Innehållsförteckning för 2025-04-14 från Mercury

March marked the fifth anniversary since the world went into lockdown, and while many people were able to get back to normal soon after the Covid-19 pandemic, it hasn't been as easy for others. A survey conducted by the BLK Dating and Social App showed that those who were high school pupils during the pandemic are now navigating a complicated landscape of dating and socialising in a post-lockdown world. The “Covid kids”, as they have been dubbed, are struggling with social anxieties that have dramatically reshaped their approach to in-person connections. The survey’s results are striking: over half (53.9%) of the participants indicate that the lockdown experience still disrupts their ability to engage in real-life interactions. A significant number, 36.1%, feel awkward or uncomfortable when it comes to arranging meet-ups,…

The letter, Ethics espoused by the West an illusion disguising unpalatable truths by Zaynab Khan (April 10, 2025) refers. Her rant against “Western civilization” is rich, coming from someone who depends mostly on what Western civilization has provided to create and disseminate her daily dose of “brainwashing operations”, fabricated narratives, and fulminations against the West. Some of her observations about the West might be true, but they apply to other “civilizations” too: such as the use of veto power to cite one example. One can’t help but wonder why, if the West is all that she claims it to be, those like her flock to the West in the millions - both as legal and illegal refugees or seek asylum or health there. Some like Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini used the…

It is well-known that many of those who inhabit ivory towers see the world through tinted lenses. University of the Western Cape research fellow Ali Ridha Khan’s dismissal of AfriForum’s exposure of the vulnerability of minorities as “imagined existential threats” (The Mercury, April 10) is a case in point. Given his globalist moorings, Khan disparages what he calls “white nationalist posturing” which projects “an image of white victimhood” and which seeks “a return to lost glory.” In short, he discards Afriforum and President Trump’s involvement in this subject as a “tragicomic farce” based on “stupidity.” Among the various sources he cites is George Orwell’s profound statement that “political language is not meant to reveal truth but to conceal it.” If Khan removed his tinted lenses he would see that there…

The suicide of a 14-year-old rape victim who simply could no longer tolerate being cross-examined at length by the defence lawyers of her three alleged rapists, has resulted in the men now walking free due to a technicality in the case. Two of the men had their life imprisonment sentences overturned, while the third, who was a minor at the time, also had his 15-year jail sentence overturned. The Bloemfontein High Court found on appeal that the three are entitled to their freedom as it is their Constitutional right to fully cross-examine the alleged victim. She, however, died before this could be concluded and thus their trial was rendered unfair. The teenage complainant testified during a protracted trial which was postponed for numerous reasons from September 2018. Her evidence-in-chief only…

A man was arrested in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday for allegedly being in possession of electrical items belonging to Eskom. KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said an officer attached to Operation Vala Umgodi arrested a 37-year-old man for possession of suspected stolen goods during an intelligence-led operation in Mandeni. “When police arrived at the suspect's residence on Plova Crescent at KwaTasi in Mandeni, they found the suspect in possession of electrical items belonging to Eskom, with an estimated value of R150 000,” Netshiunda said. He said the man was arrested and will appear in court soon. Meanwhile, last Sunday, six suspects, aged between 32 and 54, were found in possession of Eskom property worth R1.5 million around Empangeni and Mtunzini policing precincts in northern KZN. | Thobeka Ngema…

In light of recent tragedies involving gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) in South Africa, there is an urgent need for the government to amend legislation regarding minimum sentences for perpetrators. The nation has been left reeling from horrific cases, each underscoring a disturbing reality: without effective deterrents, perpetrators will continue to prey on women and children. The case of the seven-year-old from the Eastern Cape exemplifies this crisis. Allegedly raped at Bergview College, her tragedy shows that women and children are at risk everywhere in our society. Her story is not isolated but symptomatic of an issue requiring immediate action. Current sentences for GBVF-related crimes often don’t reflect the severity of these offenses. Perpetrators frequently receive lenient penalties that fail to serve as meaningful deterrents. Lawmakers must strengthen legislation surrounding…

Thousands marked the start of Myanmar’s water festival yesterday in the ruins of last month’s earthquake, with the country’s most raucous holiday muted by the tragedy of the tremor. The “Thingyan” festival typically celebrates Myanmar’s new year with water-splashing rituals symbolising cleansing and renewal, but the central cities of Mandalay and Sagaing lie devastated from the 7.7-magnitude quake. Two weeks on from the disaster which killed more than 3 600, hundreds are still living in tent encampments peppered among pancaked apartment blocks, razed tea shops and demolished hotels. Many still lack working latrines and need to queue for drinking water, and the weather forecast for heavy rains has them fretting over their makeshift homes. Yesterday families were buying clay pots and plant sprigs customarily placed inside homes to welcome the…

