Innehållsförteckning för 2024-05-23 från Mercury

JUST SHARE has taken Africa’s biggest bank by assets, Standard Bank, to task for its decision to hold an elec- tronic-only annual general meeting (AGM) on June 20, which the shareholder activism organisation said was a “poor approach to corporate governance and stakeholder engagement”. Writing in a briefing about the bank’s latest climate-related disclosure, Just Share said the reversion to online-only AGMs by some JSE-listed companies, including Standard Bank, after it had held a hybrid annual meeting last year, appeared to be “a deliberate strategy to shut down contestation on crucial issues, including the potential for protests”. At last year’s AGM, there were protests from environmental groups outside the bank’s Johannesburg offices. Just Share said yesterday such protests were effectively managed by companies around the world. Standard Bank said in…

The brother of a construction worker who was one of four people killed in a construction collapse in Ballito, north of Durban, at the weekend, said they are awaiting details on the investigation. This as labour federation Cosatu has urged the Department of Employment to launch a health and safety crackdown across high risk sectors following the deaths of workers at workplaces in recent weeks. Andile Chagi, Archi Marhubeni and two other men lost their lives in the collapse, while Coseda Siyembo Marhubeni survived and is recuperating in hospital. Police have yet to release the names of the other victims. Chagi’s brother, Sipho Chagi, said their family have been left distraught by the incident. “We have not heard anything about the investigation into the incident, but we are getting some…

FORMER president Jacob Zuma has suffered yet another defeat in the courts. The highest court in the land, the Constitutional Court, has dealt a devastating blow to Zuma. It has had the final say and ruled that Zuma is ineligible to be an MP. What now for Zuma? He has said that he has unfinished business in Parliament. Perhaps he is planning to bring the Guptas back to South Africa to go on a looting spree at Eskom and Transnet? And, of course, there’s another new state-owned entity on the horizon – the mouth-watering National Health Insurance. How could he lose out on the sumptuous offering? What is the significance of the Constitutional Court ruling? Zuma will remain the leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and be able to…

It is with a dropping jaw that I read in the media that the Israeli regime is in discussions about the future administration of Gaza. Clearly, Israel has lost the plot. The days of Israeli rule over the Palestinian people are over. Palestinians quite rightly, morally and legally, are fighting for their freedom. They are fighting for an independent Palestinian State on Palestinian land free of Israeli shackles. What is it going to take to make Israel understand that the status quo in Gaza can never, ever be returned to its former state and that those days are over? An elected administration in Gaza, chosen by Israel, following this battle, isn’t an option and will never be endorsed by the US, which is calling for Palestinian independence. Let us not…

FORMER DA federal chairperson James Selfe, 68, died on Tuesday afternoon after a long battle with illness, the party’s leader John Steenhuisen said. Steenhuisen said Selfe died peacefully surrounded by his family and loved ones. “The DA would like to extend its sincerest condolences to those closest to James, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Sheila and three daughters, Chloe, Stephanie and Emma, during this very difficult time,” he said. Selfe served under various leaders of the DA, including Tony Leon, Helen Zille and Mmusi Maimane, until he retired from active politics in 2021. “James Selfe helped fine-tune the party’s systems and processes, tightening its federal constitution and turning the fast-growing DA into a modern, internationally-renowned African liberal party of rules and fairness. “More crucially, James pioneered…

THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says more victims and witnesses are expected to be identified after the full forensic analysis of evidence from the cellphone of accused child groomer and child pornography distributor Shannon Manuel. The Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court this week denied Manuel’s bail bid after finding that his own two children needed protection against him as he is charged with child grooming, illegal possession of child pornography, illegal distribution of child pornography and unlawful manufacture of child pornography. Manuel, 32, was arrested in January after police received a tip-off from the US Homeland Security that he was allegedly part of an international syndicate which groomed, manufactured and distributed child pornography. He was identified as a user of a social media platform in which he accessed child sexual abuse…

THE country’s sixth Parliament, whose term expired at midnight on Tuesday, has been unprecedented, historical, and foundational. “It’s also been a mixed bag with moments of progress, turbulence, controversy, and setbacks.” This is according to a review compiled by the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG), an information service that provides information on all parliamentary committee proceedings. In their report, the PMG’s project manager Monique Doyle and executive director Rashaad Alli said the sixth national legislature found itself contending with Covid-19 at the start of the term and faced criticism for seemingly relinquishing its oversight duty of Cabinet. “Parliament should be commended for adopting as it did, even amending rules to accommodate the ‘new reality’. “Besides obvious drawbacks, virtual/hybrid sittings and meetings have many positive attributes – cost saving, greater participation, ease…

