Innehållsförteckning för 2024-12-31 från Mercury

What exactly is a “24/7 bar-room brawl”? Is it part of American tradition? Is it a fight staged every year on July 24? Or is it perhaps a bar-room brawl that lasts 24 hours, running for a full week? That sounds a bit extreme. Yet that is what Britain’s new Ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson (former good ol’ Peter Mandelson), can expect, according to Sky News. The advice comes from Lord Darroch (formerly Sir Kim Darroch), who advises that Donald Trump's second stint as President will be like a "24/7 bar-room brawl." Darroch was a former ambassador to Washington until cables he sent to London were leaked and showed him criticising the president. He spoke to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips (Sky News) about what Lord Mandelson can expect…

A 13-year-old gives birth. A government that gives monthly handouts to teenage children...having babies. It’s a well-known fact that these out-of-control and immoral young people are falling pregnant to claim the monthly grant and using the money for data and hair extensions. This country is reminiscent of the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah, where unhinged, thoughtless coupling occurred. But then again, these young people don’t have very good role models — both their political leaders and their mostly dysfunctional homes have seen to it that this appalling state of affairs has existed. But never fear, the tiny tax base, made up of a small minority group, will continue to support this “jackrabbit mentality”. Ja nee...60 million and growing exponentially.…

Many are the times in this crime-ridden country when I am tempted to say, as a character in Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist does, “the law is an ass”. I feel compelled to say this again after reading that the Information Regulator has fined the Department of Education millions of rand for not giving an assurance that this year’s senior certificate examination results will not be published in the newspapers. It is clear that all the cogent arguments put forward by the Department of Education to defend its stance to publish in the newspapers will fall on deaf ears. We have laws and then we have laws to regulate every aspect of our behaviour in South Africa, but every day someone literally gets away with murder or malfeasance bordering on treason.…

The South African government says the delayed emergence of illegal miners from disused mines in Stilfontein in the North West appears to be a tactic to evade arrest. On Sunday, the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) issued a statement asserting that the delayed exit of these miners is a calculated move to evade law enforcement agencies. “Contrary to their claims that food underground ran out months ago, evidence suggests they have had access to supplies until recently,” the statement said. However, the miners said they have remained underground, alleging abuse by police and threats to their lives. In the past few days, some miners have resurfaced. Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili, NATJOINTS spokesperson, also said that food aid being sent to the miners was not being shared equally. Instead, he…

The Joshlin Smith case has once again highlighted the dire pandemic of missing children in South Africa. Seven-year-old Joshlin from Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape went missing on February 19, 2024, at around 5 pm. While she remains missing, her story has made headlines locally, nationally and internationally. Other missing children do not get the same exposure. Days before Joshlin’s disappearance, a teenager from Gugulethu, Ongeziwe Kamlana, 17, a Grade 12 learner at Fezeka High School, went missing on February 17. Her distraught mother was turned away by police. After media attention, the mother could open a missing person’s report; however, almost a month later, a burnt body found on the other side of Cape Town was identified as that of the teenager. According to Missing Children South Africa,…

FROM January 1, it will be forbidden to sell single-use vapes in Belgium, a bid to protect young people’s health as part of a national anti-tobacco plan. The EU aims to achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2040, reducing the 27-country bloc’s smoking population from around 25% now to less than five percent of the total. Some EU countries plan to bring that deadline forward. Vapes are often promoted as less harmful than smoking traditional tobacco products. They attract younger users with their colourful packaging and the promise of mouth-watering flavours, and the advantage of avoiding that nasty smoke smell on fingers. But since e-cigarettes still contain nicotine, which is highly addictive, critics fear they could be a potential stepping stone to more traditional tobacco products. “The problem is that young…