The Trump administration has exempted a raft of consumer electronics from its punishing import tariffs – offering relief to US tech firms and partially dialling down a trade war with China. A notice late last week by the US Customs and Border Protection office said smartphones, laptops, memory chips and other products would be excluded from the global levies President Donald Trump rolled out a week ago. The move came as retaliatory Chinese import tariffs of 125% on US goods took effect at the weekend, with Beijing standing defiant against its biggest trade partner. The exemptions will benefit US tech companies like Nvidia and Dell, as well as Apple, which makes iPhones and other premium products in China. And they will generally narrow the impact of the staggering 145% tariffs…

LONDON: The British Parliament at the weekend passed an emergency law granting the government sweeping powers to take control of British Steel, the last in Britain capable of producing steel from iron ore. The Scunthorpe facility supplies the vast majority of the country’s rail tracks. The legislation was introduced in response to British Steel’s plan to shut down its blast furnaces at Scunthorpe, citing unsustainable financial losses. In an extraordinary at the weekend sitting, the first in over four decades, both Houses of Parliament returned from Easter recess to fast-track the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act, which received royal assent the same day. The new law empowers the Business Secretary to intervene directly in steel operations. | Xinhua…

The Springbok Women continued to build up for Saturday’s Test match against Spain with a commanding 50-17 victory over an England age-group side in Marcoussis, France. It was a great weekend for Springbok Women’s rugby, with the Sevens team winning the third and final World Rugby HSBC Challenger Series tournament in Krakow, Poland. With that victory, SA booked a place at next month’s playoffs in Los Angeles against the bottom four HSBC SVNS sides for a place in the 2026 World Series. Nadine Roos, Zintle Mpupha and Ayanda Malinga were key to the victory in Poland. They will be confident of transferring that form to the Test arena, having joined the Springbok Women in Spain on Sunday for next weekend’s match against their hosts in Alicante. Springbok Women’s Sevens skipper…

Carlos Alcaraz made the best possible start to his preparations for the defence of his French Open title, burning past the Italian Lorenzo Musetti in three sets yesterday to win his first Monte Carlo Masters. The 21-year-old Spaniard, already a four-time Grand Slam winner, dropped the opening set but came back hard to take the next two at the cost of a single game as he cleaned up 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, albeit helped by a limping Musetti. It marks a sixth Masters title for Alcaraz and is his most prestigious title since winning Wimbledon last year. It was also his first win on clay since winning the French Open last season, although in mitigation he only had one tournament after that when he missed out on gold at the Paris…

Have you ever looked at something that used to make you happy, like a favourite hobby, a fun outing with friends, or even your morning coffee and felt nothing? Like the spark that made it joyful has gone missing? Anhedonia is more than just feeling down or being in a funk. It's a pervasive sense of joylessness and a lack of motivation to engage in activities that once brought pleasure. It’s deeper than that. It’s an inability to experience enjoyment, even when you try. In a world where happiness is often marketed as the ultimate goal, anhedonia can feel like a personal failure. But it’s a symptom, not a character flaw, and understanding it is the first step to finding joy again. The science of joy Before diving into anhedonia,…

A reply to a DA parliamentary question has revealed that South African diplomat, Adv David Kweli Nkosi, has been redeployed as political counsellor to the South African Embassy in Amman, Jordan, despite owing the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) just under R800 000 for damages incurred to rented properties in Austria and India where he was previously deployed. To date, Adv Nkosi has only reimbursed DIRCO R10 000 of an amount of only R116 615 seemingly renegotiated by DIRCO, a substantial reduction due to departmental inefficiencies to process the case. DIRCO Minister, Ronald Lamola, must immediately fire Adv Nkosi from South Africa’s foreign service, recall him, and begin the process to recuperate every last cent of the R800 000 he owes the Department and the South African taxpayer.…

THERE are times a struggling couple may need a safety plan. Regarding my partner, I will not: l Hit, yell, scream, blame or shame. l Allow my partner to hit, yell or scream at the children or at me. l Expect my partner to take full responsibility to meet the needs of our children or my needs. l Ignore my partner’s needs. l Travel (or allow my children to travel) in a vehicle, where the driver has been drinking or using drugs. Regarding my partner, I will: l Share the responsibility of caring and loving our children. l Recognise potential conflict and deal with it in an appropriate manner. l Spend time with my partner but not at the expense of the children. l Recognise my partner’s needs for…

