The Mercury - May 05, 2025

In this issue

May 05, 2025

Zille reveals ANC's secret settlement bid over VAT hike

THE battle of the two largest parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU) over the VAT hike continues as the DA’s federal chairperson, Helen Zille, accused the ANC of attempting to take credit for halting the proposed increase while the Treasury asked to settle the matter out of court.

2 mins

Employment Equity sparks DA-ANC legal battle

Concern that 'one-size-fits-all approach' will be detrimental to businesses

3 mins

KZN government to blacklist contractors that fail to meet project deadlines

KWAZULU-NATAL Public Works and Infrastructure MEC, Martin Meyer, has warned contractors doing shoddy work for the government that they will be blacklisted.

1 min

Withdrawal of SANDF troops from DRC has begun, says Motshekga

NEW CHAPTER’

2 mins

Technical failures rendered Msunduzi council meeting unlawful, invalid

THE Democratic Alliance (DA) in Msunduzi has written to the municipal Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) representative, Mr Ndebele, to call for his urgent intervention over technical failures that have been hindering council proceedings, including last week’s council meeting, for far too long without any improvement or action.

1 min

No more excuses, Ramaphosa must eat humble pie

BY THE time Ramaphosa goes to meet Trump at the White House, I hope that sanity will prevail and that maybe, just maybe, Cyril has had an epiphany

2 mins

Trumpism reflected in British municipal elections

LAST week's results of the local government elections in Britain prove that Trumpism is irrepressible.

1 min

Climber rescued twice from Mt Fuji

THE IDLER graham.linscott@inl.co.za

1 min

Project to protect journalists, activists

HUMAN rights organisations and the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) have launched a new initiative to protect journalists and human rights activists from any form of threat and intimidation.

2 mins

Authorities work to identify victims of horror crash

AUTHORITIES are working to identify the 15 people who tragically lost their lives in a devastating head-on collision on the R63 in the Eastern Cape at the weekend.

1 min

SIU's action to freeze R1.5m pension payout to ex SANDF official

THE Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has obtained a preservation order from the Special Tribunal, effectively freezing a pension payout of about R1.5 million owed to a former senior official of the SANDE.

1 min

Mom in shock as home sold for R5 000 in auction

A SINGLE mother of four is facing eviction after falling in arrears with her home loan, and after several legal battles spanning nearly four years, her house was sold last month at auction for a measly R5 000.

2 mins

Police officers in SA face overwhelming workloads and mental health issues

SOUTH African police officers are under pressure with one officer having to serve nearly half a million people, and the workload resulting in mental health issues, according to experts.

3 mins

BOLSTER IEC RECRUITMENT POLICY

THE recent by-elections in KwaZulu-Natal have highlighted the need for the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) to strengthen its recruitment policy to ensure that individuals with political affiliations are not appointed to oversee the electoral process.

1 min

Vaccine policies meaningless without finances

ON JANUARY 10, 2024, South Sudan declared a measles outbreak in its Western Equatoria state.

3 mins

Unlocking a transformative malaria response for Africa

Biomedical interventions alone will not eliminate disease in Africa

4 mins

North Korea’s Kim visits tank factory

NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected an “important” tank factory and touted “great progress in the core technology of Korean-style tanks,” state media KCNA said yesterday.

1 min

Zelenskiy meets Czech president in Prague

UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was to visit the Czech Republic yesterday and meet its president, Petr Pavel, the Czech president's office said.

1 min

King Charles and royals gather for military parade to mark VE Day jubilee

LONDON

2 mins

Court halts ruling ordering employees to return to work

A FEDERAL appeals court at the weekend blocked a ruling that had ordered the Trump administration to return more than 1 000 Voice of America (VOA) employees back to work.

1 min

US Fed to pause cuts again as it waits for clarity on tariffs

THE US Federal Reserve is widely expected to extend a recent pause in rate cuts this week as it waits to see how President Donald Trump's stop-start tariff roll-out affects the health of the world’s largest economy.

