Innholdsfortegnelse for 2024-08-19 i Mercury

South Africa will once again scramble to purchase mpox vaccines amid “vaccine apartheid” as President Cyril Ramaphosa at the weekend urged the international community, partners, and organisations to mobilise stockpiles of vaccines and other medical countermeasures for deployment in Africa amid an outbreak of the disease. This mobilisation needs to be co- ordinated via mechanisms established by Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure equitable distribution and transparency. Mpox is a viral infection characterised by painful lesions. It is spread by direct contact with an infected person, animal or contaminated items like clothing or bedding. Ramaphosa, speaking in his role as African Union (AU) Champion on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response, said on Saturday that Africa required robust support in funding, research, and the sharing of technologies,…

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) on Friday said the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) has completed the recruitment of 32 hauler drivers in time for the arrival of 32 new haulers early this month – bringing the total of the terminal’s new fleet to 47 haulers. This comes as TPT last month took delivery of 15 new haulers, a portion of a consignment of 47 new haulers, following the arrival of 10 haulers at the terminal in June. The haulers are key in moving containers within CTCT and will boost operational recovery at the terminals after operations were affected by recent inclement weather. Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Shacman was currently conducting a full inspection before the vehicle-mounted tools were installed. These include terminal systems, radios and the Navis container management system…

The Electricity Regulation Amendment Act, which President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law, sets out far-reaching reforms of South Africa’s electricity sector, according to the Presidency. It said this included the establishment of a competitive electricity market. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Friday that the bill amended the Electricity Regulation Act of 2006 to respond to current realities in the electricity sector and open up pathways to greater competition and reduced energy costs; increase investment; the establishment of an independent transmission company; and the imposition of severe penalties for damage to and sabotage of infrastructure. He said the act provides for the establishment, duties, powers and functions of the Transmission System Operator SOC (TSO) – which must be established as an independent entity within five years – and for…

KAP’s share price surged 7.5% on Friday after the diversified chemical, industrial and logistics group said earnings per share would increase by between 96% and 115% for the year to June 30, 2024. The company said in a trading statement that KAP remained resilient in a challenging trading environment, with five of its six divisions delivering an improved performance compared to the prior year. This was offset by a weaker performance by Safripol, which continued to be affected by a cyclical low in the global polymers industry. EPS, when the group anticipated to release its annual results on August 20, were expected to be between 41.8 cents and 45.8c, compared to the EPS of 21.3c reported for the 2023 financial year. Notably, the 2023 financial results had included a R570…

TODAY is National Potato Day! On August 19 each year we celebrate the humble vegetable that not only tastes delicious but is also incredibly versatile. Potatoes remain South Africa’s most popular carb and can be transformed into a variety of dishes. They can be boiled and mashed, baked, or deep-fried. Potatoes were first cultivated in regions of South America sometime between 5 000 and 8 000 BC. From that point forward they spread all over the world to become one of the primary staple crops of many cultures and are now a favourite part of global cuisine, with several different forms of preparation to be found in virtually every recipe book. In celebration of this day, we take a look at some of the dishes that you can serve with…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners to unlock support for Africa amid the mpox outbreak, which has been declared a public health emergency threatening the continent’s security. In a statement on Saturday, speaking as the AU champion on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, Ramaphosa said he fully supported the director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s declaration of mpox as a public health emergency of continental security. “This crucial decision empowers Africa CDC to lead and co-ordinate our collective response efforts, strengthening the mpox response at every level – from community engagement to collaboration with the highest political authorities and our international partners. “The declaration will also galvanise political leadership and engagement among AU heads of state and government,…

The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts presents the 26th JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience offering a 13-day treat of world-class contemporary dance that will see both local and international dance makers converging on Durban between August 27 and the September 8. The theme of this year’s festival is “finding our way home” and, curator Dr Lliane Loots says, it “is set against a backdrop of both local and global political renegotiations of what it means to be human, to belong, to have a home and to be a citizen of a country (and of a planet); against an occupied Gaza, a ravaged Ukraine, anti-foreigner right-wing political movements in Europe, a South African Government of National Unity that is busy manoeuvring for power … JOMBA! begins to ask what it…

As pleased as the Springboks are with their full house of points in Australia, they know they played a weak Wallabies team and the All Blacks will provide a far sterner challenge in Johannesburg and Cape Town. At the weekend, the Kiwis bounced back from a shock first Test defeat to the Pumas to smash the Argentinians 42-10 in Auckland. With their confidence restored, the All Blacks travel to South Africa believing that they can avenge their one-point defeat to the Boks in last year’s World Cup final, the last time the teams met. Bok wing Cheslin Kolbe said there is no chance of complacency setting in before the August 31 encounter with the All Blacks in Joburg and the second Test a week later in Cape Town. “We’ll…

