Innholdsfortegnelse for 2024-07-04 i Mercury

Bidvest, which announced yet another offshore acquisition yesterday, plans to sell its bank through a restructuring of its financial services division. The aim was to recycle capital and align the group’s interests in terms of strategy, while setting it up for its next phase of expansion, Bidvest CEO Mpumi Madisa said yesterday. The group announced also that it is acquiring 100% of Canada-based Citron Hygiene from Birch Hill Equity Partners and other investors for an undisclosed sum. Citron serves about 50 000 customer locations from seven branches in Canada, four in the US and 10 in the UK. In March at the release of interim results, Madisa said that the group was on the acquisition trail, this after already spending R3.2 billion on bringing nine new businesses into the fold…

Miss South Africa 2023 first runner- up, Bryoni Govender, is representing South Africa at Miss Supranational in Poland. The Johannesburg star dazzled in a green bejewelled dress as she walked the Miss Supranational runway preliminary evaluation, as one of the 68 contestants vying for the crown. No stranger to the international runway as she previously represented South Africa at the 72nd Miss Universe, Govender graced the stage with poise and grace in a Juan William Aria art piece that took 200 hours to put together. The lawyer walked with confidence in a masterpiece consisting of 55,000 crystals, hand placed and beaded – in shades of emerald, forest, sage, thistle, olive, mint, chartreuse, lime, juniper, shamrock and fern. Her supporters who have been rallying behind her since she entered Miss SA,…

THE newly appointed members of the executive of the Government of the National Unity (GNU) outlined their plans following their swearing-in at the Cape Town International Convention Centre yesterday. Several of the ministers are yet to be briefed by their departments’ directors-general and also receive handover reports from their predecessors. Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau said transformation was important to ensure equitable access to opportunities, ensuring redress in the economy and that broad-based economic empowerment was achieved. Among his priorities was to stabilise the department. “There are a number of acting appointments,” Tau said. He also said he would focus on economic development and growth on the back of industrialisation and a focus on job creation. “We need to increase our efforts with regards to industrialisation to ensure we…

Grief labours long over its healing work. In so many ways, it is often never over, never complete. Some losses seem beyond healing. Accommodation is possible, a full life is possible, new relationships can develop but the vacuum of some losses is never filled. Many want to rush grief and they want pain to be gone. Who cannot want pain to be gone? But in rushing grief along, the pain gets buried, runs deeper into the soul only to manifest itself later, often disguised as something unrelated to the initial loss. No matter how long past your loss may have occurred welcome the tears you feel welling up. Let them flow. Tears are grief’s first agents, first responders in a tragedy. No matter how long past your loss may have…

SOMETHING good is happening at Eskom. We haven’t had load shedding for 98 days. On Friday we’ll reach the 100-day milestone of continuous supply of electricity. Remembering how often we cursed and swore while we grovelled in the dark all those many years without lights, Eskom must be commended for this wonderful achievement. I was one of those who was very sceptical about Eskom’s ability to keep the lights on for a prolonged period. Like many others, I thought the suspension of load shedding was an election ploy and that sure as day is to night, load shedding would make its ugly return after the elections. Well, I was wrong. Of course, it’s been burning diesel and lots of it, too, to keep the generators working. In the last five…

I WISH to respond to the article by Professor Sipho Seepe, “GNU code word for bloodless coup by the DA”. The initial three points made to justify the rather sensationalist headline only describe the normal jostling of political leaders prior to the finalisation of positions in a coalition government. Helen Zille is just doing what others have done in similar cases across the Western world. The Government of National Unity (GNU) is a figment of the collective imagination of ANC leaders who have difficulty in accepting the idea of coalition politics. It is what it is. If 70% of the seats in Parliament are involved in the coalition government, then mathematically the DA qualifies for 30% of the Cabinet positions. To demand this, can hardly be called a bloodless coup.…

THE South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), through its five sites under the HIV and Other Infectious Diseases Research Unit (Hidru), has contributed to an international multi- centre study that resulted in a 100% efficacy for HIV prevention injectable pre-exposure prophylaxes (PrEP). The Independent Data Monitoring Committee recently recommended that Gilead Sciences, Inc stop the blinded phase of the Purpose 1 trial at interim analysis and offer open-label Lenacapavir to all participants with immediate effect. Gilead announced the main results from an interim analysis of the Phase 3 Purpose 1 double-blind, randomised trial, indicating that the company’s twice-yearly injectable HIV-1 capsid inhibitor, lenacapavir, demonstrated 100% efficacy for the investigational use of HIV prevention in women. The Purpose programme comprises five HIV prevention trials around the world that are focused on…