2 mins

Global health financing faces unprecedented disruption

DONOR CUTS

1 min

iNkonjane Nature Reserve established in KZN

EZEMVELO KZN Wildlife has announced the declaration of the iNkonjane Nature Reserve as the new protected area in KwaZulu-Natal, signalling renewed hope for some of South Africa's most threatened wildlife.

1 min

Court rejects man's claim to long-standing lover's estate

A MAN who claimed to be in a customary marriage with a woman, who died in 2023, has been denied a claim to her estate as the children of his partner dispute the marriage and produced a will that did not include him.

1 min

Woman arrested for attack on Kelly Smith's home after guilty verdict

ARSON

2 mins

Correctional Services must revise policy on inmates' access to computers

THE Department of Correctional Services has been given 12 months to prepare and promulgate a revised policy relating to the use of personal computers in inmates’ cells to further their education.

2 mins

Mushroom coffee: sip your way to health and brain power

MUSHROOM coffee is currently trending among health enthusiasts and coffee drinkers, leaving many curious about this unique blend of coffee and fungi.

2 mins

Reviving the Y2K concealer lip trend: tips for a modern twist

BEAUTY trends have a habit of coming full circle, and one of the most surprising revivals of the year is the return of the concealer lip.

2 mins

Essential tips for washing your pet's laundry safely

IT IS not an exaggeration to say that we are obsessed with our pets.

3 mins

FLUSH AWAY THE MYTHS: DOCTORS WARN AGAINST LONG TOILET STAYS FOR DIGESTIVE HEALTH

LET’S be honest: many of us bring our smartphones along for a little “me time” on the toilet. It’s a habit that feels harmless, even productive, scrolling through Instagram, reading an article, or catching up on WhatsApp messages while waiting for nature to take its course.

3 mins

ACS secures baggage handling monopoly as court dismisses ACSA appeal

The Aviation Co-Ordination Services (ACS) has celebrated its hold on the over multi-billion rand baggage handling monopoly after the Gauteng Division of the High Court dismissed the Airports Company of South Africa's (Acsa) appeal against an order that stopped it from procuring baggage screening equipment.

2 mins

Automotive industry defies global challenges in April

THE automotive industry in South Africa demonstrated resilience in April and increased new vehicle sales for the month by 11.9% in spite of the global economic landscape continuing to shift under escalating uncertainty.

2 mins

Manufacturing sentiment in SA plummets amidst global trade tensions, local uncertainty

APRIL proved to be a challenging month for South Africa’s manufacturing sector as the latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), conducted by the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) and sponsored by Absa, reported a significant decline, dropping to 44.7 points from March's 48.7.

2 mins

South African agriculture poised to weather Trump's tariff storm

IN A RECENTLY published report by the Brenthurst Foundation, South African agriculture is depicted as resilient enough to navigate the challenges posed by the proposed tariffs from US President Donald Trump.

3 mins

Nersa establishes electricity market advisory forum to reshape SA's energy landscape

THE National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has ticked the right boxes in the appointment of an electricity advisory forum expected to help it navigate the robustly changing energy market, market commentators have said.

2 mins

Richards Bay Coal Terminal achieves record cargo handling as efficiency surges

RICHARDS Bay Coal Terminals (RBCT), operated by Transnet Port Terminals (TPT), is experiencing a renaissance of efficiency, marking a significant milestone as it celebrates the handling of 30 million tons of cargo in the last financial year.

2 mins

OPEC+ agrees another accelerated oil output hike for June

OPEC+ has agreed to accelerate oil production hikes for a second consecutive month, raising output in June by 411 000 barrels per day, the group said on Saturday, despite falling prices and expectations of weaker demand.

2 mins

Gold Fields in active discussions to acquire Gold Road Resources

GOLD Fields is in “active discussions” with Gold Road Resources despite an earlier rejection of its offer to acquire 100% of the shares of the Australia mining group by way of a scheme of arrangement, the Johannesburg-based global miner confirmed in a statement Friday.