Western Province must win their final three Currie Cup matches, preferably all with a bonus point, and hope for some favours from other teams if they want to reach the play-offs. With the way they are playing and struggling in the competition, the semi-finals will likely be a bridge too far after going down without any points against the Lions on Saturday. Ellis Park was not kind to the Cape side in a must-win clash, with the home team comprehensively outplaying their visitors, and winning 41-22. The Lions moved into second place on the log with WP stuck in sixth, a full five points behind the Pumas who they must still face in Mbombela in a couple of weeks. It was a game of two halves where the Lions dominated…

South African currency and stock markets ended on a high note on Friday as the rand surged to its highest in a year while stocks reached a record high as investors flocked to gold, pushing the price of the yellow metal to record highs. The rand strengthened to R17.87 against the US dollar on Friday afternoon, its highest in 12 months, bolstered by receding concerns over a potential recession in the US and prospects of global interest-rate cuts in the coming months. Over the past four weeks, the dollar has lost 1.87% compared to the rand, and 6.24% in the last 12 months. Nedbank economist Isaac Matshego said market sentiment continued to be driven by easing concerns of a potential recession in the world’s largest economy following a string of…

The High Commissioner Designate to India, Professor Anil Sooklal, said last night that two-way trade between India and South Africa has the potential to grow to $25 billion (R446.3bn) from the current $19bn in a short period. India is SA’s fourth-largest trade partner as the sub-continent exports about $5.3bn in goods and services to this country annually, said Sooklal, speaking to Business Report ahead of the official launch of the India South Africa Chamber of Commerce (ISACC). Sooklal said he believed that the new chamber could boost trade between the countries, especially when it came to creating awareness of the opportunities that partnerships with India afforded. India and South Africa have had diplomatic relationships for 30 years. There are more than 130 Indian companies in SA that collectively employ more…

Accountancy firm PwC has been fined by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority for failing to report suspicions of fraud during an audit of the LCF fund, in the watchdog’s first fine against an auditor. The 2019 collapse of London Capital & Finance (LCF), which sold high-yield bonds that turned out to be high risk was one of the biggest City scandals in recent years. The markets watchdog handed PwC a £15 million (R342m) fine after it signed off an audit of the group in 2016, and did not report suspicions around the group’s financial conduct. PwC faced “significant issues” during the “very complex” audit, the watchdog said, with LCF giving the auditors “inaccurate and misleading information”. According to the FCA, this “led PwC to suspect that LCF might be involved…

Most equity markets across the globe bounced back last week to recover their losses after the big sell-off the previous Monday. On the JSE, the All Share Index recorded a new record high closing level of 82 824 points on Friday. The index gained 2.6% last week and ended 9.4% higher for the year to date. The financial board did the best last week as the FIN15 Index advanced by 4.5% over the five days. Resources moved flat, with the RES10 Index gaining 0.6% and the All Industrial Index winning 2.5%. The main reason for this strong recovery came from the US annual inflation rate, which dipped below 3% in July on 2.9%. It is the first time since March 2021 that the consumer price index (CPI) increase was…

TONGAAT Hulett (THL), the beleaguered sugar group, will through its “Asset Transaction” proposed in a business rescue plan sell its assets, and will likely be left with zero surplus to pay out shareholders, while the remaining listed shell company will be delisted, the business rescue practitioners (BRPs) said on Friday. Tongaat’s BRPs provided an update on the business rescue following a shareholder meeting earlier this month where shareholders failed to approve resolutions that would have made a share subscription possible, and would have resulted in THL remaining listed. The share subscription was required for an earlier business rescue option that would have entailed, among others, the settling of most of Tongaat’s debt with a debt-for-equity swop. Another consortium, the Mozambique-based RGS Group that pulled out of the bidding to rescue…

South African mining and labour unions have called for more measures aimed at reducing poverty of mineworkers and avoiding a recurrence of the 2012 Marikana shootings. This comes after Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Thembisile Simelane said the Gauteng High Court was working on finalising constitutional damages related to the case. On August 16, 2012 police opened fire on striking Lonmin mineworkers, killing 34. Ten others, including mineworkers, security guards and policemen, were also killed a few days earlier when protests turned deadly, and as Lonmin employees pressed on for a R12 500 wage settlement. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa said “mine management refused to negotiate” with the striking workers, culminating in the shootings. At the time, President Cyril Ramaphosa was deputy president as well as…

