Innholdsfortegnelse for 2026-01-21 i Mercury

Merafe Resources' attributable ferrochrome production decreased by a substantial 63% in the year to December 31, 2025 due to the closure of smelters. Merafe's attributable ferrochrome production from the Glencore Merafe Chrome Venture for the fourth quarter to December 31, 2025 was 147 tons, resulting in a decrease of about 63% in production for the year, compared to the year before, the company said in an update Tuesday. Merafe holds a 20.15% stake in the Glencore Merafe Chrome Venture. The company's attributable chrome ore production from the Venture in the fourth quarter was 222kt, resulting in a decrease of about 2% in production compared to the prior comparative period. This decrease in production was mainly due to temporary equipment breakdowns, the company said. Most of South Africa's ferrochrome smelters have…

There’s something wildly humbling about turning 25 as a woman. One minute you’re thriving on iced coffee and bad decisions, the next your frontal lobe starts developing, and suddenly everything makes sense and also hurts. You wake up with new opinions, a lower tolerance for nonsense, and an overwhelming urge to protect your peace That’s exactly the stage Cape Town influencer Neevan Ferris tapped into when she shared the lessons she’s learnt at 25, “against my will,” as she says. First up: friendships. Or rather, the slow, awkward shedding of them. “Not everyone is meant to stay in your life. Some people are just lessons, not lifetime subscriptions,” Ferris says. Painful, but true. As a millennial, this one lands hard. That bestie you thought would be there for the “restie”…

Dr Iqbal Surve’s preview of the 2026 Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) reflects a degree of caution and pragmatism in light of what he calls “the convergence of threats” (Business Report, January 19). Ironically, much of what threatens Europe, in particular, is a result of WEF policies. For Europe, the phrase “sustainable future,” to which the WEF aspires, has become a nightmare. As a result of ESG (Environmental Social Governance), Europe has stopped being the continent from which the world bought. Now it is the continent that buys what the rest of the world produces, having embraced de-industrialisation in pursuit of green energy. Steel production is down 30%. European know-how and factories have moved to China, India, Mexico and Vietnam, where there is cheap energy, less bureaucracy…

Beyond smartwatches and rings, artificial intelligence is being used to make self-testing for major diseases more readily available — from headsets that detect early signs of Alzheimer’s to an iris-scanning app that helps spot cancer. “The reason preventive medicine doesn’t work right now is because you don’t want to go to the doctor all the time to get things tested,” said Ramses Alcaide, co-founder and CEO of startup Neurable. “But what about if you knew when you needed to go to the doctor?” Connected rings, bracelets and watches — which were everywhere at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas — can already monitor heart rate, blood pressure and glucose levels, with varying degrees of accuracy. These gadgets are in high demand from consumers. A recent study published by…

LISTENING to eyewitnesses describing events leading up to the tragic accident that claimed the lives of 12 young learners once again exposes the gaps within the systems designed to prevent such occurrences. The driver of the minibus taxi transporting about 18 children allegedly attempted to overtake several vehicles before colliding with an oncoming truck in Vanderbijlpark on Monday morning. The eyewitnesses also confirm that the driver of the truck tried swerving to avoid the taxi, but it was too late. What they observed is a sight that many South Africans have become all too familiar with, especially involving scholar transport when schools reopen. On the same day, nine children were injured after the driver of their scholar transport vehicle lost control and crashed into a tree near Sarnia Primary School…

European leaders took the stage yesterday ahead of Donald Trump at the gathering of global elites in Davos, as the US president dangles tariff threats in a bid to pressure the EU over Greenland. Trump is set to dominate the week at the Swiss ski resort, saying he would take part in a meeting of “various parties” while there about his bid to take over the Arctic island. A US delegation is already on the ground to promote an American agenda that has unsettled the global order cherished by the World Economic Forum (WEF). EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron were to address the forum yesterday, along with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose countries have their own disputes…

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates yesterday denied running secret prisons in southern Yemen following claims from Saudi-backed Yemeni officials that widened a rift between the Gulf powers. The allegations are “deliberate fabrications” and a “blatant attempt to advance political agendas at the expense of truth”, a statement said. The claims from Hadramawt province followed clashes between UAE- and Saudi-backed forces that prompted Abu Dhabi to withdraw its remaining troops from Yemen. Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the Gulf’s biggest economies, joined forces to fight Yemen’s Iran-sponsored Houthi rebels in 2015 but ended up backing opposing camps in the south. The rivalry came to a head after an advance by UAE-backed separatists in Hadramawt and Mahra provinces last month was pushed back by Saudi air strikes and allied ground forces. Hadramawt’s…

