Innehållsförteckning för 2025-12-24 från Mercury

Bitou Deputy Executive Mayor Nokuzola Koleapi’s bizarre celebration with a gun has received country-wide condemnation. She was shown on social media prancing around on the street, firing a gun into the air in celebration of her son’s Xhosa initiation ceremony. Although she was quick to defend herself, saying it was a toy gun, it is still seen by many as irresponsible behaviour, especially as she is a woman holding a responsible public post. Many say she was behaving like a hooligan and should be charged as it is a criminal offence to fire a gun in a public place. The ANC distanced itself from Kolwapi, saying she was not an ANC member but the President of the Ikhwezi Political Movement and has called for an investigation into her criminal…

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) remains deeply saddened by the loss of lives as a result of the tragic structural collapse in Verulam and recent flooding incidents. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families and communities affected. While the circumstances differ – and must be addressed by the appropriate authorities – these two incidents draw attention to a shared and deeply concerning challenge across KZN: the failure by municipalities to consistently enforce laws and by-laws intended to protect human life. Across our province, unsafe practices have increasingly become normalised. Structures are erected without approved plans, homes are permitted in flood-prone areas, and non-compliant buildings are able to access water and electricity, increasing risk to lives. Where enforcement does occur, penalties are often insufficient to compel compliance, allowing…

Over the past thirty years as a democratic rainbow nation, careers were upended, the fall from grace has become a tsunami of monumental proportions. Power and prestige does not last forever, and in many cases over the past decade, it has been graphically proven that it can dissipate in the blink of an eye. In an age of social media, those who have done wrong are more vulnerable than ever. Rock bottom is littered with famous faces. Many of our political leaders appear to be saints as long as they wield power without facing the consequences, but tumble off that pedestal of cleanliness once they lose power or are ousted from the citadels of power. It has been grimly proven that politics is indeed not a cathedral of morality when…

Australia’s decision to ban children under 16 from social media, with Denmark eyeing similar measures for under-15s, has reignited a global debate about children, technology and harm. The political appeal is obvious: draw a clear line, claim protection and move on. But from a South African legal and policy perspective, this approach is both insufficient and misdirected. It treats children as the problem, rather than the digital systems that systematically fail them. Studies across psychology, human-computer interaction and digital governance show that harm to children online is not simply a function of access, but of platform design choices such as algorithmic amplification, persuasive design, endless scrolling, social comparison metrics and targeted advertising optimised for engagement rather than well-being. These are not neutral technologies. They are engineered environments that shape behaviour…

umm Ahmed has no answer when her children, trembling with fear, ask where the family can go to escape Israel’s continued bombardment in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis area. In her small, devastated village near Khan Yunis city, recent Israeli drone and artillery strikes shattered the tenuous sense of peace delivered by a ceasefire that has largely held since October 10. Residents say the strikes have targeted neighbourhoods east of the so-called Yellow Line – a demarcation established under the truce between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military says its troops are deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire framework, accusing Hamas militants of “crossing the Yellow Line and carrying out terrorist activities”. More than two years after Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel sparked a devastating war, tens…

UNITED NATIONS: Sudan’s prime minister on Monday called on the UN Security Council to stand “on the right side of history” by backing a peace plan for the war-torn country that calls for a ceasefire and global monitoring of the conflict. Since April 2023, Sudan’s army has battled the paramilitary forces of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which controls the west and parts of the south, in fighting that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. “We need to declare a comprehensive ceasefire, under joint monitoring by the UN, the AU and the League of Arab states, in parallel with the withdrawal of the rebel militia from all areas it occupies,” Sudanese Prime Minister Kamil Idris said. Idris pledged to organise free elections following a transition period to allow…

We, in ward 37 Castlehill, Newlands West, have experienced water cut offs every evening, since December 16, from about 9pm until 4am. Despite complaints, I have had not even the courtesy of a response from the municipality. This is the state that we have been relegated to. And it’s unacceptable. I address, through you, the Honourable Executive Mayor for the courtesy, let alone, the right to be treated, respectfully and with recognition of my human dignity. I appeal on behalf of my community in ward 37, those who have a voice but not the capacity to make their frustrations known. Our ward councillor, with whom I have been in contact, was in the dark as well. I have lodged a formal complaint with the water department. There are consequences,…

Television personality Minenhle “Minnie” Dlamini has hit back at the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU) recent statement linking her to irregular National Lotteries Commission (NLC) funds. It was previously reported the SIU concluded a settlement agreement with Dlamini. She is one of the beneficiaries who is said to have irregularly received funds from the Mshandukani Foundation NPO as part of an ongoing investigation into the misappropriation of National Lotteries Commission grant funding. In terms of the settlement agreement, Dlamini agreed to repay the full amount of R50 000 she received in 2016 from the Mshandukani Foundation NPO, which was funded through an NLC grant intended for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games Roadshow. According to the SIU, the funds were not used for their intended purpose. In a statement yesterday, Dlamini hit…