THE head of the World Health Organization yesterday called for an end to attacks on hospitals in Gaza after Israel struck one and raided another in the past few days. “Hospitals in Gaza have once again become battlegrounds and the health system is under severe threat,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X. “We repeat: stop attacks on hospitals. People in Gaza need access to health care. Humanitarians need access to provide health aid. Ceasefire!” he added. The Israeli military said Hamas militants were the targets of a strike on Gaza City’s Al Wafa hospital on Sunday, which the Palestinian civil defence said killed seven people. Israeli forces also detained more than 240 Palestinians including dozens of medical staff from Kamal Adwan hospital on Friday, among…

Bangkok: Three foreigners died and seven other people were injured after a fire at a hotel in a popular tourist area of Thailand’s capital, city authorities said yesterday. One woman died in a room and two men at hospital after the blaze Sunday night at the Ember Hotel near Khao San Road, an area popular with backpackers and budget travellers. Five other foreigners and two Thai nationals were injured. Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said firefighters reached the scene of the six-storey hotel within five minutes of being alerted and rescued some 75 people with three cranes. It is unclear what caused the fire, but he ordered the hotel’s closure and investigations. | AFP…

Nairobi: Kenyan police forcibly detained dozens of demonstrators and a senator, AFP witnessed yesterday, firing tear gas into small peaceful rallies protesting recent alleged abductions that have enraged the country. Security forces in the East African nation have been accused of carrying out dozens of illegal detentions since youth-led anti-government demonstrations in June and July. Scores of protesters rallied in the capital Nairobi yesterday, some brandishing images of those who had disappeared. “What we are calling for, is the young people who have been abducted to be released,” said youth empowerment group Siasa Place. | AFP…

What exactly do I mean when I wish you a happy new year. May you: find authentic inclusion with a group of caring friends. enjoy significant connection and derive mutual satisfaction with members of your immediate and extended family and family of choice. have meaningful work, work that respectfully uses your talents, strengths and imagination, and where your responsibilities and your authority are in sync. have the capacity for humour that enriches—not diminishes or demeans—others. discover new, wonderful and creative things about yourself despite your years of experience. learn from past failures and have increased and healthy awareness rather than be weighed down by your failures. strive to be part of the solutions and not part of the problems in matters large and small. become more skilful in knowing…

Several Durban families faced a sombre Black Christmas over the tragic losses and deaths of prominent individuals who had made their mark across the community. Durban’s first woman soccer manager, Sundrammal (Sundrie) Moodley, of the Chatsworth-based glamour club, Bluff Rangers, lost her long battle for life and passed away on 20 December. Her son, Alvin Moodley, cared for her in her 80s at his home in Hillcrest. She and her late husband, Mannie Moodley, a horse racing bookmaker, had contributed to the promotion of competitive soccer and netball under the aegis of the non-racial sports movement for almost 60 years. On WhatsApp and Facebook, the Indian community woke up to the news of the deaths of other prominent personalities. It is with great sadness that the community continues to mourn…

Msunduzi Mayor, Mzimkhulu Thebolla, has warned defaulting residents that their access to essential services, such as electricity, will be terminated in the coming year if they do not pay their municipal bills. Thebolla said this is one of the hardball tactics the municipality has already begun to implement, and it will be ramped up as they seek to manage runaway consumer debt that currently stands at R7 billion. Speaking to The Mercury recently about the municipality’s achievements since being taken out of technical administration last month, Thebolla expressed optimism. “Last month we were removed completely from administration, which indicates that as a municipality, we can now stand on our own. We have worked hard in traversing this road, and Pietermaritzburg is on track to becoming a city that its residents…

The Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) says that the decision by Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mzwanele Nyhontso, to block the suspension of the board and its officials was sound and founded in law. The CEO of the ITB, Vela Mngwengwe, remarked that the minister’s statement reflected the board’s understanding of the rules and regulations governing the ITB. “The minister’s statement is consistent with the Board’s understanding of the law that governs Ingonyama Trust,” said the ITB CEO. In a statement issued yesterday, Nyhontso said only the Land Reform Minister had the powers to suspend board members of the ITB, after Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini had sought to suspend board members. The board and King Misuzulu, who is the chairperson of the board, have been at loggerheads for some…