South Africa is positioning itself at the centre of the global energy and technology transition, leveraging its vast mineral wealth to drive industrialisation, investment and deeper trade partnerships, as the country recalibrates its economic strategy for a decarbonising world. Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, underscored that South Africa’s mineral endowment extends well beyond the legacy resources of the past. Tau said while coal and abundant sunshine remain central to the current energy mix, the country is increasingly focused on the critical and rare earth minerals that underpin clean energy systems, digital technologies and advanced manufacturing. "So we are sitting pretty much at the crossroads as a country where we are transitioning not…

There are people whose laughter makes entire rooms brighter, whose witty words become a cultural heartbeat, and whose absence leaves a silence so profound that a nation feels it. Sharon Ntombizodwa Makoni, lovingly known to millions as iComplain on TikTok, was one of those rare voices who has lost her life following a battle with depression. She wasn’t just a TikTok creator: she was Africa’s “Minister of Defence” in the digital age, a satirist who wielded humour to dismantle ignorance and uplift cultural pride. Today, we mourn her passing, but we also celebrate her life and the urgent mental health conversation her loss compels us to have. She rose to fame during a time when TikTok faced a possible ban in the US. While many Americans worried about losing the…

A full-scale war of attrition is in progress within the corridors of all the political establishments seeking to gain power in the Metro elections in 2026. Our hard-fought and precious democracy is in utter shambles as a result of ANC misrule over the past 30 years. The chaotic situation in our country today and the grim mess that we are in have one thing in common; all our problems were caused by years of poor and inept leadership. Like a can of worms being opened, critical events have revealed the consequences of problems that have remained unresolved due a lack of leadership and courage to confront our escalating problems caused by monumental financial greed unprecedented in modern African history. After the elections a new political order will be born, the…

Take a moment to listen to that elderly man holding you up in the queue at the bank, grocery shop, or post office, and have a chat. You may discover that he once ran a large enterprise, travelled the world, and employed many people. He’s quite a lot more than someone who, at this moment, appears to be in your way. Take a moment to find compassion for the young woman you see alone with her children who looks like she is at the end of her tether. You may find out that she is facing challenges beyond just corralling young children. You may also discover she is fighting powerful illnesses and home circumstances that would be tough even if she were in perfect health. Take a moment and be…

Operations at several Magistrate’s Courts in Limpopo and KwaZulu- Natal have been temporarily disrupted following the recent flooding incidents across South Africa. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development said damages include roof leaks, electricity outages, structural damage, and washed-away access bridges, preventing both staff and the public from reaching some courts. Despite these challenges, the department emphasised that services continue to be rendered in the majority of courts. “The Minister has already engaged with the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure as well as other stakeholders to speedily mitigate the challenges encountered," the department said. "Members of the public will be kept abreast of all the developments in this regard and the temporary arrangements that are being made in the interim.” The department reiterated its commitment to ensuring access…

The ancient wisdom your critics hope you never learn A senior executive I know closed a transaction that saved her company R50 million and secured 200 jobs. Within 48 hours, boardroom whispers began: “She’s too aggressive.” “She plays politics.” “Lucky timing.” When excellence cannot be denied, critics pivot to character assassination. Consider this African proverb: “They found no wrong with the rose, so they complained it has thorns.” Have you heard of it? Do you know what it means? Here is another: “They found no harm in the lotus, so they said it grows in marshy lands.” How many of us understand what these observations reveal about professional success? These proverbs describe a phenomenon playing out daily in boardrooms and executive suites: when your performance becomes unimpeachable, critics attack everything…

The Syrian government and Kurdish forces traded accusations this week over the fate of Islamic State (IS) group prisoners held in Kurdish-run facilities, as Syria’s army deployed in the north and east under a recent deal. Syria’s Kurdish-administered camps and prisons hold tens of thousands of people, many with alleged or perceived IS links, including the biggest camp Al-Hol where more than 24 000 remain detained nearly seven years after the group’s territorial defeat. A deal announced at the weekend between Damascus and the Kurds includes integrating the Kurdish administration responsible for IS “prisoners and camps” and “forces responsible for protecting these facilities” into the Syrian government. The agreement states that Damascus will take “full legal and security responsibility for them”. Al-Hol, where conditions are dire, is in an area…

MOSCOW: A Russian aerial attack overnight on the Ukrainian capital has left thousands of residential buildings without heating in minus 14ºC temperatures, mayor Vitali Klitschko said yesterday. “After this attack, 5 635 residential buildings are without heating,” he said on Telegram, adding that a large part of the city was also without running water. A woman was wounded and hospitalised, Klitschko said, adding that several buildings, including a primary school, were damaged. These new strikes come some 10 days after Moscow’s worst attack on Kyiv’s energy grid since the start of its invasion of Ukraine four years ago. The attack carried out at dawn on January 9 targeted energy facilities, depriving half the city of heating and leaving many residents without electricity for days in freezing temperatures. Between Monday and…