A mural depicting Vladimir Putin and fatigue-clad Russian paramilitary fighters has appeared in the Central African Republic ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections as the country seeks to recover from decades of violence. The Russian embassy in Bangui called the work of a local artist that also features President Faustin-Archange Touadera and CAR military officers “a sign of our common victory over chaos and instability”. The colourful mural in the bustling capital could be seen as a comment on the importance of the Russian military presence for the government of 68-year-old Touadera, tipped to be re-elected in the polls on Sunday. The resource-rich former French colony remains the last bastion of paramilitary group Wagner, which has established itself as one of the CAR government’s main security partners in exchange for…

Prominent figures on Brazil’s right wing are calling for a boycott of Havaianas, the iconic Brazilian flip-flop sandals, over an ad seen as taking sides ahead of next year’s presidential elections. In a video posted on the brand’s social media accounts, actress Fernanda Torres urges the public “not to start 2026 on the right foot,” but “on both feet.” Torres, a supporter of the Brazilian left, was the lead actress in the Brazilian film “Ainda Estou Aqui” (“I’m Still Here”), which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this year. The advertisement has sparked outrage in conservative circles. Eduardo Bolsonaro, one of the sons of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro – who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup after losing the last election – took…

WASHINGTON: US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said this week that Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro needs to be “gone” from power, in one of the clearest indications yet that Washington is seeking a change of leadership in Caracas. President Donald Trump announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” sailing to and from Venezuela earlier this month, and Washington’s forces have seized two ships and pursued a third so far. Referring to those efforts, Noem told Fox News that “we’re not just interdicting these ships, but we’re also sending a message around the world that the illegal activity that Maduro’s participating in cannot stand, he needs to be gone.” Washington has piled pressure on Maduro in other ways this year, accusing him of leading the alleged “Cartel of the Suns” – which…

According to the chairman of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEFP) Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Frans Baleni, the GEPF demonstrated resilience in the 2024/25 financial year with a total asset value of R2.69 trillion, an investment return of 14.1% and a strong funding level of 119%. According to him, the Board of Trustees is committed to serving, growing and sustaining the fund for the benefit of members, pensioners and beneficiaries. He wishes pensioners a joyful festive season. At the same time, the inflation rate for November 2025 was announced as 3.5%. Traditionally, for a reason that pensioners do not understand, the GEPF will grant a pension increase equivalent to 75% of 3.5% on 1 April 2026, or 2.6%. This is against the backdrop of the extremely disappointing 2.9%…

It doesn’t have to be this way. The family break, the schism between brother and brother, daughter and mother, can be resolved. That loss of a long-held friendship, that business or church breakup, can be healed. While being right is more important than being loving, the schism and the pain will grow. Oh, you may say there is no more pain, no hardness, but this is just one source of your anger. That flare of hot anger you feel in totally unrelated circumstances? This is where it started. That capacity you have to ignore the needy, treat the outcast with contempt? This is one of the places that inhuman ability began in you. You may indeed have been right, but you are yet alienated from each other just as if…

Themba Xaba, the man accused of murdering his 23-year-old girlfriend, Zinhle Mchunu, is set to apply for bail in late January 2026. This follows his initial, brief appearance at the uMlazi Magistrate’s Court on Monday. The 22-year-old Xaba allegedly killed Mchunu, a University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) student from Ladysmith who was due to graduate next year. He is accused of putting her body into a suitcase and burying it at the uMlazi property where he was renting. Mchunu’s body was discovered after about a month of being reported missing. The alarm was first raised on November 22 when Mchunu’s sister, who lives in Gauteng, received a call from Xaba. A family member, who requested anonymity, recounted that Xaba told the sister he had fought with Zinhle, resulting in her packing…

Why visits are so rare for South Africa’s emigrant families More than one million South Africans, about 1.6% of the country’s population of 63 million, currently live overseas. Emigration is never a solitary event or a purely economic decision. When one person leaves, an entire network of relationships is reshaped. This means that parents, grandparents, siblings and friends are left behind, making it challenging to maintain close bonds across continents. Despite vast geographical distances and the challenges of differing time zones, the enduring parent–child bond motivates families to seek meaningful ways to stay connected. Among the most powerful of these are transnational visits. For those who can travel, these visits serve as an emotional and relational lifeline: they allow parents to step into their adult children’s newly formed worlds, observe…

US tech giant Amazon said it has blocked over 1 800 North Koreans from joining the company, as Pyongyang sends large numbers of IT workers overseas to earn and launder funds. In a post on LinkedIn, Amazon’s chief security officer Stephen Schmidt said last week that North Korean workers had been “attempting to secure remote IT jobs with companies worldwide, particularly in the US”. He said the firm had seen nearly a one-third rise in applications by North Koreans in the past year. The North Koreans typically use “laptop farms” – a computer in the US operated remotely from outside the country, he said. He warned the problem wasn’t specific to Amazon and “is likely happening at scale across the industry”. Tell-tale signs of North Korean workers, Schmidt said, included…

COLOMBO: India has committed $450 million (about R7.5 billion) in humanitarian assistance to help Sri Lanka recover from the devastating damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah, foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said yesterday. The cyclone killed more than 640 people when it swept across the South Asian island last month, causing floods and landslides that inflicted about $4bn in damage, according to the World Bank, or 4% of the country’s GDP. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described the storm, which affected more than two million people, as the most challenging natural disaster in the island’s history. Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit, told a media briefing in Colombo he had handed a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Dissanayake, committing to a “reconstruction package of $450 million”. While…