The Mercury - April 11, 2025

In this issue

April 11, 2025

Three SA clubs on the brink of making history

SOUTH African football stands on the brink of continental history as Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, and Stellenbosch navigate separate paths to glory on the African continent, following successful quarter-final showings in the CAF Champions League and the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup, respectively, this past week.

2 mins

Contractor challenges eThekwini Municipality's Constitutional Court action

ETHEKWINI Municipality has been slammed for taking their multi-million-rand contractual dispute with a service provider to the Constitutional Court, in a move that has been described as an abuse of the court process and the city trying to “out-litigate” contractors.

3 mins

Bid to resolve Budget stumbling blocks

ANC in VAT talks with smaller parties

2 mins

Ostrich attack joins list of Bojo howlers

FORMER British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been attacked by an ostrich.

2 mins

Why 'merit' entrenches current levels of inequality in SA

THE letter, “Merit, not quotas will end racial divisions’ (The Mercury March 18), refers.

2 mins

A message to young girls: your talents are your power

“YEARS ago you wrote a column specifically for young girls — please publish it again...” a reader wrote.

1 min

SURVEILLANCE Drone technology boosts border security

IN A STEP to bolster South Africa’s border security, Home Affairs Minister Dr Leon Schreiber unveiled state-of-the-art surveillance technology that will be rolled out by the Border Management Authority (BMA) over the Easter weekend.

1 min

Parliamentary defence committees call for increased funding for SANDF

SOUTH Africa's parliamentary committees on defence are pressing the government to inject increased financial resources into the Department of Defence.

2 mins

Health Minister's R3bn plan to bolster healthcare workforce, facilities

HEALTH Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has announced a major boost for South Africa’s public health system with the approval of over R1.78 billion to employ healthcare professionals, and an additional R1.3 billion for hospital essentials including beds, mattresses, and linen.

1 min

Hundreds of illegal miners face deportation

MORE than five months after the launch of Operation Vala Umgodi in Stilfontein, North West, police say the cases against the illegal miners are continuing.

2 mins

Albert Luthuli’s family welcomes new inquest into his death

THE family of the late ANC president inkosi Albert Luthuli has welcomed the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) decision to reopen the inquest into his death.

1 min

Frustration at slow progress on rescue plan for Master's Offices

MORE than a year after the ambitious rescue plan for South Africa’s Master’s Offices was approved, mounting frustrations among legal practitioners and industry stakeholders highlight the slow progress being made to address long-standing issues.

3 mins

How corrupt politicians still find a home in office

SOMETIMES, what you are not hearing people talk about at parties and in taxis is revealing.

2 mins

AI and inclusive development in the Global South

People in developing and least industrialised countries demand shared prosperity

4 mins

Pope prescribed two months of rest

The Catholic Church starts its busiest week of the year on Sunday with the countdown to Easter, but Pope Francis remains out of public view after surviving double pneumonia and it is unclear whether he will take any part in the celebrations.

2 mins

Liberation Day tariffs: a political gimmick?

President Donald Trump declared “Liberation Day,’ unveiling a sweeping set of tariffs aimed at reshaping America’s trade relationships.

3 mins

Stocks surge as tariffs delayed

STOCKS rocketed yesterday as a relief rally spread through markets after President Donald Trump paused crippling tariffs on US partners, with Chinese investors even brushing off his decision to ramp up duties on Beijing to 125% .

3 mins

MUSIC INDUSTRY IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY BATTLE AGAINST AI COMPANIES

THE music industry is fighting on platforms, through the courts and with legislators in a bid to prevent the theft and misuse of art for generative AI - but it remains an uphill battle.

2 mins

Advanced towing technology: Making trailer control effortless

SOUTH Africans are fond of the outdoors and whether it’s a trailer, bush-caravan, caravan, boat, jetski, off-road trailer or motorbikes we don’t think twice about hooking them up behind our cars and towing them for hundreds of kilometres.

3 mins

SA’s most powerful bakkie! Pricing, specifications

BYD has effectively doubled its model range in South Africa with the introduction of the highly-anticipated Shark 6 double cab bakkie as well as the Sealion 6 hybrid SUV and Sealion 7 electric SUV.

1 min

Tackling Kyalami's 16 corners: Round 2

IT’S considered one of the most iconic racing tracks in the world and we'll be driving it as fast as we can at the Kyalami Extreme Festival this weekend.

1 min

Future of petrol-electric hybrids in South Africa

THE Leapmotor C10 REEV midsize SUV to be launched in South Africa this year is a Battery Electric Motor (BEV) but technically it’s also not.

5 mins

SA's electricity supply remains constrained as load shedding looms for winter

THE Minerals Council has warned that load shedding remains a strong possibility for the winter months as energy supply was constrained, with Energy Availability Factor (EAF) at 57.5%.

2 mins

Renergen sees share price rise by over 15% after appealing MDPRA approval

THE share price of Renergen, JSE-listed owner of South Africa's only onshore gas production facility, increased sharply by over 15% on Thursday after it announced a significant success in an ongoing legal dispute.

2 mins

Rand's rollercoaster ride, Trump tariffs, GNU fuel currency turmoil

South Africa now has an opportunity, during the 90-day window, to broker trade deals, say experts

3 mins

South Africa sets its ambitious 620 agenda for digital public infrastructure and Al

DIGITAL technologies hold immense potential for economies’ long-term development. South Africa, through its G20 Presidency, is seizing this transformative opportunity to prioritise digital public infrastructure (DPI) and artificial intelligence (Al), both critical enablers of digital transformation, on this year’s G20 digital agenda.