THE Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has upheld an appeal against the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, declaring a R60 million tender awarded to Zeal Health Innovations (Pty) Ltd in 2015 invalid and unlawful. According to the SCA, the tender was advertised in January 2015, with the goal of providing healthcare and wellness services to 16 000 military veterans. Zeal Health was awarded the tender in May 2015, and a three-year contract was concluded. However, the department failed to pay Zeal Health for its services, prompting the company to launch an urgent application in the High Court in September 2015. The SCA’s decision last week was based on the department’s failure to adhere to budgetary constraints and its unlawful commitment to liability. The court found that the acting director-general…

FOR MANY victims of the VBS Mutual Bank looting scandal, the past six years have been a struggle to survive. One victim, a mother of four, has been forced to sell fruit in her neighbourhood just to put food on the table. Her heartbreaking reminder of the devastating impact of the scandal on ordinary people’s lives. While convicted former chairperson of the VBS Mutual Bank, Tshifhiwa Matodzi, has provided an explosive affidavit detailing how the bank was looted of over R2.3 billion of its investors, to authorities, delays keep disappointing the victims. Matodzi implicated individuals and political parties, including prominent EFF and ANC leaders. He was handed a 15-year jail term by the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, in July after pleading guilty to 33 counts, which included corruption, theft,…

VETERINARY pharmaceutical company, V-Tech is calling on the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) to take action concerning the release of withheld medication, Trilostane - a drug used for treating adrenal disorders in dogs and cats. According to the company, in October 2023, the dispute reached the courts, where a judge ruled that Sahpra and V-Tech should negotiate the release of an initial batch of Trilostane. “Yet, despite this judicial intervention, Sahpra’s handling of the situation has been mired in delays, misinformation, and bureaucratic chaos,” V-Tech said. V-Tech CEO, Dr Johan Oosthuyse said: “We are witnessing an unprecedented disregard for animal welfare. Every day of delay costs lives. Pets who depend on Trilostane are being left to die because of a tangled web of misinformation and bureaucratic red tape.”…

THE US Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to hear TikTok’s appeal of a law that would force its Chinese owner to sell the online video-sharing platform or shut it down. The top court scheduled oral arguments in the case for January 10, nine days before TikTok faces a ban unless ByteDance divests from the popular app. The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, would block TikTok from US app stores and web hosting services unless ByteDance sells its stake by January 19. TikTok is arguing that the law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, violates its First Amendment free speech rights. “Congress has enacted a massive and unprecedented speech restriction,” TikTok said in a filing with the Supreme Court. Should the law take effect it…

TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu successfully underwent prostate removal surgery on Sunday and is in good condition, according to the hospital treating him. The surgery took place while Israel remains at war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, more than 14 months after an unprecedented attack by Palestinian militants on Israel on October 7 last year. “The prime minister has awakened from anaesthesia and is in good condition. He has been transferred to the recovery unit and will remain under observation in the coming days,” the Hadassah Medical Centre said in a statement. | Reuters…

ADDIS ABABA: The death toll from a road accident in southern Ethiopia has risen to at least 71, according to a local police official. In a Facebook post Sunday, the Sidama Police Commission Traffic Prevention and Control Directorate said that “68 males and three females are known to have died in the accident so far”, citing Chief Inspector Daniel Sankura. The police commission said the incident occurred at around 5.30pm local time when the vehicle plunged off a road and into a river. The post added that “two others have sustained heavy physical injuries”, but did not detail any further information about the number of passengers onboard. | AFP…

BELGRADE: Prosecutors in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad filed an indictment yesterday against 13 people in connection with the collapse of a railway station awning last month that killed 15 people. The concrete awning caved in on November 1, killing 14 and injuring three. One of those hurt later died. Students, opposition supporters and the public have blamed rampant government corruption that resulted in shoddy construction. In a statement, the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office said: “The indictment was brought ... due to justified suspicion that they have committed a serious offence, ... caused general danger ... and (for) irregular and improper construction works,” it said. | Reuters…