Charlotte van der Westhuizen has welcomed the decision to revoke the parole of her ex-husband Marius van der Westhuizen, who murdered their three young children, as a victory for all women and children affected by gender-based violence (GBV). The Correctional Supervision and Parole Review Board (CSPRB) announced on Thursday that Van der Westhuizen’s parole was reviewed and they had overturned the parole board’s decision. Lawyer for Charlotte, Gerhard van Niekerk, said that his client was elated with the decision. “This is a victory for us as it has been a very tough battle and journey over the past 18 years. “Charlotte is very happy with the outcome and has said that this is a victory for all women and children subjected to GBV. “We want to thank the judge and…

The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in South Africa has launched an insightful book titled Xi Jinping and the Flourishing Forum on China-Africa Co-operation in the New Era. The launch, held at the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria last week, marked a significant milestone in celebrating and understanding the evolving and deepening ties between China and Africa. The book, co-authored by Dr Paul Tembe, a leading scholar and expert in Sino-African relations, delves into the transformative impact of the Forum on China-Africa Co-operation (Focac) since its inception 24 years ago. It provides a comprehensive analysis of how Focac has become a cornerstone of China-Africa relations, fostering sustainable development, peace and mutual prosperity. The event commenced with the official Focac film, showcasing the achievements and milestones of China-Africa co-operation. This…

There comes a point in life and in litigation when parents must accept that the other co-parent is not the demon they believe them to be, an acting judge said during a bitter tug-of-war between two divorced parents over the care of their 8-year-old son. The mother accused the father of “subjecting the child to sexual molestation”, but the allegations proved untrue. It was ruled earlier that the child should, for now, live with the father because of the mother’s efforts at “parental alienation”. The mother turned to the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, in a bid for the court to order that the child be returned to her. Acting Judge Sarita Liebenberg said a child had the right to a close, loving relationship with both parents and both sides of…

The Proteas were expected to beat the West Indies in their recently concluded Test series. The rankings certainly pointed to it with the Proteas listed at No 4 and the Windies languishing in eighth place. And for the fact that they have now done it in 10 consecutive series, the most by any major Test-playing nation. But do not for one minute believe the latest 1-0 series win, achieved late on day three in the second and final Test in Guyana, was as matter of fact in the way history will document it. The Proteas’ first-choice Test unit had not been together as a group since Newlands’ New Year’s Test debacle against India, which was compounded by the fact that the vast majority of the squad had not even played…

Arsenal made a flying start to their bid to win the Premier League title as the “unbelievable” Bukayo Saka inspired a 2-0 victory against Wolves on Saturday. Germany forward Kai Havertz put Mikel Arteta’s side ahead from Saka’s assist in the first half at the Emirates Stadium. England winger Saka wrapped up the points after the interval with a brilliant strike to cap a virtuoso display. “Bukayo had an unbelievable action to score the 2-0. With good players it’s like that. With (Lionel) Messi, I know he’s going to come in and do that, but you can’t stop him,” Arteta said of Saka’s eye-catching goal. It was exactly the kind of statement Arsenal needed after Arteta admitted they will have to be almost perfect to end Manchester City’s four-year reign…

South Africa has recommitted itself to industrialisation, re-industrialisation, transformation, and establishing a capable state through economic growth based on constitutional principles aimed at building a better future for all. This was the message from Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau on Friday, during his virtual participation in the meeting of BRICS ministers of industry. The gathering was part of a series of BRICS meetings that Russia is hosting in preparation for the BRICS Summit that takes place in Kazan, Russia, in October. Tau said South Africa must look towards the future of industry to ensure its economy was future-proof. “To address historical structural inequalities, unemployment and poverty, there is a consensus among the social partners that we have to mobilise all our resources and efforts in economic activities intended…

Sunny skies, braais, the bush, the people and South Africa’s “soul” are some of the reasons why South Africans are returning home from various countries, such as the UK, after the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU). These are among sentiments expressed in queries sent to estate agents at a time when local property prices are increasing at a rate below inflation. As one expat told Business Report: “I want my soul to be alive again.” Others said: “It’s just a feeling and a vibe I can’t put into words.” Another noted that South Africa’s food, people, diversity and nature were also reasons for returning. Currently, property inflation is at 3.5% year-on-year across the country, based on the latest Statistics South Africa figures to March. CPI is 5.1%.…

The government’s retraction of its 2 500MW nuclear procurement programme, according to some analysts, has been driven by its collaboration in the Government of National Unity (GNU) as its ally, the DA, pursues legal action against the collective’s envisaged expenditure of more than R200 billion in the nuclear build. This comes as Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientso Ramokgopa on Friday withdrew the ministerial determination published in January for the procurement of 2 500MW of nuclear energy in a bid to allow for additional public participation process on the back of looming litigation. The timelines for the public participation process have not yet been finalised but should be completed within three to six months, in line with the process to finalise the Draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP2023).…

