South African Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang took aim on Thursday at doctors for holding protests against legislation regulating their dispensing of medicines. Doctors marched on Parliament earlier this year in protest. About 500 doctors — of about 8Â 500 involved — have completed dispensing courses and obtained licences.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=66984">’Hey Manto, get off drugs'</a>
South Africa’s most trouble-prone area is the sprawling township of Khayelitsha, situated not far from Cape Town International airport, says South Africa’s Minister of Safety and Security, Charles Nqakula. Speaking at a media briefing, Nqakula said the township is the number-one spot in the entire country for murder, rape and serious and violent assault.
South Africa’s Minister of Provincial and Local Government, Sydney Mufamadi, says R5,9-billion has been spent on rural upliftment nodes and R4,2-billion on their urban counterparts in the past financial year. The upliftment involves the provision of housing, free basic service delivery as well as food security and land restitution.
New South African Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe, speaking on Monday at a media briefing, has pledged an institutional change of public transport and a review of the subsidy system applying to rail and buses. This includes the possibility of extending a state subsidy to taxis.
Large Durban taxi protest dispersed
Departmental budget votes are scheduled to dominate the next few weeks of parliamentary activity following the official opening of Parliament by President Thabo Mbeki — and the delivery of the State of the Nation address — on Friday. The State of the Nation address will be debated next week.
Key opposition parties in the South African Parliament are expecting President Thabo Mbeki not to divert too much from his State of the Nation address delivered in February when he reopens the newly elected Parliament on Friday. A Democratic Alliance spokesperson said "he probably won’t mention HIV/Aids or escalating crime levels".
The New National Party’s federal council is to meet in three weeks — on Saturday June 5 — to assess the party’s future after its poor showing in the national and provincial elections. A newspaper report on Tuesday said the Free State region of the party will motivate that the party should disband.
South African Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin has been urged by the official opposition to break his silence on the government’s privatisation plans. A Democratic Alliance spokesperson said: "Too many contradictory messages have been sent into the market place and investors are rightly feeling confused and uncertain."
Former South African President Nelson Mandela said it was his wish that South Africans never gave up on the belief in goodness.
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress has appointed a member from its own ranks to fill the post of chairperson of the key parliamentary watchdog committee, the standing committee on public accounts. Traditionally the public accounts committee has been chaired by a member of an opposition party.