An 87-year-old displaced flood victim, who has been living at the Jabulani Hall in Trenance Park, Verulam since the 2022 floods, says she is desperate to be moved. The woman and two others were attacked in a brutal stabbing incident at the hall a few weeks ago. The suspect, a 33-year-old man, was later arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder. Speaking to The Mercury, Phumzile Mkhize, 87, recounted the harrowing ordeal of the attack on March 22. “We were just sitting when this man, who stays with us at the hall and is not related to us, suddenly came in with a knife and a bottle of petrol. He attacked me, stabbing me while I pleaded with him to stop. As I cried for help, my daughter…

Security guards at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, detained a man dressed in a doctor's laboratory coat and carrying a stethoscope. He was reportedly observed strolling through the hospital corridors, snapping photographs. The site administration was warned about a suspicious man who claimed to be a professor. Acting chief executive of the health facility, Nomkhita Mthonjana, told the SABC that the security guards rushed into her office to inform her of the matter. The man's coat and stethoscope were confiscated by the police.…

As the world watches America, Germany is quietly reshaping European politics Mushtak Parker AS FAR as geopolitical disruptions go, the eyes of the world have been glued to the ongoing shenanigans in Washington DC over the last two months, like a constantly unfolding social media soap opera starring an economically illiterate and precocious geriatrician. Never mind the protestations against the perceived demise of free trade and a rules-based global order. Given the spate of open and disguised protectionist posturing, a litany of state subsidies masquerading as national interest, and a wanton use of lawfare to curb access to markets as under the suite of Patriot Acts and disputes lodged with the World Trade Organisation, the notion of a world revelling in free trade and a rules-based world order was overrated…

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy yesterday said he was deeply concerned after a UK lawmaker was denied entry to Hong Kong, and said he would be urgently raising the issue with the Chinese authorities. Wera Hobhouse claimed she was the first British MP to be refused entry on arrival in Hong Kong since the former British colony was handed over to China in 1997. Hobhouse is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac). “Ipac unites lawmakers worldwide, promoting democracy and addressing threats to the rules-based and human rights systems posed by the rise of China,” the group says on its website. The Sunday Times newspaper said Hobhouse, 65, flew to Hong Kong last week on a personal trip to visit her newborn grandson. It said she had her…

Thousands of Hungarian protesters wearing drab clothes and brandishing satirical placards turned the streets of Budapest into a sea of grey at the weekend, poking fun at Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s recent clampdown on LGBTQ rights and diversity. “Sameness is trendy” and “Censorship” read some of the ironic signs held up by protesters, who took aim at Orban’s nationalist policies. The rally was called by the small parodic Two-tailed Dog Party (MKKP) in response to a recently adopted bill, which aims to ban the annual Pride parade on the basis that it infringes on Hungary’s much-criticised “child protection” law. | AFP…

KINSHASA: The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) at the weekend condemned the killing of 52 civilians during the week in the eastern city of Goma, allegedly carried out by rebels of the March 23 Movement (M23). In statement signed by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Jacquemain Shabani, the DRC government accused the M23 of committing serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the country’s eastern region. Violent clashes reportedly broke out Friday night in the western part of Goma, the capital of the eastern North Kivu province. Eyewitnesses from the Keshero and Lac-Vert neighbourhoods of the city said that heavy gunfire and shelling began around 10pm local time on Friday, causing widespread panic among residents. A relative calm was observed…

WASHINGTON: The White House has put a dramatic painting of US President Donald Trump on display in a prominent spot in the Grand Foyer of the East Wing, replacing the official portrait of former President Barack Obama. The new artwork depicts Trump with blood on his face and the American flag in the background, capturing the moment he raised a clenched fist after surviving a July 2024 assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The dramatic scene, showing Secret Service agents rushing to shield Trump as he gestures defiantly, became a defining image of his re-election campaign, echoing his call to “fight, fight, fight”. “Some new artwork at the White House,” the administration posted last week via its official X account, sharing a short video of the painting.…

As the countdown begins to one of South Africa’s most anticipated musical celebrations, the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) is ready to enchant audiences again. Scheduled for Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), this year’s festival promises to be an enthralling tapestry of sound, bringing together both beloved legends and fresh newcomers. For young music enthusiasts, this is an unmissable opportunity to experience the magic live! While jazz festivals may often conjure up images of quiet introspection for some, the CTIJF is determined to defy the stereotype and redefine how the genre is perceived. With a line-up that caters to diverse tastes, the festival aims to captivate both die-hard jazz aficionados and newcomers alike. From pulsating rhythms to modern melodies,…

Two months after complaints were made against a Muslim teacher forcing Hindu pupils to remove a red thread worn around the wrist, there has been silence from all concerned. They complained to the principal, Governing body, the Department of Education, certain Hindu bodies- but thus far, they have had no joy, since “Parents claim their complaints have been ignored while pupils continue to fear victimisation.” I am baffled by the statement: “On February 3, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education (DoE) visited the school and launched an investigation into the allegations of racial intolerance at the school.” How can religious discrimination be reinvented as a “racial “issue? Is there a peculiar definition of “race” in South Africa? Then there is the tardiness of the lame duck organisation called The South African…