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Shukri Conrad, it’s that it’s usually a bad idea to bet against him. When the Proteas head coach announces a squad, the “WhatsApp groups” and social media experts inevitably go into meltdown. There are always a few names left out that sting, and a few included that make you scratch your head. But if Conrad’s recent run has taught us anything, it’s that there is a very deliberate method to his madness. Just over a year ago, people were just as sceptical when he put together a Test squad that many labelled “risky” or “inexperienced”. At the time, we were rebuilding and most of the world had written us off as outsiders. Conrad didn't care. He backed players others had doubted, ignored the…

Most parents don’t remember the moment they first hurt their child because it didn’t look like harm. It might have looked like hurrying, joking, saying “You’re fine” when they weren’t, or correcting instead of listening. Years later, a child may remember it clearly not as one event, but as a feeling: I learned early how to make myself smaller. This is the uncomfortable truth psychology keeps circling back to: unhappy childhoods are often shaped not by dramatic trauma, but by everyday parenting attitudes we’ve normalised for generations. As a mother who listens to psychologists, parents and children, I’ve learned something quietly haunting: unhappy children are rarely the result of just one big mistake. More often, they are shaped by small, repeated parenting attitudes that quietly teach them how much of…

The Mercury letter, ‘South Africans should be grateful that apartheid ended when it did’ (January 19, 2026), is another perversion of truth by Ebrahim Essa. He and his ilk have never had an issue with Muslim nationalism (pan-Islamism, Islamic transnationalism/supranationalism, ummah consciousness, or community of Muslims bound together by ties of religion owing allegiance to the Middle East), articulated time and again in India and South Africa. Irrefutable evidence shows that the reason for pursuing Islamic separatism and exclusivity, put forward by Sir Mohammed Iqbal in 1930 was: “...the construction of a polity on national lines, if it means a displacement of the Islamic principle of solidarity (pan-Islamism), is unthinkable to a Muslim.” Even under the leadership of Gandhi, “Hindus and Muslims were fairly launched not upon a common struggle…

Is our government silently complicit in crimes against humanity for its failure to speak out against the Ayatollah of Iran right now? Secondly, is the ANC’s and Pandor’s association with Iran questioned enough by South Africans? I don't think so. For those who are hiding underneath a rock or might have been living off the grid, Iranians are currently being killed daily, for protesting against the terror regime of Ayatollah Khamenei. Reports have come in of automatic weapons being used against barehanded women and children on the streets, and even in hospitals and at citizens’ workplaces, the use of tear gas and guns have been reported, even in hospitals! These are unthinkable acts of barbarism and it almost equates to the Nazis who killed so many Jews during the…

The recent release of the road safety report for the 2025/2026 festive season offers some cautious optimism. It is encouraging that there has been a 5% year-on-year reduction in both fatalities and accidents for the 2025 festive season. Concerted efforts have resulted in the lowest number of road accidents in five years, and this must be applauded. However, even with this progress, more than 1 400 lives were lost, highlighting the persistent road risks that accompany the festive season. Among the most serious contributors to road deaths is drinking and driving. Transport Minister Barbara Creecy reported that 173 695 drivers were screened for driving under the influence of alcohol during the festive season. At least 8 561 were found to be over the legal limit. Traffic police should be commended…

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is set to get much worse in 2026 as food insecurity increases and international aid evaporates, the UN warned this week. Julien Harneis, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said he feared the calamitous situation would go under the radar until the death toll mounts. The picture in Yemen is “very, very concerning”, he told reporters in Geneva. Last year, 19.5 million people in the country needed humanitarian aid – and the UN’s response plan for the country was only 28% financed, at $688 million. “We are expecting things to be much worse in 2026,” said Harneis, pointing out that 21 million Yemenis were now in need, and aid was drying up. He said food insecurity was increasing, particularly on the Red Sea…

SYDNEY: Australian politicians voted in favour of tougher hate crime and gun laws yesterday, weeks after gunmen targeting Jewish people on Bondi Beach killed 15 people. Lawmakers in the House of Representatives backed the legislation in response to the December 14 shooting at the famous Sydney beach. Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in the nation’s worst mass shooting for 30 years. The attack has sparked national soul-searching about anti-semitism, anger over the failure to shield Jewish Australians from harm, and promises to protect the country with stiffer legislation. The hate crime and gun control legislation must still be approved by the upper house Senate, which was expected to vote later in the day. “The terrorists had hate in their hearts, but they also…

Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi believes the battle for forward supremacy will define Saturday’s United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against the Stormers, as two of South Africa’s heavyweight packs prepare to go head-to-head. Mbonambi, no stranger to the intensity of local rivalries, is under no illusions about the challenge awaiting the Sharks, who haven’t won an away match in Cape Town in the URC in five attempts. “It’s a traditional South African derby,” Mbonambi said, yesterday. “Everyone knows it’s going to be physical – two quality sides going at each other for the full 80 minutes.” The Stormers have enjoyed a strong season across both the URC and the Champions Cup, a run Mbonambi attributes to their tactical structure and squad depth. “The Stormers are performing well this season in both…