Innehållsförteckning för 2025-02-11 från Mercury

A two-year long battle between two bottled water companies continues to go back and forth in the courts, with arguments being made and denied that money was misused by Oasis Water, the largest dedicated water shop network in the country. The matter dates to February 2023 after a former franchisee, MANZI Water, alleged that Oasis had breached its contract over aspects including that Oasis was competing with its own franchises. Oasis operates what it calls “the largest dedicated water shop network in the country”. It has 88 successful franchisees managing around 400 outlets and bottling facilities nationwide. Hundreds of pages of court papers have been exchanged between the two parties. Alfred Challis, CEO of MANZI Water, had previously told Business Report that: “three judges in the High Courts have considered…

The Democratic Alliance extends its condolences on the passing of Namibia’s founding president, Sam Nujoma. Mr Nujoma, who led Namibia to independence in 1990, served as its first democratically elected president until 2007. Our thoughts are with the Namibian people as they experience this second loss of a former president and national figure in little over a year. The DA extends its condolences to Mr Nujoma’s family and loved ones, and to the people of Namibia, for their loss.…

Some of the conclusions of The Mercury’s editorial of February 10 are not only questionable but inaccurate. There certainly is a great resilience amongst the remaining white community not to abandon what they have inherited from the labours of their forebears. That explains the negative reception accorded to President Trump’s offer of emigration to the US as refugees. However, the editorial’s claim that the ANC government’s decision to indict Israel for genocide “signifies our commitment to standing up for the oppressed and our unwillingness to compromise our values for international favour” is not the opinion of most thinking South Africans. It is common knowledge that the ANC was goaded into making a case against Israel as a quid pro quo for the financial aid it received from Iran. Besides, there…

Nine people have been arrested in connection with alleged driver’s licence fraud in Limpopo. According to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RMTC), five people were arrested in Lephalale on Friday after an investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks). “Another four suspects were arrested over the weekend,” said RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane. He said the suspects include a supervisor, examiners of driver’s licences, administration clerks, and driving school instructors. He said another group of seven accused who were arrested in December 2019 will appear this week in Giyani Commercial Crime Court where their trial continues. The seven were arrested at the Mutale Driving Licence Testing Centre in Thohoyandou. Zwane said an investigation by the RTMC and the Hawks revealed that driver’s licences were sold at a minimum of…

THE Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, was faced with a situation where a man claiming to be a “mentor and guide” to a much younger woman obtained an interim restraining order against her father to stop harassing him. The father claims the older man is paying his drug-addicted daughter for sex. The man, only identified in court as MMS, earlier obtained an order restraining the father, only identified as HK, and the latter’s partner, VG, from defaming and harassing him. The purpose of that application was to prevent the publication of any material that might suggest that MMS had paid for sex with HK’s daughter, A, while knowing that the money he paid was funding her drug habit. MMS also wanted to gag the father from contacting religious groups to which…

In a society striving for peace and safety, the conduct of our police service during the funeral of Mnqobi Nzimande, the notorious leader of the Inanda West gang, stands as a commendable effort in maintaining order and sending a clear message against crime. Nzimande was a figure whose criminal reign had left a trail of terror and despair. He was allegedly linked to ten murder cases as highlighted by KZN Police boss, Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkwanazi. The police’s action in addressing the challenges surrounding his burial represents a necessary and proactive approach in the battle against gang violence. Following Nzimande’s death at the hands of the police, which was a direct response to his criminal activities, authorities rightly recognised the potential for his funeral to serve as a rallying point…

President Donald Trump has taken a wrecking ball to Washington – and his latest target is the US Department of Education. Trump has described it as ineffective, wasteful and dominated by radical leftists, and in an interview told Fox News he would order Elon Musk, the man leading his cost-cutting efforts, to turn his sights next on the Education Department. Underscoring his intention, the Republican president had earlier directed Linda McMahon, his education secretary nominee, to “put herself out of a job.” Democratic politicians, teachers’ unions and many parents are in an uproar, calling Trump’s plan to shut down the agency an assault on public education. Conservative groups, on the other hand, hail it as a long-overdue measure to reassert local control over American classrooms. But they acknowledge that the…

