A man of impeccable character, global influencer, seeker of justice, champion for global peace, skyscraper of moral conscience, voice of the voiceless… the fountain of words describing our Arch doesn’t run dry. As we mourn the death and celebrate the life of Archbishop Desmond Tutu ahead of his funeral on Saturday and beyond, one of the best ways to honour a legend is to live by his teachings. And the biggest lesson with which he leaves us is undoubtedly the essence of what it means to be human. President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged all South Africans to pay their respects and to celebrate life with the exuberance and the purpose of “our beloved Archbishop”. “May we follow in his footsteps. May we too be worthy inheritors of the mantle of service, of selflessness, of courage, and of principled solidarity with the poor and marginalised,” he said in a national address late on Sunday.
The consistency and integrity he has displayed in all facets of his life has earned him the iconic stature, respect and admiration with which he deserves to be remembered. To quote the President: “Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.” Long live the Arch!
On the Covid front, as we head into the New Year, calls for the government to lift the Covid-19 curfew are mounting, with the Hospitality Leadership group arguing that the curfew is impossible to justify in terms of the science of preventing the spread of the virus and is only serving to keep law-abiding people at home.
Meanwhile, as the National Institute for Communicable Diseases reports a 22% positivity rate of the total of 17,230 tests conducted in the last 24hrs, the world has hit a daily record of 1.44 million Covid cases, smashing the prior record after factoring out a day in December 2020 when Turkey backdated a significant number of cases. Although the illness caused by the omicron variant may not be as severe, the ease of transmission and soaring number of cases could still squeeze hospital capacity worldwide, leaving the unvaccinated and anyone who needs medical care for other conditions in the lurch, reports Bloomberg. The silver lining is that daily Covid deaths haven’t significantly increased.
One super hero that’s seemingly trumping the fear of omicron, is Spider Man, with the latest movie – No Way Home – crossing the $1bn-mark to lead Box Office sales for 2021, making it the first Covid-era movie to top $1bn, and the first film to top that amount since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in 2019.
In the markets, the rand is flirting with the R15.50-level against the US dollar as the US unit trades flat against its major peers. Trading is expected to be very quiet this week, with liquidity on the thin side, reports TreausuryONE. The unit was last quoted at R15.52/$.
On the commodities front, metal prices are flat after closing a touch firmer yesterday (South African markets were closed for a public holiday), with gold quoted at $1,811, platinum at $974 and palladium at $1,956/oz. Oil prices have extended their gains as worries over fuel demand and omicron recede, with Brent eyeing $80 a barrel. The black gold was last changing hands at $78.72.
Here’s a roundup of the world’s top and most interesting headlines:
SA Business
Will President Ramaphosa act on any of the Zondo Commission’s findings? – Daily Maverick
Mind the gap: The problem with medical scheme tariffs in South Africa – Business Tech
Municipalities seek exclusive right to distribute electricity throughout South Africa – even on Eskom’s domain – Daily Maverick
Global Business
Mother Teresa’s charity barred from receiving foreign funds – Fin24
Warren Buffett said “Mrs B”, a 89-year-old carpet seller would ‘run rings around’ Fortune 500 CEOs – Business Insider
China to dig into monetary policy toolbox to stabilise economy – Bloomberg
Tech
Chinese web users blast Musk over space station near-misses – AFP
Wildest things tech executives said in 2021 – Mashable
Tech 2022 trends: Meatless meat, Web 3.0, Big Tech battles – AFP
Markets
Bitcoin’s volatility is on display again in slide below $50,000 – Bloomberg
Asian markets rise following strong Wall St gains – AFP
World stock prices gain on strong US holiday sales – Reuters
Opinion/In-Depth
The hunters, the crooked chief and the bushmeat trade: Behind the convoluted wrangle over prime land on Kruger’s edge – Daily Maverick
Is the world ready to live without oil? – AFP (via News24)
New Year’s resolutions for public figures who have the chance to turn over a new leaf – Daily Maverick
Video
WATCH | Year in review: A look back on 2021 in 10 minutes – News24
Best of 2021: SA’s rich: where they live, what they studied, how they grow assets – wealth expert – Biznews
WATCH | A look back on the stories that left us inspired and feeling hopeful in 2021 – News24
Feature Image: Wikimedia Commons