JOSE Riveiro has described 2024 as having been ‘special and exceptional’ for Orlando Pirates and he is looking to help make 2025 even better. Speaking after the Buccaneers’ final match of the year – a 1-0 victory away to a Magesi FC side that finished the match with 10 men following Lehlogonolo Mokone’s sending off - the Spaniard promised that his team will continue to do their best to appease their passionate supporters. “We try to do our job as well as we can; trying to play our best football because we are ambitious as a group. We want to write our own history with Pirates. In 2024 it was always special to play in front of them (the Pirates supporters) and hopefully next year we can continue with the…

I have worked in both Diego Garcia and Mauritius. Diego Garcia and its sister islands are a breathtaking, untouched tropical paradise, with pristine white-sand beaches and crystal-clear turquoise waters teeming with spectacular wildlife. The islands’ unique beauty and rich biodiversity make them a priceless gem that must be protected. On the other hand, Mauritius’ once pristine ecology has been destroyed by unchecked development driven by greed, corruption and hotel construction, leading to widespread deforestation and the destruction of vital ecosystems. The coastal areas, once home to vibrant coral reefs and abundant marine life, have been denuded. The exploitation of the island’s natural resources has left irreversible scars on its biodiversity and fragile ecosystems. It is with a great sigh of relief that I read that Mauritius will no longer have…

In 1991, Bishop Tutu addressed the international conference on “Christianity in the Global Context”. As the name implies, the gathering presented one of many ongoing attempts by Christians to reconcile their devotion to a God in a faraway Heaven with their enmeshment in the physical world. Ever the artful preacher, Tutu sketched the Christian vision of humans as literal incarnations of God. “Human life is a gift from the gracious and ever-generous Creator of all. It is therefore inviolable. We must therefore have a deep reverence for the sanctity of human life.” He goes on, “The New Testament claims that the Christian person becomes a sanctuary, a temple of the Holy Spirit, someone who is indwelt by the most holy and blessed Trinity. We would want to assert this of…

A family of seven, including a toddler, say they got sick – experiencing diarrhoea and vomiting – after visiting Uvongo Beach this month. The 23-month-old became severely ill and was hospitalised. The Ray Nkonyeni Municipality confirmed that Uvongo Beach did record high E coli levels and was temporarily closed but has since reopened due to an improvement in the levels. The municipality said that the source of the high E Coli levels is being investigated. Mother Robyn Emily Perumal said the group of seven family members, “including our 23-month-old son Malachi”, took an afternoon drive to Uvongo Beach on December 17. “We played ball on the sand. Nobody swam. Our son splashed about at the edge of the river but nothing more than that.” Perumal said the next evening Malachi…

An unexpected early Christmas gift befell a prison inmate whose 10-year prison sentence was overturned when it was discovered that he had been defended during his trial by an attorney who was suspended four years prior to conducting his defence. The matter came to the attention of the Pietermaritzburg High Court as a special review, after the magistrate who handled his case only afterwards got wind that the defence attorney was not allowed to appear as an attorney. Judge Robin Mossop, two days before Christmas, ordered the urgent release of Kwazi Michael Mkhize. He ordered that the sentences imposed upon him in June last year be set aside. Mkhize had already served about 18 months of his sentence. The order issued is pending a decision by the Director of Public…

A KwaZulu-Natal woman at the centre of an in-flight fight, allegedly sparked after FlySafair staff refused to serve her more alcohol, claims she was not drunk. She has since been charged with crimen injuria by the DA. The woman, who has been identified as Nobuntu Mkhize, a brand manager at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has further claimed that she is going to sue the airline and the South African Police Service (SAPS). The incident involving Mkhize was caught on video during a flight from Durban to Cape Town on December 26. In the video she is heard verbally abusing and later seen hurling items at FlySafair air hostesses after they allegedly refused to serve her alcohol. She also refers to herself as an “ANC b*%#” and tells staff…