GOVERNMENT and food industry role-players have been challenged by Duduzile Mthuli, Unilever South Africa’s nutrition manager for Africa, to create a co-ordinated system that will address food insecurity, protect against climate change and ensure that all South Africans go to bed having eaten a nutritious meal. Mthuli was speaking during a panel discussion at the Energy-Water-Food-Climate Nexus International Summit 2024 held in Durban this week that is led by Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s School of the Environment in partnership with the Mangosuthu University of Technology. She said the current food system in the country did not allow everyone to go to bed with a full stomach of good, healthy, nutritious food that did not cost a lot of money. This needed to be corrected, she said. Referencing a recent…

The recent Kenyan protests are a warning that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is failing. The public does not think it is helping its member countries manage their economic and financial problems, which are being exacerbated by a rapidly changing global political economy. To be sure, the IMF is not the only cause of Kenya’s problems with raising the funds to meet its substantial debt obligations and deal with its budget deficit. Other causes include the failure of the governing class to deal with corruption,spend public finances responsibly and manage an economy that produces jobs and improves the living standards of Kenya’s young population. The country has also been hammered by drought, floods and locust infestations in recent years. In addition, its creditors are demanding that it continue servicing its…

Survivors of India’s deadliest stampede in more than a decade recalled yesterday the horror of being crushed at a vastly overcrowded Hindu religious gathering where 121 people were killed. A police report said more than 250 000 people attended the event in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, more than triple the 80 000 for whom organisers had permission. Discarded clothing and lost shoes were scattered across the muddy site, an open field alongside a highway, where popular preacher Bhole Baba had held a sermon. People fell on top of each other as they tumbled down a slope into a water-logged ditch, witnesses said. “Everyone, the entire crowd, including women and children, all left from the event site at once,” said police officer Sheela Maurya, 50, who had been on duty…

Kenyan police yesterday said they had arrested over 270 people masquerading as protesters who were suspected of going on a criminal rampage during anti-government rallies on Tuesday. The protests against a finance bill, that contained a raft of new taxes, began in an atmosphere of calm but degenerated into violence, with police firing tear gas at rock-throwing crowds in Nairobi and scenes of looting and property damage in several cities. The protests have underscored discontent with the International Monetary Fund, raising questions about its efficacy in assisting member countries during economic crises. While Kenya’s financial struggles stem from corruption and inadequate economic policies, the IMF’s stringent conditions for financial support have drawn criticism for adding to the cost-of-living crisis. The Kenyan presidency said yesterday that it had ordered a…

Berlin: Two men accused of trying to blackmail relatives of Formula One legend Michael Schumacher had access to private family photos, German prosecutors said yesterday. German authorities announced last month that they had arrested a father and son on suspicion of trying to blackmail the Schumacher family. The suspects contacted family representatives claiming to have access to files which the Schumachers “would not want to have published”, prosecutors said. Michael Schumacher, a seven-time F1 world champion, has not been seen in public since he suffered a serious brain injury in a 2013 skiing accident in the French Alps. Prosecutors yesterday said “intensive investigations” were being carried out into the case. | AFP…

LONDON: Musician and singer-songwriter Roger Waters says he hopes a now free Julian Assange might one day be able to resume his work at WikiLeaks if he wants to, and that he is prepared to help fund the whistleblower media organisation. The Pink Floyd co-founder, who had long called for the release of the Australian publisher from a jail in Britain, said he had exchanged messages of “sighs of relief” with Assange’s wife Stella since he arrived in Canberra last week. Waters also visited Assange in jail last year. Stella has said it was too soon to say what her husband would do next and that he needed time to “get used to freedom”. | Reuters…

