DA: Minister in denial over 'looming' water crisis

Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Lindiwe Hendricks is guilty of "denialism" when she says South Africa is not facing a water crisis, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Thursday. The country faces serious problems stemming from polluted water sources and the poor management of dams, sewage works and treatment plants, the DA said.

ANC calls for dismissal of Free State varsity council

The council of the University of the Free State must "go" because they do not want to transform, the African National Congress chairperson in the province, Ace Magashule, said on Tuesday. "I cannot agree with those people who want to say everything at the University of the Free State was still fine," Magashule said.
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Free State Four: Who's to blame?

A video made by white students that shows them humiliating black university employees on Thursday continued to draw angry protests as well as criticism that racism remains entrenched in South Africa 14 years after the end of apartheid, with the Democratic Alliance questioning the role of the Freedom Front Plus in the matter.

Cosatu: 'Rescue mission post-Polokwane is on'

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Thursday said it will no longer take a "triumphalist" approach to the outcomes of the African National Congress (ANC) Polokwane conference. "The campaign to save the ANC from the clutches of the technocrats who sought to bureaucratise the liberation movement is far from being over, " he said.

DA criticises Erwin's job-loss comments

Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin should refrain from making unsubstantiated comments on the job-loss threats faced by thousands of mineworkers, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Thursday. On Wednesday Erwin said that it was unclear whether proposed job cuts in the industry were caused by power cuts and electricity rationing.

Evicted SA squatters live on hope alone

Legsaan Levember can only pray for better days as he huddles with 12 family members in a roadside tent, another victim of South Africa's spiralling housing backlog. The family uses a plastic sheet to extend their tiny tent, which perches precariously on the slope of a small dune and is regularly blown away by Cape Town's relentless south-easterly winds.

Racist video slammed as 'barbaric'

A racist video -- featuring University of the Free State employees on their knees eating food that had been urinated upon -- was widely condemned by various institutions and political parties on Wednesday. The video, made by members of the Reitz men's residence on the Bloemfontein campus, came to the attention of the public on Tuesday.

Racist video surfaces at the University of the Free State

A video of University of the Free State employees on their knees eating food which had been urinated upon was condemned "in the strongest possible terms" by the university on Tuesday. The video, made by male students at the Reitz Residence, surfaced on Tuesday morning and adds to an already tense racial situation at UFS.

SAHRC to debate black media forum

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is to hold a public forum on complaints of racial prejudice against the Forum of Black Journalists (FBJ) and the issue of exclusive organisations. This stems from last Friday's controversial FBJ meeting addressed by African National Congress president Jacob Zuma in Johannesburg.

702 lays complaint about 'coconut' slur

Yusuf Abramjee, Primedia Broadcasting group's head of news and talk programming, and Talk Radio 702/567 host Kieno Kammies on Monday laid a formal complaint of discrimination with the South African Human Rights Commission over the inaugural meeting of the Forum of Black Journalists.

DA calls on Mbeki to release Khampepe report

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on President Thabo Mbeki to make public the full report of the Khampepe Commission. "I have today [Monday] submitted a request to the Presidency to make the full Khampepe Commission Report public in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act," DA leader Helen Zille said in a statement.

Zille on crime: 'Govt is failing South Africans'

Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille on Sunday accused the government of failing all South Africans in the battle against crime, with suspended police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi being "a symbol of that failure". Zille spoke to about 3 000 people in Durban's Phoenix area following a tour through the area.

'What did Zuma say behind closed doors?'

The in-camera conference African National Congress president Jacob Zuma gave to the Forum of Black Journalists was similar to the off-the-record briefing given to black editors by Bulelani Ngcuka, the former national director of public prosecutions, which Zuma at that time protested as a "character assassination exercise", the Democratic Alliance said on Sunday.

DA dismisses land-invasion allegations

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille on Friday dismissed as "posturing" Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool's threat to sue the DA over recent land invasions in Delft. "A threat to sue the DA for allegedly encouraging land invasions in Delft is just posturing," she said in a statement.

Cape Town earmarks land for Delft homeless

The City of Cape Town has begun providing water and toilets for evicted occupants of homes in Delft, and has earmarked a site for them to move to, mayoral committee member Dan Plato said on Friday. Many of them have been living and sleeping in the open since the evictions on Monday.

Zille accuses Public Protector of abuse of office

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille has accused the Public Protector of abusing his office for party political purposes in attacking DA MP Mike Waters. She declared that in the six years since his appointment, Lawrence Mushwana, a former ANC MP, has succeeded only in protecting the ANC from the people.

Western Cape govt mulls lawsuit over Delft

The Western Cape government may join in a contemplated R20-million lawsuit claim against a Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor it claims is behind the illegal occupation of houses at Delft on the Cape Flats. Premier Ebrahim Rasool said on Friday that his administration has been given "preliminary" legal advice that it could sue the DA as well.

Police struggle to contain protesting students

Ten students were arrested on various charges at the Bloemfontein campus of the University of the Free State after a group took part in a "disruptive march", Free State police said on Thursday. Captain Chaka Marope said police had "a hard time" on Wednesday night, until early on Thursday morning, containing the situation.

Delft homeless appeal for food and water

A spokesperson for about 1 800 people evicted from unfinished homes in Delft on Thursday appealed for water and food for the group, now living on a site adjacent to the land. "It's like a state of emergency," said Ashraf Cassim, a spokesperson for the Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign.

Manuel's budget: Mediocre or historic?

Overwhelmingly positive or mediocre? Economists on Wednesday had a variety of impressions to share of Finance Minister Trevor Manuel's national budget, tabled in Parliament earlier in the day. Colen Garrow, economist at Brait, said: "There was nothing in it for the embattled consumer."

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