POINT: In April 2001, 22 months after Thabo Mbeki became president, the Mail & Guardian ran a full-length front-cover photograph of him alongside the question: "Is this man fit to rule?" Letters to the paper the following week convey the intensity of the reaction. "Who are these racists masquerading as newspapermen?"
With impeccable timing, Jacob Zuma arrived in London exactly seven years after the charges of a "conspiracy to harm the president" laid against three of Thabo Mbeki's putative rivals in April 2001. Seven years on, the new ANC leadership -- including one of the alleged conspirator Mathews Phosa, as party treasurer -- was welcomed warmly in London.
Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang may be guilty of contempt of court for criticising a ruling that allowed the Sunday Times to comment on her health records, the Public Protector said on Wednesday. The Public Protector made this finding while investigating a complaint of misappropriation of funds against the Health Ministry.
Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin would retire after the elections next year, a media report said on Monday. "The minister would like to confirm that he would not be serving another term. His decision was taken long before the change in African National Congress leadership," said his spokesperson Vimla Maistry.
Fraud suspect J Arthur Brown was allegedly raped in the back of a police van last week, the Sunday Times reported. Brown's attorney, William Booth, said the former Fidentia boss -- accused of theft and fraud involving hundreds of millions of rands -- suffered an "extremely humiliating" sexual assault.
A statement by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board that it would challenge a court ruling against the suspension of CEO Dali Mpofu was "misleading", Mpofu's lawyers said on Wednesday. "The judgement ... has not yet been signed by the judge and is therefore not yet available to either of the parties," Mpofu's lawyer, Sandile July, said.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board will appeal a high court ruling setting aside the suspension of chief executive Dali Mpofu, board chairperson Khanyi Mkhonza said on Tuesday. "After careful study of the judgement, the board has identified areas of concerns that we believe can only be clarified through the legal process," she said.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board said it disagreed with a Johannesburg High Court ruling on Monday, which set aside the suspension of CEO Dali Mpofu. Judge Moroa Tsoka said the entire matter was handled badly by board chairperson Khanyi Mkhonza.