Post-election South Africa finds itself at a pivotal juncture with the emergence of a coalition government reshaping the political landscape. Historically dominated by the ANC, the country’s politics have shifted towards a more pluralistic and fragmented system, marked by the necessity of coalition governance. The transformation brings opportunities and challenges, requiring astute analysis and strategic foresight. At the heart of the new political reality lies the diversification of power. With less than a week before the national general elections, it would seem no longer can a single party dictate the direction of governance; instead, coalition politics demands collaboration and compromise among multiple parties with differing ideologies and agendas. While this pluralism can be seen as a positive step towards greater representation and inclusivity, it also introduces complexities that must be…

More than 140 passengers and crew from a Singapore Airlines flight on which one person died during heavy turbulence finally reached Singapore yesterday, with 20 still fighting for their lives in a Bangkok hospital. The London-Singapore flight on a Boeing 777-300ER plane diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing on Tuesday after the plane was buffeted by turbulence that flung passengers and crew around the cabin, slamming some into the ceiling. A British passenger, 73, died of a suspected heart attack, an airport official said, and Bangkok’s Samitivej Hospital said 20 passengers were in intensive care, nine had undergone surgery, while five more were awaiting surgery. Josh Silverstone, 24 from south London, woke up on the floor of the plane. “I didn’t realise what happened. I must have got…

Russia’s top arms control diplomat dismissed as “fake news” yesterday an assertion by the US that Russia had launched a weapon into low-Earth orbit that was capable of inspecting and attacking other satellites in space. The Kremlin has flatly denied assertions by US officials that Moscow is developing a space-based anti-satellite nuclear weapon. US Space Command pointed to the launch earlier this month of a Soyuz rocket from Russia’s Plesetsk launch site, saying it likely involved “a counterspace weapon presumably capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit”. Russia’s defence ministry said the May 17 launch had a spacecraft on board but gave no details what it was for. COSMOS 2576, a type of Russian military spacecraft, has not gone near a US satellite, but analysts observed it…

Lille: A “river of mud” triggered by a sudden storm flooded dozens of houses in northern France, prompting evacuations, authorities said yesterday. The 20 minute “deluge” hit villages in the east of the Somme department, not far from the border with Belgium, late on Tuesday. The storm triggered large mudslides in some places and set loose a “river of mud” in the worst-hit village of Sailly-Laurette. Sixteen vehicles were swept away at Sailly-Laurette, which is on the banks of the River Somme. Eleven homes were flooded, some roads destroyed and 24 people evacuated. Locals were yesterday clearing a thick layer of mud from streets and gardens. | AFP…

HARARE: The UN World Food Programme (WFP) needs $400 million (R7 billion) to feed millions of people in southern Africa following a drought that plunged parts of the region into hunger, the programme said yesterday. The WFP said it needed urgent funding for six months to support drought relief in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, after harvests fell as a result of an El Niño-induced drought that has affected 4.8 million people. About 70% of the southern African population that relies on rain-fed agriculture had their harvests “wiped out” by lack of rains, said WFP spokesperson Tomson Phiri. The WFP is looking to buy grain from outside markets. | Reuters…

RATEPAYER organisations are working together with the eThekwini Municipality to monitor and safeguard the City’s vital infrastructure from vandalism. The municipality has asked the organisations to engage with police, security companies, community police forums, neighbourhood watch groups and civic groups to help stem vandalism and acts of sabotage to infrastructure. The eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association (ERRA) said it had met with members of the eThekwini Water and Sanitation Department (EWS) recently to discuss issues of concern. “This meeting was the first step in forging a long-lasting relationship between EWS and ERRA to help improve service delivery for the residents of eThekwini. “The meeting’s key points were to address and resolve not only outages across eThekwini, but the numerous security and vandalism challenges which cause delays in services being delivered…

AH, THE cut and thrust of debate in a democratic system. A furious row broke out in the US Congress, according to Sky News, after a politician accused a rival of not reading something correctly because her “fake eyelashes” had got in the way. Controversial Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene uttered the insult to rival Democrat Jasmine Crockett during a stormy session. It came after Democrats asked Greene if she knew “what we're here for” after she asked a question at the House Oversight Committee hearing. The Republican replied: “I don’t think you know what you’re here for. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.” The remark prompted cries of disgust, including from Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who interjected to ask for the comments to be struck from…