MAMELODI Sundowns yesterday confirmed the shock decision to release head coach Rhulani Mokwena, who realised his worst fears that the team’s most recent failures would come back to haunt him. Mokwena’s tenure over the past few weeks became increasingly fractious because he could no longer see eye-to-eye with the club’s highly qualified sporting director Flemming Berg, who joined the club after being head of elite football development at the Danish Football Association for seven years. Berg was responsible for the entire operation at Sundowns and after a while, Mokwena became unhappy with some of his decisions. Since Mokwena was close to chairman Thlopie Motsepe, he would go over Berg’s head to discuss matters. Motsepe put a stop to that. Berg was looking to assemble a squad with a CAF Champions…

Starting a career early has many advantages for young people. One of the smartest choices they can make is investing wisely. While money isn’t everything, managing it well is key to living a healthy life. Learning to invest can have a significant impact on various aspects of their future. From getting a job to buying a home, and even starting a family, smart money management plays a crucial role. For many early-career professionals, the idea of investing money might sound familiar, even if they prefer a “soft saving” approach, focusing on immediate experiences like holidays rather than long-term goals like retirement. However, Harry Scherzer, the chief executive of international money transfer fintech Future Forex, stresses the importance of a solid investment strategy, no matter your financial objectives. “Whether you aim…

KEY stakeholders in the eThekwini Municipality have urged the governance experts, brought in to assist the metro, to prioritise key services in water and in electricity, warning that these are undermining business confidence and degrading the quality of life. Business, the tourism sector and residents have identified key areas of focus for the governance experts brought in under Section 154, which allows the national government “to support and strengthen” municipalities’ capacity to handle their affairs and perform their functions. The intervention will be led by former eThekwini city manager Michael Sutcliffe and the former Director General in the Presidency Cassius Lubisi. Stakeholders said there is an urgency to address service delivery, improve security and provide secure leases to properties on the beachfront. The Mercury spoke to the Durban Chamber of…

THE Poms go to the polls today. If the pre-election surveys are anywhere near correct in their predictions, the 14-year comedy phase is about to end. There was prime minister David Cameron, who called a Brexit referendum to end the ridiculous campaign to leave the EU – something Churchill himself had favoured – but then lost by a margin of elderly voters who have since died. Then Boris Johnson, who loved dressing up in hard hats, overalls and so forth but couldn’t stop telling porky-pies to Parliament. Then Liz Truss who, in her few weeks in No 10, came oh-so-close to bringing Old Blighty to bankruptcy. Then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who departed early from the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings – where he would have shared a platform…

Europeans and Americans are beginning to experience an epiphany of biblical proportions as they turn their backs on liberalism, socialism and other left-wing claptrap that has been allowed to flourish over the years. Islamists flooding the two continents, attempting to penetrate and destroy Western values, is about to be brought to an abrupt end as clear-thinking citizens come to the realisation that the deluge of illegals will breed themselves into positions of power if they are not sent back to their home countries. Conservatism and old, proven values of decency are to be brought back into classrooms and homes. The swing to the right is profound at many levels. Vive Le Pen! Onwards and upwards the Trump juggernaut! Enough of namby-pamby left-wing socialist drivel. A new improved world is about…

When adolescents who have experienced maltreatment use alcohol and drugs to cope with their negative feelings, their risk of developing problematic substance use is greatly increased. This is according to a new study by UCT’s Psychology Department conducted in several Cape Town schools by psychology Master’s student Ayesha Assim and Associate Professor Debbie Kaminer, in collaboration with researchers at the Universities of Exeter and Stellenbosch. Past studies have found that young adults who endured childhood maltreatment are more prone to abusing substances when their use of alcohol or drugs is driven by coping motives – the belief that substances will help them to cope with feelings of anxiety, depression or distress. By contrast, those who use substances for socialising, pleasure or conforming to peer pressure face lower…

DR Naledi Pandor embodies the qualities of a true compatriot and deserves all the applause coming her way as she adjusts to a life out of the spotlight. Her sterling leadership at the time the global superpowers turned their backs on human rights violations the people of Palestine were subjected to by the Israeli army is one that all Cabinet ministers should emulate. Dr Pandor’s stance on the Palestinian question has been firm and encouraging despite the pressures and at times insults for standing up for what is just and right. At all times she served South Africa with humility. This is true of other departments she led during her time in government. No corruption scandals, just exemplary leadership. She restored the country’s image as a leader in global issues…

