A widely held misconception in South Africa is that the denial of bail is intended as a punishment. Continued imprisonment following on a decision to refuse bail is also not a penalty or sentence, and nor is the granting or denial of bail supposed to be a judgment on the extent of guilt of the accused
Thousands gathered on Friday around charred destruction from a deadly pipeline explosion as Nigerian firefighters doused flames triggered by the blast that had burnt for more than a day. Local officials put the death toll at 15, disputing the Nigerian Red Cross's claim that about 100 people were killed.
Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said on Tuesday that four more of its members had been killed by supporters of President Robert Mugabe in nearly a month of post-election violence that is being investigated by South African officials.
African National Congress president Jacob Zuma criticism of the closure of teacher training colleges in the mid-1990s received backing from the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) on Tuesday. An IFP education spokesperson urged Education Minister Naledi Pandor "to urgently consider the reopening of teacher training colleges".
The African National Congress (ANC) backs the call for police to use lethal force should their lives or those of the public be in imminent danger, party president Jacob Zuma said on Wednesday. Addressing a Chambers of Commerce and Industry of South Africa conference, Zuma said: "In this war against crime, we reiterate that our laws must bite.
