospective workforce from 19 countries say they aren’t equipped with the resources needed to learn digital skills. “Global Digital Skills Index” research f rom US cloud-based software firm Salesforce has revealed a growing global digital skills crisis and the urgent need for action. Across 19 countries, workers scored 33 out of a possible 100 points on the “Digital Skills Readiness Index” across areas such as preparedness, access to learning resources, skill level, and participation in training. Workers in the US fared slightly better with 36 out of 100 points. The vast majority of respondents (83%) claim “advanced” or “intermediate” everyday social media skills and 76% say the same…

KEVIN GOVENDER | Shallcross After almost three years of exhaustive evidence and cross-examination, some bordering on pathological lies and manipulative artifice, the state capture report is finally out – one of three instalments. With the arson attack on the parliamentary building and the axe attack at the Constitutional Court, I sometimes wonder whether South Africans are finally losing their marbles. As I write there has been a fire at the Waterkloof Air Base. What narrative is playing out here? Are our national key points under siege? Or is this a carefully crafted enigma, calibrated to sow anarchy and to send a warning to the other side that they were playing with fire? We all know of the factionalism and infighting within the ranks of the ANC. As the…

Nomonde Zondi nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za ENTREPRENEURS in the Durban CBD say their businesses have suffered irreparable damage due to the fire at the China Emporium. The building caught alight on January 21 and it took several days for the fire to be put out. At least 13 people had to be rescued from the building. The emporium sells a range of goods, including beauty products, accessories, bags and clothes and is a wholesaler for a number of small businesses. Many entrepreneurs buy their stock at the emporium to sell online or in their physical shops. Buhle Gcaba of uMlazi said she worked in one of the shops in the mall and she also runs her own business on the side. “I was selling weaves using social media platforms such as WhatsApp and…

Zama Ngcoya zama.ngcoya@inl.co.za PORT Shepstone-born entrepreneur Nomonde Ntinga is poised to take the international fashion scene by storm when she showcases her fashion brand Monde le Grand at the New York Fashion Week in September. Her show will be held at the Sony Hall in Times Square. Ntinga, 34, who initially worked as a health and safety consultant in the construction industry, said she discovered her abilities with the needle after getting compliments for her own designs. “My mom is a seamstress. I would mimic her style a bit and when I went to seamstresses, I would take my mom’s style and incorporate it into my own and when I posted on social media, I gained attention and I would get requests to make something similar for others. “That is…

Police in Ohrigstad, outside Burgersfort, Limpopo, are seeking information that can lead to the arrest of five suspects who allegedly attacked a couple and an elderly woman on their farm. Police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the attack took place on Friday. A man, 68, was accosted by five armed suspects after arriving at the farm. The man, his wife, 58, and his mother-in-law, 80, were tied up. The assailants then demanded the keys to a safe while assaulting the victims, and stole the couple’s wedding rings and other items, including a laptop, credit cards, passports and money in foreign currency, before fleeing in the couple’s Ford Ranger bakkie. During a search, the bakkie was spotted outside Burgersfort, and seeing that they were being cornered, the suspects fled…

Kaseran Munian and Shalini Singh With relaxed Covid-19 lockdown levels, we find ourselves hopeful while we gear up to spend time with family and friends. As South Africans, we are also looking forward to indulging in what we love the most – food. But, have we often wondered what it is that makes the food we eat taste, look or smell so good? How do we know that the food we eat is safe to consume? When we buy food, how many of us look at the ingredients list on the label? Not many. Nanotechnology, mooted as a disruptive technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, encompasses small particles between one and 100 nanometers, and deals with particles smaller than a virus. This technology has revolutionised the way food is produced…

OUAGADOUGOU: The AU has suspended Burkina Faso from all its activities in response to last week’s military coup, effective until constitutional order is restored, the AU said yesterday. Burkina Faso was already suspended from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, though it stopped short of imposing sanctions after the January 24 coup that ousted President Roch Kabore. The AU suspended two other West African members, Mali and Guinea, after their own military takeovers last year. The coup in Burkina Faso was the fourth in the region in 18 months. ECOWAS and its international allies have condemned the coup.…

Six people died yesterday when a minibus was destroyed by a roadside bomb during an ambush by armed men in northeastern Kenya near the border with Somalia, police said. The assailants opened fire on the 14-seater vehicle after it ran over the explosive device about 8km from the town of Mandera. “Six people were killed during an attack on a vehicle,” said national police spokesperson Bruno Shioso. “A security operation is under way to get the attackers.” There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assault. A police report said a General Service Unit patrol team, which was on foot and nearby, engaged the attackers, who fled towards the Somali border. The assailants used guns and rocket-propelled grenades during the assault, it added. The minibus was carrying an unknown…

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis yesterday encouraged the people everyone loves to hate - tax collectors - telling them that while they will never win popularity contests, they were vital for the functioning of a fair society. “Your work appears to be thankless ...,” he told a delegation from the Agenzia delle Entrate, Italy’s revenue agency, acknowledging that taxation was often seen as “putting your hands in other people’s pockets.” But Francis said everyone had to pay their fair share of taxes, particularly the wealthy, so that the weakest members of society were not “crushed by the most powerful” people. “In reality, taxation is a sign of legality and justice,” he said. He praised the honesty of those who pay their taxes, denouncing tax evasion and the underground, or off-the-books, economy.…

Sharks chief executive Eduard Coetzee tells a delightful tale of the day he fetched the team’s new scrum coach from King Shaka International Airport. It was the second day of the July looting last year, KwaZulu-Natal was ablaze and smoke was billowing into the east coast sky as a nervous Coetzee drove Akvsenti Giorgadze to Kings Park. Coetzee revealed he was struggling for words as he tried to welcome the coach on what was possibly the darkest day in the history of the province. “But he did not flinch,” Coetzee said. “He said: ‘I am from Georgia. This is nothing.’” They don’t grow shrinking violets in the former Soviet state - Joseph Stalin was a Georgian after all. And the manner in which the Sharks’ scrum has been transformed over…