South African women are outperforming men in getting more, so they are very much on top of their game. However, the sad reality is that gender-based violence and patriarchy are so prevalent in South Africa, women are still under this cloud. But women’s success is often resented by some men, leading to sexual abuse that has further spread HIV/Aids in our country. It reminds me of one HIV/Aids campaign that fell flat on its face that probably had an experience of a strange corresponding face among octogenarian ladies. Once upon a time the then deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa in the fight against HIV/Aids would advertise in Parliament a new invention that came in different flavours. It was the Max condom that had just launched. “Max for maximum pleasure, maximum protection…

Master Drilling Group said Friday its headline earnings per share are expected to be between 1.9% lower and 18.1% higher for the six months to June 30 than the comparative period last year, as reported in rands. The group, one of the largest rock boring and drilling services providers in the world, said in a trading statement that earnings per share (EPS) were expected to be between 6 and 40.30 cents, compared to EPS of 171.30 cents per share for the same period a year before. This would represent a decline of between 96.5% and 76.5% lower than the comparative period, as reported in ZAR. The lower EPS was largely the result of non-cash adjustments deemed appropriate in the interim results. EPS, in US dollars, were expected to be between…

Revenues and volumes in Zimbabwean retailer OK Zimbabwe surged in the quarter to June, with US dollar payments falling as take-up of the country’s new local currency improved while the chain also benefited from promotional offerings. OK Zimbabwe competes against Pick n Pay-branded stores in the country’s retail sector that also imports stock from South Africa, Mozambique, and Zambia. Margaret Munyuru, company secretary for OK Zimbabwe, said on Friday that revenue for the quarter to end June had increased by 2.2%. In previous quarters, Zimbabwe’s retailers including Pick n Pay and Spar have been affected by a rapidly growing informal sector and pricing distortions as a result of fluctuations in Zimbabwe’s previous currency, the Zimbabwe dollar. After introduction of the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) local currency in April, take-up of the…

The Southern African Tourism Services Association (Satsa) said it is deeply concerned by the inaccurate and misleading reporting surrounding the outbreak of mpox. This followed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recent declaration which classified the rise in mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The voice of inbound tourism in South Africa said that while it fully supports efforts to combat the spread of mpox and recognises the seriousness of this declaration, Southern Africa remains a safe and desirable travel destination as tour operators in the region are committed to the highest safety standards and are working closely with local authorities to monitor the situation. David Frost, CEO of Satsa, said that though the tourism body recognises the need for international…

As South Africa marks the anniversary of the Marikana massacre on Friday, which claimed the lives of 34 miners 12 years ago, a legal tussle is looming between the government and a public interest law centre representing the families of the miners. The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (Seri), which is representing the miners’ families, is gearing up to institute a civil claim suit for constitutional damages. Scores of some of the miners families are yet to be compensated. This week, Seri said the Office of the Solicitor-General had claimed to have settled about R71 million in loss of support to 34 of the families. However, of the 315 claimants, about 129 people, have received nothing. The R71m formed part of the R330m the Solicitor-General reported to have been…

Retired BBC journalist, radio producer and presenter Arjumand Wajid has fulfilled her promise to her close friend, anti-apartheid activist Fatima Meer, by completing the Struggle stalwart’s first biography, titled Born to Struggle. Meer, who was born in Durban and died in 2010 at the age of 81, was an academic, writer and a prominent anti-apartheid activist who dedicated her life to fighting for social justice and human rights. She vehemently opposed segregation that became a reality via the Group Areas Act, and was among the first women to join the executive panel of the Natal Indian Congress, where she led marches against the apartheid government. Wajid, 76, said the book was a labour of love and a promise fulfilled. “I see this as a debt of gratitude. She did so…

The SA Human Rights Commission’s (SAHRC) directives are not binding and can only be enforced through a court order, the Supreme Court of Appeal has ruled. The SCA held that the SAHRC’s powers were distinguishable from those of the public protector, which were earlier deemed to be binding by a court ruling. The SCA emphasised that the SAHRC was an independent Chapter 9 institution, subject only to the Constitution and the law. It said that the commission’s directives were not self-executing. The court further held that while the SAHRC had the power to investigate and report on human rights violations, it must approach a court to secure appropriate redress where rights are violated. The SCA thus dismissed an appeal by the SAHRC, which had maintained that its directives should be…

Dricus du Plessis did not mince his words when sharing his thoughts on who he felt was next in line for a shot at his middleweight title after overcoming one of the greatest athletes at UFC 305 yesterday. Du Plessis defended his 185-pound belt yesterday against former two-time champion, Nigerian-born Israel Adesanya who now lives in New Zealand, when he locked in a rear-naked choke in the fourth round of their main event at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White has confirmed that former champion Sean Strickland is next in line for another shot at the title after the South African secured a split decision win in their first meeting at UFC 297 and Strickland confirmed that he is up for it after…