4 mins

South Africa confronts a looming water shortage threatening agriculture, food security

EXPERTS on Thursday said they believed that the water crisis has a huge impact on the agricultural industry after a JP Landman report released last week indicated that South Africa was one of the 30 driest countries globally.

2 mins

South Africa prepares to engage the US on tariff reductions and trade agreements

THE Department of Trade Industry and Competition (the dtic) has said the United States’ latest shift to reduce tariffs on countries including South Africa to 30% were fertile ground for negotiations.

2 mins

Tharisa sees stable PGM prices as chrome demand rebounds amidst trade uncertainties

PHOEVOS Pouroulis, the CEO of Tharisa said on Thursday that demand for chrome has been rebounding while platinum group metals (PGM) prices in rand terms have stabilised although global trade wars are ocassioning economic uncertainty that could dent demand for some commodities.

2 mins

Life Healthcare Group reports growth in Southern African operations

LIFE Healthcare Group Holdings’ Southern African business experienced good underlying activity growth in the six months to March 31, the JSE-listed private healthcare provider said in a trading update Thursday.

2 mins

Murray & Roberts business rescue plan approval will see it sell its mining businesses

MURRAY & Roberts Limited (MRL) is selling its mining businesses in terms of a business rescue plan that was approved by creditors this week, but there will no distribution to shareholders.

2 mins

Why beneficiary nomination is critical to your estate plan

AN essential component of estate and succession planning is ensuring that your beneficiary nominations are accurate and reflect your wishes. A well-considered nomination not only avoids confusion but can also reduce estate costs and expedite the transfer of assets to your loved ones. Here’s what to know:

2 mins

How to strengthen your financial fitness by improving your credit score

MOST people who work on their physical fitness want to get stronger and lose some weight. Financial fitness works in much the same way, especially when it comes to your credit score. A good credit score puts you in a strong position when you want to apply for credit, and it will also ‘thin down’ the stress that goes with applying for a loan.

2 mins

Winning the fight against financial illiteracy

OUR South African wallets are a beleaguered lot. This month, electricity prices are going up. Well, it seems all prices keep going up, thanks to our enemy, inflation.

2 mins

Live bait is the ticket if you're after big tuna

WE cruised through April Fools without too much chaos, and NOW, it’s time to hit the water!

2 mins

Proteas’ concern grows ahead of Test final after Bavuma’s elbow injury flares up again

IN exactly two months, the Proteas will be lining up at Lord’s for the national anthems ahead of the World Test Championship final against Australia.

2 mins

Teenage star Meso getting better at juggling Matric and SA call-ups

CRICKET South Africa (CSA) may soon have to employ an educator to go along on Proteas tours, due to the number of school pupils representing the senior national teams.

1 min

CHALLENGE CUP Bulls' Stravino aims to run over Edinburgh

FOR a big unit like Stravino Jacobs, recovering from injuries takes time.

2 mins

Matlou and Nyandeni bow out as legends after stellar Banyana careers

NOKO Matlou and Nompumelelo Nyandeni left the Banyana Banyana jersey better than they found it - and that’s why they are bowing out as legends.

3 mins

Cardoso warns Sundowns about 'strong' Chiefs

MIGUEL Cardoso, the Mamelodi Sundowns coach, said his team must be prepared to be stretched to the limits to overcome Kaizer Chiefs in Sunday's Nedbank Cup semi-final at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria (6pm kick-off).

2 mins

Riveiro: Pirates aim to write a new story in Nedbank Cup

ORLANDO Pirates have enjoyed yet another memorable season under the guidance of coach Jose Riveiro.

2 mins

How PSL voted to reportedly expel Royal AM

THE Premier Soccer League (PSL) Board of Governors (BoG) on Thursday reportedly terminated beleaguered club Royal AM's membership after a day-long voting session held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

2 mins

Ugly scenes at Orlando Stadium unacceptable, says Riveiro

THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) must take actions against the unsavoury scenes that unfolded at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Wednesday night.

2 mins

No pressure, only pleasure, says Nabi ahead of semi-final

KAIZER Chiefs' coach Nasreddine Nabi says he is 'not under pressure' to end their 10-year trophy drought, as there is a bigger focus: completing the process.

1 min

Selukwe can deliver a hammer blow

ELEVEN-TIME South African Champion Jockey Michael Roberts has always rated the New Zealand-bred Sledgehammer as the best horse he ever rode in South Africa.

3 mins

Garrix could land the spoils in the Variety Club Mile

GARRIX was gelded just a few days after finishing third in the 2000m SplashOut Cape Derby (Gr1) and the 8yo son of Vercingetorix could prove the one to beat in tomorrow’s R350 000 Variety Club Mile (Gr3) over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. Garrix has always been very highly regarded but many pundits opined that we were only likely to see the best of version of him as a gelding.

2 mins

Read all stories from The Mercury

The Mercury Newspaper Description:

The Mercury is positioned to appeal to achievers with a high disposable income, and the upwardly mobile. This includes professionals, business people, opinion makers, political leaders, public servants, and academics as well as sports and arts enthusiasts. Its readers recognise that they should be plugged into their city, province and country and indeed the world to inform their decision-making and achieve success. The newspaper’s crisp and credible reporting ensures that readers get a “head start” every morning. KwaZulu-Natal's leading daily newspaper & media partners of The Sharks, published since 1852