PRESIDENT Donald Trump will not have enjoyed much of the media comment on his postponement of the financial tariff increases he’d announced – least of all the comments of Sky News analyst Ian King. Among King’s observations: l “Trump blinks. But, as ever, it is the bond markets that have forced Trump to blink - and, make no mistake, blink is what he has done.” l “After the imposition of his tariffs - which were justified by some cockamamie mathematics and a spurious equation complete with Greek characters - bond prices rose as equities sold off.” l “It is not over-egging things to say that this was something akin to what Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng experienced when the latter unveiled the (UK) mini-budget in October 2022.” l “Trump…

The increasing adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in academic spaces has sparked a conversation on its ethical use, particularly as students turn to tools like ChatGPT for assignments and research. University academics are advocating for ethical AI practices in education, saying there needs to be responsible use of AI tools to enhance learning. Prof Labby Ramrathan, an education expert at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), said AI in academic environments was a topical issue among academics, researchers, and students. "It is an ongoing issue where positive things are being said about its uses as well as concerns. Most glaring of the concerns is that of copy and paste, where students uncritically copy information." However, Ramrathan also acknowledged the potential benefits, noting that: "AI technology provides quick access to a vast…

EIGHTY years ago, the Second World War ended through the collective efforts of the peoples of the world. Victory Day on May 9th, symbolises the triumph of courage and unity over Nazi ideology, which was based on hatred and disdain for human life. The war claimed over 70 million lives worldwide, establishing moral landmarks that remain relevant today. The Nazi regime’s collapse resulted from coordinated efforts of anti-Hitler coalition states united by a common goal. The Soviet Union made immense sacrifices, suffering irretrievable losses of 11,944,100 military personnel. Including civilian casualties, the Soviet Union lost 26.6 million lives. Over 1,710 cities and more than 70,000 villages were destroyed. These figures represent millions of shattered families and unfinished stories in our collective memory. Nazi Germany pursued deliberate terror against civilians in…

Gabonese voters voted at the weekend in a presidential election widely expected to make junta chief Brice Oligui Nguema the oil-rich central African country’s first elected leader since his 2023 coup. Oligui led the August 30, 2023, putsch that ended 55 years of dynastic rule by the Bongo family, who were accused of looting Gabon’s wealth. “I am very confident. May the best man win,” said Oligui, who has been leading in opinion polls, as he cast his ballot alongside first lady Zita at a school in the centre of the capital Libreville before a media scrum of clicking cameras. Snaking queues were seen outside polling stations in the seaside city as voting got under way in bright sunshine after a stormy night. After voting ended at 6pm, the interior…

An Israeli air strike yesterday heavily damaged one of the few functioning hospitals in Gaza, as the Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas “command and control centre” operating from within the facility. Since the outbreak of war, tens of thousands of Gazans have sought refuge in hospitals across the territory, many of which have suffered severe damage in ongoing hostilities. The strike on Al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza – also known as the Baptist or Ahli Arab Hospital – caused no casualties, but came a day after Israeli forces seized a key corridor in the territory and signalled plans to expand their campaign. | AFP…

SEOUL: Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol will face his first criminal trial today for insurrection after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, which plunged the democratic country into political turmoil. Yoon sought to impose military rule on the country when he ordered the suspension of political activity and the censorship of media on December 3. The decree lasted just six hours as it was voted down by opposition MPs. The disastrous attempt led to Yoon’s impeachment by the National Assembly shortly thereafter, with the Constitutional Court fully stripping him of his presidential duties on April 4. During a preliminary hearing in February, Yoon’s lawyers argued that his detention had been procedurally flawed, an argument accepted by the court, leading to his release 52 days after his…

After two recent defeats, the Sharks have some heavily armed cavalry coming to the rescue for their United Rugby Championship (URC) tour to Edinburgh and Ulster. Springboks Eben Etzebeth, Aphelele Fassi, Lukhanyo Am and Grant Williams trained last week and, barring any training ground incidents, will play against Edinburgh on Friday night. Sharks and South African rugby supporters in general will be hoping that the inspirational Etzebeth has no mishaps this week. He last played in the Sharks’ Champions Cup defeat of Exeter on December 7 in Durban. Ongoing concussion issues kept him on the sidelines, and he was ready for a comeback a month ago, only to strain a hamstring at the Springbok alignment camp. There had been talk that Etzebeth and Fassi would play against Lyon in their…