The courts awarded a Zimbabwean woman R17.2 million for medical negligence at a Limpopo public hospital where she had given birth and her baby had developed cerebral palsy. The compensation was for future medical costs. This was on eNCA on Tuesday. While this is an unfortunate incident, it happens occasionally when there is an unusually high nurse/patient disparity ratio due to overcrowded hospitals and a dire shortage of nurses. Pregnant women from Zimbabwe regard it as normal to cross the Zimbabwean/South African border when their delivery date becomes imminent. In one patient’s file, Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba found that the doctor who had attended to the patient in Zimbabwe had written in the patient’s file that she must cross over to South Africa for delivery as if that were…

After recent court cases, Jacob Zuma, the leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, has been declared ineligible to stand for elections, as read out by Justice Leona Theron, she being of Durban origins. The order must be music to the ears of anti-Zuma persons/factions but a death knell to Zuma diehards and butt-kissers. Thus the hopes of Msholozi becoming the next president of South Africa after the crucial May 29 elections have been dashed. This might be bad news but take heart, Zuma. You will be able to be in Parliament, not as president, a national minister or ordinary member (backbencher), or even in one of the provincial governments, but merely as an ordinary member of the public in Parliament or a provincial legislature’s public gallery. There you will not…

The initial sample of the survey comprised some 5 000 participants, of which 46% confirmed they were either not interested in voting despite being registered or had not registered. The majority of those surveyed by the independent research company based in Cape Town were in the 18 – 35 age group, a generation who are increasingly disillusioned with how the country is run. The remaining 2 700 participants, who were interviewed from across a broad section of South Africa’s nine provinces, which represent all age groups, confirm that support for the ruling ANC is in decline, dipping below the 50% mark to 43% overall. The ANC’s strongholds remain the Eastern Cape (61% of those surveyed), 58% in the Free State and 65% in Limpopo, where its challenger is the EFF…

THE Thabo Mbeki Foundation, in partnership with Unisa will host the 14th Annual Thabo Mbeki Africa Day Lecture on Saturday at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. The lecture is an annual event organised by the foundation and Unisa to commemorate Africa Day, set aside to commemorate the founding of the Organisation of the African Unity (OAU), on May 25, 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The AU, the successor of the OAU was launched in Durban, South Africa on July 9, 2002. This year therefore marks the 61st anniversary of the establishment of the OAU. The lecture represents a significant milestone in our continuous journey toward fostering Africa’s Renaissance. This year’s theme, “The New International Scramble for Africa and the Challenges of Unity,” is both timely and critical for the current…

THE ANC’s reliance on the influence of former leaders, and not solely its government track record, could be the reason it felt betrayed when Jacob Zuma decided to switch tables on the eve of next week’s crucial election to join the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), which he now leads. ANC leaders, in particular those in KwaZulu-Natal, have come to understand the potential impact Zuma’s decision could have on the party’s fortunes in that province. That could be the reason why the party unleashed the likes of President Cyril Ramaphosa to frequent the province where the ANC faces a prospect of losing considerable support, not only because of the Zuma issue but because of the IFP, which seeks to position itself as the alternative to the ANC and MKP. This background…

Chadian Prime Minister Succès Masra said yesterday that he had handed in his resignation, just over two weeks after his defeat to junta chief Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno in presidential elections. Deby, 40, won the May 6 presidential vote with 61% of the ballot, according to final results, and is due to be sworn in at an investiture ceremony today in the capital, N’Djamena. He was proclaimed transitional president in April 2021 by a junta of 15 generals after his father, iron-fisted president Idriss Deby Itno, was shot dead by rebels after 30 years in power. Masra, also 40 and once a fierce Deby opponent before becoming prime minister four months ago, won 18.5% of the vote, but contested the results. “I’ve just submitted my resignation and that of the…

Geneva: Klaus Schwab, the founder and longtime face of the World Economic Forum, will step away from executive leadership in the coming months, the organisation has announced. The WEF, which hosts the annual meeting of wealthy and influential global elites at the luxury Swiss ski resort of Davos, said this week that its 86-year-old founder would soon “transition from executive chairman to chairman of the board of trustees”. The shift would take place before January 2025. No successor was immediately named. Schwab, born in Ravensburg, Germany, in 1938, was a business professor at the University of Geneva when in 1971 he founded the WEF’s precursor, the European Management Forum. By inviting business leaders, he turned it into a showcase. | AFP…

