THE Department of Civil Aviation is investigating two large metal balls that mysteriously fell out of the sky and onto farmland in the Western Cape in the past few days. The Star reports that astronomers said the balls could be part of a decaying satellite and that Nasa has predicted that parts of a Pegasus satellite would fall to earth. CAA spokesman Louis Visser said the unidentified objects, which fell near Worcester, weighing about 100kg each, were taken to the DF Malan airport from where they would “probably” be flown to Pretoria and analysed by the South African Bureau of Standards. He said the CAA had been alerted about the balls by Beaufort-West police, but added that the authority is still unsure as to what to do with the objects.
SAA PROBES 92 STAFF
SOUTH African Airways is investigating charges including prostitution, drug trafficking and bribery against 92 cabin crew and rostering clerks. The Sunday Times reports that the 92 were suspended two weeks ago and hearings into allegations against them are due to begin on Tuesday. This follows the arrest in April of three SAA crew for smuggling drugs, notably cocaine, into South Africa. SAA’s vice-president for inflight services, Noedine Isaacs, said that months of investigations, in which telephones were tapped and staff monitored on security cameras, had revealed that cabin attendants were involved in drug trafficking and prostitution while on foreign stopovers. “We know from telephone conversations that some of our male cabin attendants are highly sought after in destinations like Australia,” she said. “It is an open secret among flight staff … it is however difficult to prove that money changes hands (after they meet women),” she said. Other allegations include the illegal sale of foreign exchange and the smuggling of electronic goods.