The Mercury - April 29, 2025

In this issue

April 29, 2025

CTIJF 2025 an 'unforgettable experience'

THE 2025 Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) roared back to life in spectacular style, drawing around 24000 music lovers over three days.

1 min

Malema joins calls for Godongwana's resignation after VAT hike ruling

EFF President Julius Malema has joined the chorus calling for Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and his Director-General, Duncan Pieterse, to resign over the VAT battle.

2 mins

Mantashe warns against racial division, exploitation of 'apartheid wounds'

ACTING President Gwede Mantashe has used his Freedom Day speech to warn against the exploitation of “apartheid wounds” to score political points.

2 mins

KZN plans for direct international flights

Bid to boost tourism

3 mins

Repeating a lie ad nauseam does not make it true

IN HIS recent letter about Eastern and Western values and cultures, the race and religious supremacist Essa again projected himself as an expert on all things Indian.

1 min

Moments that mattered in South Africa

I'VE been reading a remarkable and highly entertaining book on South Africa: 100 Moments That Mattered - Events that Built South Africa, by Peter Joyce.

2 mins

Navigating interpersonal conflicts: the role of maturity

SOME things are inescapable...

1 min

Democrats' implosion is facilitating Trump's Maga mission

THE stultifying groupthink, extremist actions and intentions of Far-Left Democrats should enlighten Trump detractors and sceptics that a revolutionary overthrow of America's constitutional order is not a conspiracy theory but a real objective that has to be exposed and uprooted.

2 mins

Animal Welfare Society responds to Table Mountain fire

THE Animal Welfare Society of South Africa has been inundated with emergency calls as its teams assist animals affected by the Table Mountain fires in Cape Town.

1 min

Thousands of pupils lack safe transport

INADEQUATE FUNDING -DESPITE a budget increase this financial year, thousands of school pupils in KwaZulu-Natal will still have to walk long distances to school due to inadequate funding for their scholar transport.

2 mins

KZN Health Department faces backlash from unions

POWER OUTAGE

1 min

Families to be relocated after uMlazi mudslide destroyed their homes

FAMILIES whose homes were destroyed by a devastating mudslide in uMlazi, south of Durban, are set to be relocated, KwaZulu-Natal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi has announced.

1 min

Infrastructure is the lifeline of South Africa's GNU

Strengthening municipal capacity through targeted interventions remains core focus

4 mins

Commit anew to the principles of May Day

ON THIS May Day, we pause to honour the long and difficult journey of South African workers. This journey was never just about wages - it was a revolution to dismantle the apartheid system and its oppressive and unjust workplace laws.

2 mins

BACKLASH AGAINST VAT HIKE SUPPORTERS

POLITICAL parties that backed the now aborted 0.5% VAT increase face a significant challenge in regaining the trust of their constituents.

1 min

Aid block used as ‘weapon of war’

A TOP Palestinian official told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) yesterday that Israel was blocking humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza as a “weapon of war’, at the start of a week of hearings at the UN’s top court.

1 min

Nepal plans to restrict permits for climbers

NEPAL will issue Everest permits only to climbers with experience of scaling at least one of the Himalayan nation’s 7 000m peaks, according to the draft of a new law aimed at reducing overcrowding.

1 min

Rwanda feels bite of cutting relations

RWANDA last month severed relations with Belgium following criticism of its actions in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - a move that is already having unexpected consequences.

2 mins

'Critical week' for Ukraine talks

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump said he believed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was ready to concede Crimea to Russia as part of any ceasefire deal, as talks on a truce entered what Washington called a critical week yesterday.

3 mins

Ex-cop receives 25-year sentence for raping 15-year-old girl

DISGRACED ex-police officer Frederick Soldaat, who was convicted last month for the rape of a 15-year-old girl at a police station, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

1 min

Families speak after three Free State cops go missing

THE husband of missing police constable, 30-year-old Keamogetswe Buys, has joined families of the other missing police officers and the SAPS in appealing for their safe return.

1 min

Immigration officials suspended amid corruption claims

MISCONDUCT - THE Border Management Authority (BMA) has suspended two immigration officials who were among nine suspects arrested for allegedly being involved in corruption and for contravention of the Immigration Act.

1 min

KZN Transport launches 'war on potholes'

ROADS - THE KwaZulu-Natal Transport department has launched a R216 million War on Potholes campaign as it moves to address the deterioration of the province's road network.

1 min

Legal tussle over beloved showjumper

A MUCH-loved showjumping gelding called Evening Storm is in the centre of a legal tussle between his owner and a veterinarian, with the latter refusing to give the horse back to his owner, as she claimed the horse was a gift to her.

2 mins

KZN CHAMPIONS SEASON SET TO LIGHT UP SOUTH AFRICAN HORSERACING

THE 2025 KwaZulu-Natal Champions Season, widely acknowledged as the National Championships of South African horseracing, gets under way over the weekend at Hollywoodbets Greyville with the running of the R750 000 World Sports Betting Guineas (Gr2) over 1600m, the R750 000 Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes (Gr2) over 1400m and the R500 000 World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas (Gr2) over 1600m.