Turkish Cypriot businessman Asil Nadir, once a fugitive from justice for stealing millions from his British Polly Peck conglomerate, has died, a social media post by his wife said. He was 83. Nadir was being treated at a hospital in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot enclave in northern Cyprus and died overnight. Once one of Britain’s richest men and a Conservative Party donor, Nadir was accused of stealing from Polly Peck – a fruits-to-electronics conglomerate that had a meteoric rise in the 1980s – to fund a lavish lifestyle. | Reuters…

SEOUL: South Korea’s spy agency has accused Chinese AI app DeepSeek of “excessively” collecting personal data and using all input data to train itself, and questioned the app’s responses to questions relating to issues of national pride. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it sent an official notice to government agencies last week urging them to take security precautions over the artificial intelligence app. “Unlike other generative AI services, it has been confirmed that chat records are transferable as it includes a function to collect keyboard input patterns that can identify individuals and communicate with Chinese companies’ servers such as volceapplog.com,” the NIS said. Some government ministries in South Korea have blocked access to the app, citing security concerns, joining Australia and Taiwan in warning about or placing restrictions on…

Telkom’s share price was one of the top movers on the JSE Monday, rising by over 8% after a third-quarter trading statement indicated strong earnings were likely for the full year. The group’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) increased by 28% to R2.99 billion in the nine months to December 31, 2024 (YTD), according to the third-quarter trading update. Third-quarter group revenue rose by 0.9% to R10.99bn, bolstered by relatively strong mobile service revenue growth of 9.6%, which outperformed the South African mobile market. Year-to-date group revenue increased 1.6% to R32.38bn. “Our data-led strategy continued to deliver impressive performance across key metrics, underscoring our competitive advantage in our diverse businesses working together to realise these results,” said group CEO Serame Taukobong in a statement. The share price…

In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, couples are getting ready to show their love and affection with meaningful gestures. Whether you are planning a romantic dinner or simply want to surprise your loved one with a sweet gesture, here are three delectable recipes that are not only easy to prepare but will also win the hearts of your loved one. l Pilchards and egg jaffles Makes: 4 Ingredients 8 slices white bread Soft butter or margarine, for spreading 400g tin Pilchards in tomato sauce, bones removed 4 medium eggs Salt and pepper 1 spring onion, thinly sliced Chutney or tomato sauce, to serve Method Spread the bread with butter or margarine. Grease a jaffle iron (or a regular sandwich maker) with cooking spray. Press a slice of bread, butter-side out, into…

Re-writing a passage of Scripture in one’s own words can offer a sobering challenge… This is my imperfect take on a portion of the “love” passage in 1 Corinthians 13. When I say “I love you,” it means I will be patient with you, not try to hurry you, get annoyed, or irritable with you. I will not expect you to be perfect, and I will try to embrace your imperfections. I will be kind to you, speak highly of you, and when I cannot, I will be silent. I will listen to you with my complete attention when you want to talk. I will honour you and the people you love, your family, your friends, and speak well of you and them. I will not remind you about your…

When my mother brought me forth into this world, it was the happiest day of her life. Like many Indian women in those times, she was a prolific childbearer and gave birth to a long line of children, 13 in all, two of whom died in infancy. According to my eldest sister, my father had taken his newly married young bride to the bioscope in town. While they were walking along a bushy pathway in Kings Rest, returning home from the bioscope, my mother saw an apparition of a legless baby. It was an ill omen as her first born was a physically deformed baby girl without legs. The baby did not survive. Despite this initial setback, my mother brought forth my eldest brother Logan, who was followed in quick…

Ebrahim Essa’s Islamo-Marxist Hindutwa rant (The Mercury, February 3) is but his visceral hate for Hindus, all in pursuit of the divinely mandated goal of Ghazwa-e-Hind – “a final solution” in which India will be conquered by jihadis who are guaranteed a place in heaven after wiping out Hindus. That Islamising goal was the impetus for the first onslaught of Muslim colonisers. It was pursued by colonisers from various Muslim countries for more than six centuries. Of them Stanley Wolpert wrote: “Jihads were waged as much for plunder as for the promise of paradise.” He adds that tens of thousands were, “slain or enslaved by invaders who claimed to kill, rape and rob in the name of God”. And it was in the name of God that Muslim colonialism…

The Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Pretoria (UP) is revolutionising sustainable agriculture with technology that holds promise for curbing methane produced by cattle. Thanks to an investment from the New Zealand government, researchers at UP’s experimental farm have implemented the latest technology in cattle feed machinery. The animals are equipped with radio frequency identification tags, which trigger the machines to dispense a specialised feed. This technology allows researchers to control and monitor the amount of feed consumed by each animal, resulting in a significant reduction in methane and CO² emissions. This research is an important advancement in the fight against global warming, as cattle play an integral role in socio-economic systems in many African cultures, while meat accounts for about 70% of the diet of…

An AI-integrated app with a panic button has been developed in a bid to help women dealing with gender-based violence (GBV). Peaches, as the 35-year-old sex worker asked to be identified, was in a group of around 15 women who gathered in late January to workshop the latest update of the app developed by the non-profit GRIT (Gender Rights In Tech). Equipped with an emergency button that deploys private security officers, an evidence vault and a resource centre, the app will also include an AI-driven chatbot called Zuzi that will be showcased at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris this month. “This app, it’s going to give me that hope... that my human rights should be considered,” Peaches told AFP, asking not to give her real name to protect…

The DA has filed papers in the Western Cape High Court to challenge the recently signed Expropriation Act, saying “the Act is unconstitutional, both substantively and procedurally”. DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille announced the news yesterday. “The DA has asked the court for an order that will nullify the Expropriation Act in its current form,” she said. Zille stated that during the sixth administration, the DA firmly rejected the Act, believing that no government in a democratic country should possess such sweeping powers to expropriate property without compensation. “We have not forgotten that the apartheid government used similar powers to forcibly remove communities from their land, often with inadequate compensation or none at all. “This history teaches us that true redress requires protecting property rights, ensuring that no government…

In South Africa, land remains one of the most contentious and deeply emotional issues. This country's history is littered with land dispossession, systematic racial exclusion and economic marginalisation of black South Africans. It is concerning that right-wing lobby groups like AfriForum continue to drive narratives that are solely aimed at driving a wedge between different racial groups in our country, by painting white South Africans, particularly Afrikaans-speaking, as victims of state oppression whenever the state redresses the imbalances of the past like landlessness among black people. This is not just a distortion of reality – it is an outright denial of historical injustices that continue to shape our society today. AfriForum, a right-wing lobby group that claims to advocate for minority rights, has been relentless in its campaign against land…

Marriages in China plummeted by a fifth last year, the biggest drop on record, despite manifold efforts by authorities to encourage young couples to wed and have children to boost the country’s declining population. Declining interest in getting married and starting a family has long been blamed on the high cost of childcare and education in China. On top of that, sputtering economic growth over the past few years has made it difficult for university graduates to find work and those that do have jobs feel insecure about their long-term prospects. More than 6.1 million couples registered for marriage last year, down from 7.68 million a year earlier, figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs showed. “Unprecedented! Even in 2020, due to Covid-2019, marriages only decreased by 12.2%,” said Yi…

Political and tech industry leaders were set to descend on Paris yesterday for a two-day summit on artificial intelligence, hoping to find common ground on a technology with the potential to upset global business and society. Co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the gathering’s stated aims include “mapping” AI governance around the world, promoting the idea of more ethical, accessible and frugal AI and pushing for European sovereignty over the technology. Yesterday’s meeting of around 1 500 guests in the French capital’s opulent Grand Palais will feature lectures and panel discussions outlining the promises of and challenges posed by AI. Political leaders, including US Vice-President JD Vance and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, are set to rub shoulders with the likes of OpenAI boss…

KHARKIV: Overnight Russian drone attacks sparked a fire in Kyiv and injured a woman and damaged several houses in the north-eastern city of Sumy, Ukrainian officials said. The Ukrainian military said yesterday that it had shot down 61 out of 83 drones with 22 more likely downed by electronic warfare. No injuries were reported in the attack that sparked a fire at a non-residential building in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. But a 38-year-old woman was hospitalised after Russia launched drones at Sumy, which is the administrative centre of the broader Sumy region, Ihor Kalchenko, governor of the region said. Five houses were also damaged, he added. The photos posted by the emergency services from the site showed cars engulfed in flames next to a high-rise building with…