1 min

Maputo Port to double container handling capacity with $165 million expansion

THE Port of Maputo plans to double its container terminal capacity following a $165 million (R3.04 billion) expansion by a key operator of the port, the Dubai-based DP World.

2 mins

Black entrepreneurs: powering Africa's equitable industrial revolution

WITH youth unemployment soaring-50% in South Africa alone-and a population projected to double to 2.5 billion by 2050, the continent teeters on the edge of crisis or transformation.

3 mins

JSE steamrolls forward, the rand to improve and fuel prices to drop this week

DESPITE the continuous geo-political uncertainty in South Africa, given the budget-debacle around VAT and the vulnerability of the GNU, equity prices on the JSE, as well as the rand continues to recover strongly.

2 mins

Cosatu: Budget marks turning point in South Africa's democracy

THE 2025/26 Budget marks a turning point in South Africa's young democracy. It is up to us whether this is for the better or worse.

4 mins

Conte ready for record books

SERIE A

1 min

Alvarez reunifies belts, prepares for Crawford

SAUL “Canelo” Alvarez re-unified the IBF super middleweight championship with his WBA (Super), WBC, and WBO belts, securing a unanimous decision victory over William Scull on Sunday.

1 min

Capitals must play fearlessly to reclaim Top 4

TOP-order batter Karun Nair believes the Delhi Capitals (DC) need to play with greater freedom as they look to reignite their IPL campaign with a must-win encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi Inter-national Stadium on Monday.

3 mins

Yeni comes sailing home

Muzi Yeni produced a vintage ride aboard Sail The Seas as he led home a Justin Snaith one-two in the Gr2 WSB Guineas in front of a festive crowd at a revamped Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.

3 mins

Zikhali's stunning strike lifts Richards Bay closer to safety

LINDOKUHLE ZIKHALI scored the only goal in a contrasting individual performance that oscillated between the sublime and reckless which, nevertheless, helped Richards Bay secure three crucial points, edging them ever closer to safety from the dreaded play-offs.

1 min

Bordeaux in another stunner after Saints heroics

FRANCE star Louis Bielle-Biarrey struck twice as Bordeaux-Begles came through a monumental all-French semi-final to defeat defending champions Toulouse 35-18 on Sunday and book their place in the Champions Cup final.

2 mins

Golden Fireballs scorch through first week of TNL unbeaten

THE Golden Fireballs ended the first round of the Telkom Netball League (TNL) 2025 at the Sun City SuperBowl, as the only unbeaten team, topping the Division 1 log.

2 mins

SA franchises prepare for crucial last weekends

SOUTH Africa's four franchises are preparing for a Welsh invasion this coming weekend as the United Rugby Championship (URC) reaches its climax over the next two rounds.

2 mins

Nabi faces tough questions that could provoke response

KAIZER Chiefs' coach Nasreddine Nabi wore a menacing look during his Soweto derby post-match conference, deep in the bowels of FNB Stadium.

2 mins

TOP-ORDER TROUBLES LEAVE SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN IN PERIL

PERFORMANCES with the bat over the next two games in the Tri-Series between Sri Lanka and India will be crucial, if the Proteas Women are to progress in the short tournament.

2 mins

KG’s blunder add to other drug scandals

OVER the years, several prominent cricketers have found themselves embroiled in drug scandals - whether performance-enhancing or recreational.

2 mins

Leinster are not unbeatable, especially when it comes to play-offs

LEINSTER are not as invincible as everyone (in Ireland) makes them out to be.

2 mins

Riveiro eyes record-breaking Derby legacy with Pirates

JOSE RIVEIRO might not be one for individual acclaim, but there is bound to be a part of him looking to leave a lasting personal legacy, to add to the club ones he has built.

2 mins

Chelsea take advantage of Liverpool's title hangover

CHELSEA bolstered their bid to qualify for the Uefa Champions League with a 3-1 win as Liverpool suffered a Premier League title hangover at Stamford Bridge yesterday.

2 mins

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