KATHMANDU: A Nepali sherpa guide scaled the summit of Mount Everest for a record 30th time yesterday, an official said, while two climbers went missing descending from the world’s tallest peak. Ordinary climbers are known to take several days to climb the summit of Everest, and it is rare for mountaineers to make multiple ascents in a short time. Kami Rita Sherpa, 54, reached the 8 849m peak by the traditional southeast ridge route, Nepali tourism official Khim Lal Gautam said. Meanwhile, Nepal tourism officials said a British climber and a Nepali guide have been missing since Tuesday, after they slipped and fell near the South Summit. | Reuters…

NOUMEA: President Emmanuel Macron yesterday flew to France’s Pacific territory of New Caledonia on a politically risky visit aiming to defuse a crisis after nine days of riots that have killed six people and injured hundreds. Macron’s sudden decision to fly to the southwest Pacific archipelago, 7 000km from mainland France, is a sign of the gravity with which the government views the separatist strife. Police have arrested more than 280 rioters amid the unrest. Kanak separatists, who have blocked major roads, make up about 40% of the population and oppose a plan to extend voting rights to those who have lived in the territory for at least 10 years. | AFP…

SOUTHERN Sun yesterday declared its first ever dividend since listing after wealthy and international tourists helped to drive earnings in the full year to end March 2024, and said that a more certain government policy framework would boost hotel room occupancy. Marcel von Aulock, the CEO of the multinational hospitality group, told Business Report in an interview yesterday there was potential to boost Southern Sun’s occupancy levels from the current 58.6% to around 65% with a better economic environment and more certain policy framework. “We don’t want to be at 58.6% in terms of occupancy; we want to be somewhere in the mid sixties. The economy is in trouble. We need the South African economy to perform smoothly,” he said. Southern Sun reckons that its current occupancy levels reflect “the…

The chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal House of Traditional and Khoi-San leaders (PHTKL), Inkosi Sifiso Shinga, has written to King Misuzulu kaZwelithini describing his decision to meet with all Amakhosi today to discuss issues pertaining to the Ingonyama Trust as “untimely”. Shinga said the House noted the letter dated May 21 extending an invitation to the HTKL to a meeting convened with all Amakhosi to discuss the Ingonyama Trust. Shinga said: “The view of the PHTKL is that His Majesty the King considers to first meet with the Provincial House Executive Committee in order to receive a report on the matters the PHTKL had raised with the Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) around a number of areas of dissatisfaction with the administration and management of the ITB and further consider the proposals…

I find myself in some unusual places. I was at Waldorf University in northern Iowa just a little south of Minneapolis, Minnesota for a week to present a morning lecture to a group of about 80 young people. It was my first time in Iowa but it was 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 young people will do so…

Only the less educated South Africans believe that even though the ANC has failed to manage every state-owned enterprise (SOE), and, in fact, watched most of them descend into bankruptcy, it will now “change its spots” and make a success of the NHI. The ANC has demonstrated to South Africans that it is intent on stealing from and raping all SOEs with great success. Members of Parliament get fatter by the day and widen the gap between themselves and the poor of South Africa. The NHI document, signed by our president in the hope that it can be used to block the holes in the leaking SA Titanic, is really designed as yet another method to steal from the voters. Let me ask a simple question: If the ANC, after…

WHILE overseas voting was completed last weekend, it was not all smooth sailing as some South African voters in London claimed officials turned them away over a change in voting dates which they were unaware of, before making a U-turn and letting them vote. This comes as special votes were cast in 111 South African missions across the world to facilitate voting by around 78 000 citizens on May 17 and 18. The IEC said on Monday that the mission in London was the only voting station that remained open on Sunday, May 19, in order to cater for the more than 24 000 voters who were registered and approved to vote at that mission. London was among the largest international voting stations with 24 535 eligible voters, followed by…

DA national leader John Steen- huisen says the party is ready to go into a coalition if the ANC fails to secure a majority in next week’s polls. Wrapping up the party’s election campaign trail in Durban yesterday, Steenhuisen was joined by the KZN DA’s premier candidate, Chris Pappas in Reservoir Hills. He said the DA’s main priority was to win the elections outright, but it was open to form a coalition with the 11 parties that are part of the Multi Party Charter. The Multi Party Charter is a group of opposition parties that have joined forces to oust the ANC from power. Early this year, the 11 parties said the plan would address SA’s most devastating crises by focusing on four priorities: professionalising the police service, improving the…