Motorists are bracing for yet another fuel price increase as they welcome the new year, marking the third consecutive adjustment that will add to the financial burden faced by consumers. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has announced increases, effective from Wednesday, across petrol and diesel categories, while households relying on illuminating paraffin will see a slight decrease in prices. Petrol 93 ULP & LRP: 19 cents per litre increase Petrol 95 ULP & LRP: 12 cents per litre increase Diesel (0.05% Sulphur): 7.5 cents per litre increase Diesel (0.005% Sulphur): 10.5 cents per litre increase In contrast, there is a slight reprieve for households relying on illuminating paraffin for heating and lighting, with a decrease in prices: 9.5 cents per litre decrease (wholesale) 13 cents per litre decrease…

A DAY BEFORE 2 407 teacher posts were to be terminated by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), the Special Action Committee for Education (SAC) appeared in court where an urgent interdict application was heard. However, the matter was struck off the roll due to a lack of urgency. Prior to the matter being heard yesterday, around 20 people protested outside the Western Cape High Court against the department’s decision to cut the 2 407 teacher posts for the 2025 academic year. The application was launched by SAC with respondents cited as the WCED, Western Cape Education MEC, Western Cape Finance MEC and the Department of Basic Education. SAC chairperson, Terrence Smith, said, “We had no other alternative. We tried all other remedial measures through the legal processes and engagement…

Syria’s leader Ahmed al-Sharaa told Al Arabiya on Sunday that elections could take four years, noting the importance of ties with Iran and Russia and calling for the US to lift sanctions. “The election process could take four years,” Sharaa told the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television, three weeks after his Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied rebels ousted long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad. “We need to rewrite the constitution” which could take “two or three years”, he added. In the wide-ranging interview, he expressed hope that the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump would lift sanctions imposed on his now war-torn and impoverished country under Assad. “The sanctions on Syria were issued based on the crimes that the regime committed,” Sharaa said, adding that since Assad was gone, “these…

Jimmy Carter, the 100-year-old former US president and Nobel peace laureate who rose from humble beginnings in rural Georgia to lead the nation from 1977 to 1981, has died, his nonprofit foundation said on Sunday. Carter had been in hospice care since mid-February 2023 at his home in Plains, Georgia – the same small town where he was born and once ran a peanut farm before becoming governor of the Peach State and running for the White House. Carter died “peacefully” at his home in Plains, “surrounded by his family”, the Carter Center said in a statement. “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and unselfish love,” Chip Carter said in the statement. Carter was the longest-lived US president…

Beijing: A Chinese court sentenced a teenage boy to life in prison yesterday for murdering his classmate, capping a case that sparked debate over the treatment of juvenile offenders. Three suspects, all aged under 14 at the time of the murder, were accused in April of bullying a 13-year-old classmate surnamed Wang over a long period before killing him in an abandoned greenhouse. One boy was found guilty of intentional homicide, a court in north China’s Hebei said. Another boy was given 12 years in jail. The third boy, whom the court found did not harm the victim, was sentenced to correctional education. | AFP…

There have not been as many draws in the Betway Premiership as last season. However, this season, there has been a plethora of 1-0 winning scorelines, even though matches may have been one-sided. The dominant teams have seldom managed more than one score, and goals have started to dry up. However, the highlight of the season so far was that South Africa's most loved team, Kaizer Chiefs, finally managed a clean sheet and is one of the five takeaways from the weekend's domestic footy. 1 Goals are drying up, time to call in striker coaches Many leading Betway Premiership teams dominate matches which are often one-sided. Although these teams are victorious, they end up with 1-0 winning margins. The time has come for clubs to consider hiring striker coaches just…