4 mins

IMF warns over threat of external headwinds on Sub-Saharan Africa

IMF warning comes as South Africa is grappling with measures to raise revenue

3 mins

Warning signs emerge as ITAC reviews tariffs for renewable energy sector

THE renewable energy sector in South Africa faces potential upheaval as the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) reviews 82 tariff codes, a move which has been flagged by industry experts as having more penalties than incentives.

2 mins

R515 million TERS audit sparks outrage among SA companies over alleged mismanagement

HUNDREDS of companies are up in arms over a “mismanaged” audit process, worth R515 million, launched by the Department of Labour and Employment (DEL) to probe potential theft of benefits provided to workers across South Africa during Covid-19.

3 mins

South African households still under pressure despite inflation dropping to 5-year low

SOUTH Africa's consumers received a sliver of hope this week as Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) announced a significant drop in inflation from 3.2% to 2.7% in March, marking the lowest level seen in five years.

2 mins

China: Tailwinds persist despite trade turbulence

CHINESE equities entered 2025 with positive momentum.

2 mins

Business Rescue puts Tongaat Hulett back on track

TONGAAT Hulett is unquestionably one of South Africa's most vital sugar producers. Tongaat Hulett continues to operate effectively and is firmly on the road to recovery in anticipation of the successful implementation of its business rescue plan.

4 mins

SA, Tanzania strengthen ties as import ban on agricultural products is lifted

MINISTER of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, has welcomed Tanzania's decision to lift its recent import ban on South African agricultural products.

2 mins

SA farmers have mixed reactions about implications of VAT increase reversal

THE AGRICULTURAL industry in South Africa has given mixed reactions to the reversal of the proposed 0.5 percentage points increas in the Value-Added Tax (VAT) by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana that the proposed on Thursday.

3 mins

Eskort expands its retail presence with new stores across South Africa

ESKORT is not just about bacon or Viennas; the food processing company behind the brand has added four retail stores across the country in a growth spurt at the end of last year, with more planned for the future.

2 mins

Impala Platinum's production volumes fall due to operational challenges

IMPALA Platinum Holdings was one of the worst performers on the JSE on Thursday, following a production report that revealed a 5% decrease in its 6E Group production volumes to 2.60 million due to operational challenges and maintenance.

2 mins

Fortifying the future: how advanced technology can transform public sector cyber resilience

AS GOVERNMENTS around the world face increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, the need for robust cyber resilience is more urgent than ever.

3 mins

Smart driving new front in China car wars despite fatal crash

INTELLIGENT driving features are the new battleground in China's merciless car market, with competition spurring brands to world-leading advances -- but a recent fatal crash has seen the government intervene to put the brakes on runaway enthusiasm.

3 mins

The battle for wisdom in the age of Al deepfakes and delusion

IN THE WAKE of last week's alarming report from Anthropic—the AI safety company founded by former OpenAI researchers and creators of Claude, a leading AI assistant competing with ChatGPT—I find myself increasingly concerned about our collective capacity for discernment in this accelerating AI era.

3 mins

Bok Women's Sevens on the up ahead of crunch LA play-offs

SEVENS CHALLENGER

1 min

Elegantrix is far too sharp

If Sunday's three-year-old features at Hollywoodbets Scottsville were a dress rehearsal for Saturday, May 31, they were more like scattering the pieces of a thousand piece puzzle than providing any solid pointers to the possible outcomes of the Gr1 Gold Medallion or the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship.

2 mins

Majoro expects emotional cloud for Pirates ahead of Soweto Derby

ORLANDO Pirates have been warned to brace for an emotional battle as they return to domestic action following their heartbreak in the CAF Champions League semi-finals against Egyptian side Pyramids FC.

2 mins

A weekend of Sundowns' triumph and Pirates' heartbreak

AS NEXT month's CAF Champions League final approaches, Mamelodi Sundowns’ supporters are not just optimistic — they are brimming with excitement.

2 mins

Enrique shines as PSG's key figure, says Schweinsteiger

FIFA World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger believes “the biggest superstar” in the UEFA Champions League at present is not a player, but in fact Paris St Germain manager Luis Enrique.

2 mins

Napoli's Conte savours team's impressive Serie A performance

NAPOLI coach Antonio Conte said it was time to savour the moment after his side went three points clear in the Serie A title race with victory against Torino on Sunday with the win also securing their return to Europe’ elite club competition.

1 min

How Arne Slot defied the doubters

NO sooner had the final whistle sounded at Anfield, confirming Arne Slot’s historic title feat at Liverpool, did the doubters start trying to downplay the achievement.

3 mins

KOLISI CELEBRATES LIVERPOOL BUT FOCUSSED ON IMPRESSING RASSIE IN THE URC

SIYA Kolisi enjoyed a happy weekend of sporting success. On Saturday night, he led his team to victory over Ulster in Belfast, and on Sunday, he watched in the stands at Anfield as his beloved Liverpool secured the English Premiership title.

1 min

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