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou welcomed criticism against him but told doubters after Sunday’s 2-1 FA Cup exit at Aston Villa to leave his players out of it, saying if they want to blame him they should “go for it a million times”. Under pressure Postecoglou staunchly defended his depleted squad, insisting no team could have coped with the mounting injuries since mid-November while juggling four competitions, and that Tottenham would be outstanding when his players return. Postecoglou, missing 11 senior players, included four teenagers in his starting line-up as well as 21-year-old goalkeeper Antonio Kinsky, who was at fault for Jacob Ramsey’s opener. “People can judge me. They can say I have done a bad job, I’m not up to it or whatever. (But) you can’t be critical of…

British Open organisers on Monday announced a new pathway for LIV Golf players to qualify for this year’s major at Royal Portrush, following a similar move by the US Open. The highest-placed player not already exempt in the Top 5 of the Saudi-funded series’ standings, will earn a spot after the LIV Dallas event in June. R&A chief executive Mark Darbon stated, “The Open is a global championship for the best men’s golfers,” emphasising the importance of offering pathways based on results. LIV CEO Scott O’Neil welcomed the decision, highlighting the evolving landscape of professional golf. | AFP…

Nigeria, known as the “Giant of Africa” is not only defined by its stunning landscapes and vibrant culture but also by its rich varieties of ethnic communities, each contributing to a culinary heritage that is as diverse as it is delicious. With a focus on nutritious ingredients, Nigerian cuisine stands out for its heartiness and sumptuous flavours. Known for its impressive use of spices and herbs, along with palm and groundnut oil, the dishes emanate rich aromas that tantalise the senses. From spicy soups to rice and bean-based delights, the diversity of Nigerian cuisine beckons food enthusiasts and home cooks alike. These cultural nuances and food traditions are beautifully encapsulated in Ozoz Sokoh’s upcoming debut cookbook, Chop Chop; Cooking the Food of Nigeria. This much-anticipated book promises a vibrant…

I find myself at Midmar Dam, in the Midlands, that vast expanse of water pushed backward on the uMngeni River to provide wonderful facilities for yachting and other watersports – and, of course, a water supply for agriculture and urban and peri-urban consumption. At the time of writing, the showpiece, the two-day Midmar Mile swimming gala, still lies ahead. I was there to observe the two-day charity events across much the same course, in which contestants swim to raise money for charities. My interest is in the performance of a relative – the daughter of a niece – who has come all the way from Stellenbosch University to spend two days swimming to raise money for charity. Midmar was like a millpond, so calm was it. It’s not always so.…

Things either get progressively better, or progressively worse. South Africa, in its current state, and with this government, is in deep trouble. If you are not tossing and turning in your bed at night, wondering where we are heading as a nation, where have you been? I don’t think I can remember a time where the future of this country has looked so bleak. Not even during the Zuma/Gupta years. The waffling and predictable pre-written Sona (State of the Nation Address) by Cyril Ramaphosa again echoed just how much he has lost touch with reality. To make things worse, the one party whom we have trusted with our votes for so many years, the DA, and John Steenhuisen, sat there, smiling and nodding away as if Ramaphosa was telling us…

Calls have been made for the SANDF to withdraw its troops from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and for Defence Minister Angie Motshekga and President Cyril Ramaphosa to take accountability for the deaths of 14 soldiers deployed to that country. Political parties shared their views during the National Assembly’s urgent debate on the matter yesterday. The fallen members of the SANDF were part of a multinational Southern African Development Community (SADC) force deployed to stabilise the eastern region of the DRC amid ongoing clashes between the DRC military and M23 rebels. The debate was held under the theme: “The recent casualties incurred by the SANDF in the Democratic Republic of Congo and their implications for the defence force.” EFF leader Julius Malema said the deployment of South African…

An Eastern Cape teenager has been praised for his bravery and quick thinking after he saved the lives of three people at a beach in Port Alfred at the weekend. The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said it received reports of a drowning in progress at East Beach. According to the NSRI Port Alfred deputy station commander, Gerrit Cloete, a brother and sister, aged 12 and 19, were caught in rip currents during the turn of the high tide. A local teenager, Jason Palmer, who had been surfing, noticed the two being swept out to sea and went back into the water to help them. The mother also went to their aid, Cloete said. The incident had been posted on social media and by chance, a friend of a crew…