Israeli forces bombed and battled Hamas in Gaza City yesterday as tens of thousands of Palestinians scrambled for a safe haven after the army issued an evacuation order for a vast swathe in the territory’s south. Apache helicopters and Israeli quadcopter drones flew above Gaza City’s Shujaiya district as heavy gunfire echoed through the streets, reports said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a US report saying his generals were urging a Gaza truce even with Hamas undefeated. Military chief Herzi Halevi meanwhile said Israel was engaged in “a long campaign” to destroy Hamas over the October 7 attack and to bring home the hostages held by Hamas. The UN warned that the almost nine-month-old war had “unleashed a maelstrom of human misery” and that the latest evacuation order had plunged…

LONDON: Britain’s Conservative Party all-but conceded election defeat to Keir Starmer’s Labour yesterday, ahead of polling stations opening today, and warned that the opposition party was on course for a record-breaking victory. Opinion polls show the centre-left Labour Party is set for a big win in today’s vote that would end 14 years of Conservative government. Both Starmer and Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have warned voters of dire economic consequences if the other man wins. But the Conservatives said they needed to hang on to enough seats to provide an effective opposition to a Labour government. Polling analysis sees Labour winning 484 of the 650 seats in parliament. | Reuters…

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden pulled even with his Republican challenger Donald Trump this week in the race to win the November election, a sign the contest remains close, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Biden and Trump each had 40% support among registered voters. A poll last month showed Trump with a 2 percentage point lead, 41% to 39%. The two faced off in a televised debate last week, where Biden stammered throughout and failed to challenge Trump’s attacks. The new poll also showed that, following the debate, about one-in-three Democrats think Biden should drop out of the race. | Reuters…

Convergence Partners has bought a majority stake in IT company Datacentrix for an undisclosed amount, in a bid to leverage assets across both companies to take advantage of the huge possibilities artificial intelligence (AI) is to offer. As part of a management buyout, which will see existing management remaining to continue leading the company, management and Convergence Partners bought the company out from private equity firm, Alviva. Alviva acquired Datacentrix in 2017, resulting in the company being delisted after 20 years on the bourse. The deal was initially announced on January 17 this year, and yesterday achieved unconditional approval from both the Competition Commission and Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. Andile Ngcaba is the founder of Convergence Partners and is former director-general of what used to be the Department…

THE City says a comprehensive safety plan is in place for the Hollywoodbets Durban July as it expects an economic boost from the event. The highly anticipated event on the South African social and sporting calendar is set to take place at the Hollywoodbets racecourse in Greyville, Durban, on Saturday. Councillor Thembo Ntuli, the chairperson of economic development for the municipality, said the City was ready to host visitors from all over the country and abroad. Ntuli said law enforcement would be on high alert. “They have been working tirelessly to roll out an integrated and watertight safety plan to ensure our visitors and residents have a safe and memorable event. “Police will maintain high visibility around the Greyville area, and they will be complemented by private security. The…

THE decision on whether Dr John Hlophe will be designated to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) may be heading for a legal showdown after six legal NGOs urged the Speaker of Parliament to not appoint him, citing that it would be inappropriate for him to serve on the body that found him unsuitable for judicial office. The draft motion on the designation of MPs to serve on the JSC contains the name of former Western Cape judge president Hlophe, who became the first judge to be impeached in the democratic dispensation earlier this year. Hlophe, the leader of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) in Parliament, has been nominated by his party to serve on the JSC. The matter of the consideration of the designation of the MPs to serve on…

I have often wondered what considerations determine and influence the appointment of candidates to ministerial positions. I have tried to rationalise what reasons could the president have taken into account to appoint Angie Motshekga to head the SANDF after more than 15 years as Minister of Basic education. Of course, as a person who holds a degree in Educational Science and a Master’s degree, we can all agree that she was the right person for that job but was her work performance gratifying? Now she is appointed Minister of SANDF on what grounds? We have read about the many challenges and problems confronting the defence force, was she the best candidate to be better placed to be appointed to such a position that is tasked with protection of the country…

South Africa is a dry and water-scarce country. It is one of the 30 driest countries in the world, and receives about half of the world average in terms of rainfall. On top of it all, climate change is a reality, and having a negative impact on water resources and water availability as a result of high evaporation due to very hot temperatures and unpredictable rain patterns. All these put South Africa in a tight corner and calls for everyone to prioritise the conservative, wise and sparing use of the available water, prevent the pollution of water resources, and prevent unnecessary water losses as every drop counts. Water is life and has no substitute which makes it important that we all become responsible water users to ensure sustainable water supply…