What is happening in Western politics resembles attempts to shift the ‘Overton window’ The wave of statements by high-ranking European and NATO officials of alleged Russian attack on NATO is ongoing. HR/VP Borrell says a high-intensity European war is no longer a fantasy (Financial Times, April 9, 2024), while the Poles claim there is no diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict (Europe Renaissance, May 3, 2024). Military and politicians in the West repeat over and over again a war will break out in (…) years and urge their people to get prepared for it. Some accuse their leaders of fear-mongering, others take their warnings seriously, like in Sweden, where people flocked to the stores to stock up on fuel and survival kits after Sweden commander-in-chief Micael Bydén’s words that all…

Israel reacted with fury after three European countries said yesterday that they would recognise a Palestinian state, more than seven months into the devastating Gaza war. Ireland, Norway and Spain said they would formally recognise the State of Palestine on May 28, drawing praise from many countries in the Arab and Muslim world. Israel charged that the move amounts to “rewarding terrorism” after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its October 7 attack which sparked the Gaza war. Israel said immediately that it was recalling its envoys to Dublin, Oslo and Madrid for “urgent consultations” and also summoned the three European ambassadors for a rebuke. Foreign Minister Israel Katz charged that “the twisted step of these countries is an injustice to the memory of the 7/10 victims”. “They decided to award…

Iran’s Supreme Leader led prayers in Tehran yesterday at the funeral of the late President Ebrahim Raisi, as the clerical establishment hurried to organise an early election that could further erode its legitimacy amid growing public discontent. The June 28 vote to replace Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday, will need to galvanise a population that showed little interest in the 2021 ballot that gave the hardline cleric the presidency. This is a role that oversees day-to-day government. Raisi died at a time of worsening strains between the clerical leadership and wider society, aggravated by tightening political and social controls and a worsening economy. Growing numbers of voters have shunned recent elections, a worrying sign for the leadership, which sees turnout as a credibility test for the 45-year-old…

New York: Another sexual assault lawsuit has been filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs, the latest in a string of allegations against the US rapper as he comes under scrutiny for his treatment of women. Former model Crystal McKinney said this week that Combs had forced her to perform oral sex on him at a party in 2003 after she was “pressured to imbibe” alcohol and marijuana, the lawsuit said. Combs is the target of several civil lawsuits that characterise him as a violent sexual predator. | AFP…

Brussels: Europe’s far-right figureheads Marine Le Pen and Giorgia Meloni are hinting they could join forces following this summer’s EU elections, after Le Pen’s French party announced a break with its radical German ally AfD. This indicates a possible reconfiguration of nationalist parties’ alliances after the European Parliament’s June 6-9 elections. Surveys suggest the far-right groups, now fractured, will win about 37% of seats in the next legislative term, up from 30% . Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) said it was splitting with the AfD after the its lead EU candidate, Maximilian Krah, said not every Nazi SS member was “automatically a criminal”. | AFP…

AS THE month unfolds, singles bowlers in the Port Natal region are bracing themselves for a flurry of competitive showdowns across various categories. Last weekend’s men’s under-60s section winners in the Port Natal Bowls competition have their eyes set on the play-offs scheduled for Saturday, at Hillary Bowling Club. Simultaneously, men’s veteran challenge section winners will battle it out at Stella Park Bowling Club. Those who secure a spot in the quarter-finals will converge at Hillary BC on Sunday to vie for the coveted titles. Meanwhile, women’s section winners in the under-60s and veterans categories will gather at Westville Bowling Club for their respective play-offs. The survivors will then advance to Hillary Bowling Club on Sunday to vie for top honours. Looking ahead to the weekend of June 8 and…

The hitherto unbeaten Mamelodi Sundowns are on the verge of establishing themselves as the ‘Invincibles’ of South African football. With one match left on the DStv Premiership calendar, Sundowns are about to complete an entire league season without losing a game – a feat never achieved before in the annals of local football. This is arguably one of the most impressive achievements a football team can pull off. If Sundowns defeat Cape Town City at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (3pm kick-off) they will join Europe’s elite six teams who have gone through the league campaign unbeaten: AC Milan (1991/92), Arsenal (2003/04), Juventus (2011/12), Celtic (2016/17), Rangers (2020/21) and Bayer Leverkusen (2023/24). The all-conquering Masandawana have passed several milestones in the past few weeks. On Saturday, they could pass a few…