The KwaZulu-Natal festive season tourism figures have shown notable growth, with the numbers surpassing the performance of the previous four years. This is according to KZN Tourism and Film’s preliminary Festive Performance Report for 2024/2025. Dr Sibusiso Ndebele, chairperson of the KZN Tourism and Film Authority, said the “resurgence is slowly beginning to show”. “Our overall target is for more international tourists, but our primary focus is to grow the domestic market. As we climb close to pre-pandemic levels in 2025, we realise that travellers may increasingly seek value for money and take trips closer to home in response to the challenging economic environment.” Referring to the preliminary report, he said: “Weekly hotel occupancy increased from December 10, 2024, to January 6, 2025, compared to 2023; short-term rentals for the…

A Lesotho national has been arrested for abandoning her newborn baby near a stormwater drain in the Verulam CBD on Sunday. The baby was rescued in the nick of time by a security officer before it fell into the drain. The mother, 32, was traced and arrested. The baby is in a state hospital. Security company, Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) spokesperson Prem Balram said their officer, Chris Pillay, was alerted by a pedestrian. The passer-by heard noises and believed that an animal was lodged at the entrance of the stormwater drain. Pillay went to investigate and found the baby in a black bin bag. “Rusa paramedics arrived on the scene and removed wet and soiled clothing from the baby. A dry uniform jacket was placed around the infant girl,”…

There are primordial war cries, slogans and calls to action that were relevant and famous before our existence, but still resonate with us to this day in our quest to make a difference in our areas of responsibility that we have been entrusted with. President Cyril Ramaphosa, as he assumed office for the first time, rallied us around the famous “Thuma Mina”, which called everyone to rise and be an agent of change in society. Literally implying sending me to change the lives of the people. This is a reverberation of many famous calls to action, including the one by Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” We are in the eighth month of the Seventh Administration, and have seen the ushering in of the…

MOSCOW: Chinese President Xi Jinping has accepted Russia’s invitation to attend the commemorations of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, TASS state news agency said yesterday. “Chinese President Xi Jinping has accepted an invitation to take part in the celebrations on May 9 in Moscow on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War,” Russian ambassador to China, Igor Morgulov, was cited as saying. The Kremlin said it had invited “many countries” to attend. | Reuters…

Incumbent President Daniel Noboa clutched onto a razor-thin lead in violence-hit Ecuador’s election, after a stronger-than-expected challenge from a leftist rival who looked set to force a second-round run-off. With about 90% of the ballots counted, Noboa had garnered 44.4% of the vote and rival Luisa Gonzalez was on 43.9%, official results showed. Gonzalez, a 47-year-old single mother of two, told elated supporters in Quito that they had achieved a “great victory” by forcing what she called a “statistical tie”. “We have won,” she claimed. The telegenic lawyer-turned-lawmaker had trailed heavily in pre-election surveys. Some exit polls had even predicted that Noboa would garner the 50% of votes needed to avoid a head-to-head contest in April. But the election was seen by many as a referendum on the country’s stalled…

JAKARTA: Indonesia launched an annual free health screening yesterday, a $183.54 million (R3.3 billion) initiative to prevent early deaths that the country’s health ministry said was its biggest ever undertaking. Under the programme, all Indonesians will eventually be entitled to a free screening on their birthday, the ministry said. The screening, which is not mandatory, includes blood pressure, tests to determine the risk of heart problems or stroke, and eye tests, the ministry said. The programme is initially targeting under-sixes and adults aged 18 and over, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said. The leading causes of death in the world’s fourth most populous nation include stroke, heart disease, and tuberculosis, according to World Health Organization data. | Reuters…

AmaZulu co-coach Arthur Zwane is taking a thoughtful approach to reintegrating midfielder Bongani Zungu into the fold after the player joined the club in December 2024 following a five-month period without a team. Zungu’s transfer to Usuthu surprised many in the football community, particularly as he had been unattached since leaving Mamelodi Sundowns in June of the same year. Zwane emphasised the importance of nurturing Zungu’s fitness as he adapts back to competitive football. The veteran midfielder, who made his debut for AmaZulu in January during a Betway Premiership match against Sekhukhune United, stepped onto the pitch amid high expectations. Unfortunately for Zungu and the team, the occasion ended in disappointment with a 2-0 loss. However, the 32-year-old has since secured a place in the starting line-up, featuring in four…