DR Tshimangadzo Munonde, 33, a senior lecturer in analytical and environmental Research at Unisa’s Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, has been listed as one of the top 200 Young South Africans 2024 in the Education category, sponsored by Fundi. The announcement was made during the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans gala dinner held in Johannesburg last week. The event was held to shine a spotlight on young South Africans shaping the future of the nation. Munonde is involved in the supervision of Master’s and Doctoral students whose research projects are related to water quality monitoring and the treatment of wastewater. After working on a project in a rural area where villagers relied on river water that was contaminated with…

The KwaZulu-Natal National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) service providers’ association has threatened to stop the service over what they claim is a three-month outstanding payment from the KZN Department of Basic Education. According to the NSNP KZN spokesperson Thabang Mncwabe, the service providers may stop their service which could lead to thousands of pupils not being fed when schools reopen on Tuesday. Mncwabe said some service providers have not been paid since April with the department only paying 40% of the service providers. “There is a possibility that some schools will not receive food because service providers are not being paid. “That is not what we wish for, but if the department does not pay us how we are supposed to work? I am really hoping the department resolves this…

The partners should be commended for rising to the hour of need Whether it is because of the political acumen of his negotiators or sheer kismet, President Cyril Ramaphosa must be laughing all the way to the Bank of GNU (Government of National Unity). Whether the joke turns out to be on his 62.283 million compatriots or on his corrosive critics only time will tell. Whether Ramaphosa’s much-awaited 32-strong cabinet announced on Sunday does signal a new era for the Rainbow Nation, clobbered over the last decade by the extremes of a governance climate marked by dysfunction, failure of delivery on core ANC pledges, rising inequality, corruption, and other metrics of shame, remains to be seen. But let’s give the President and the 11-party GNU the chance and space to…

Tensions are escalating in France as the country approaches a snap election run-off, with fears mounting among its substantial Muslim minority. Fatimata, a 22-year-old French Muslim woman, feels increasingly alienated as the far-right, led by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, gains momentum. In the recent parliamentary elections, the far-right secured a leading position in the first round. While it’s uncertain if the National Rally will achieve a majority in Sunday’s run-off, many of France’s six million Muslims, including Fatimata, are deeply anxious. “Knowing that 10.6 million people voted for a party promoting the ban of the veil in public is hurtful,” she shared with Al Jazeera. Fatimata epitomises the French citizens targeted by Le Pen’s party. Wearing the hijab and born to Mauritanian and Senegalese parents, she grew up in…

Hurricane Beryl neared Jamaica as a powerful Category 4 storm yesterday, after flattening homes and devastating agriculture on smaller islands in the eastern Caribbean, killing at least seven people and creating “Armageddon-like” conditions on Grenada. At about 300km east-southeast of the Jamaican capital of Kingston, the hurricane packed maximum sustained winds of 1 230km/h, according to the US National Hurricane Center, Beryl was expected to bring “life-threatening’ winds and storm surge to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands yesterday and today, the hurricane centre said. In Jamaica’s capital, Kingston, residents stocked up on fuel, water and other essential supplies and boarded up shops and houses. The unusually early hurricane is expected to still be a hurricane when it passes near Jamaica and the Cayman Islands later this week. Beryl felled power…

Astana: The leaders of Russia and China were in Kazakhstan yesterday for a regional summit, seeking to harden anti-Western alliances and press their influence in the strategic Central Asian region. Russian President Vladimir Putin was in the Kazakh capital of Astana for a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – a Beijing-led regional bloc that covers Central Asia, India and Iran. Moscow and Beijing have deepened their ties since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also set to address the two-day summit today. | AFP…

Wellington: New Zealand’s annual cat-killing contest plans to expand next year, the event’s organiser said yesterday, describing feral felines as a grave threat to native wildlife. Feral cats prey on endangered birds, bats and lizards, says the department of conservation. The competition was held at the weekend in rural North Canterbury, with hunters killing 370 feral cats. It attracted 1 500 hunters, including 460 children who had to be accompanied by adults. Conservation groups want feral cats to be added to New Zealand’s plans to eradicate pests like rats, possums and ferrets, by 2050. | AFP…