Homosexuality is against the Bible and so same-sex marriages should not be allowed, the Constitutional Court heard on Tuesday. The court is hearing an application to appeal a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that the common law should be developed to allow same-sex marriage.
A Constitutional Court application relating to same-sex marriage began with gasps of disbelief and laughter at the state’s apparent understanding of such relationships on Tuesday. ”Same-sex partnerships are a relatively new phenomena,” said the Department of Home Affairs’ advocate, sparking laughter in the gallery.
A vaccine supplier is poised to release much-needed flu vaccines — delayed by formulation problems earlier in the year — and only needs the go-ahead from the Medicines Control Council. ”If we receive authorisation from the MCC, we can provide all the vaccines needed,” the MD of Sanofi Pasteur, Stephen Alix, said on Wednesday.
”There is no way that Sontonga and his choir could have anticipated the massive impact that his composition could have … as far afield as Kenya.”
South African suppliers of flu vaccines have run out, with new stocks expected only in May, the companies said on Wednesday. Sanofi Pasteur, one of the largest suppliers, confirmed that its 2005 southern-hemisphere flu vaccine will not be available in South Africa before May this year, ”and might not be available at all”.
The Western Cape government was on Thursday finalising plans to close certain taxi routes and ranks to quell violence. The provincial transport minister said on Thursday that following an unsuccessful meeting with taxi associations, he ordered the closure and suspension of routes in Kraaifontein, Brackenfell and Bellville.
The South African Towing and Recovery Association (Satra) will no longer pay spotting fees to people at traffic lights for accident tip-offs, its chairperson announced on Wednesday. A Roodepoort man was caught allegedly tampering with robots at a busy intersection, trying to cause accidents to increase his tip-off fees.
Free State Premier Beatrice Marshoff said on Wednesday she was shocked by the murder of Noby Ngombane, a top official in her office. Ngombane was the head of the Free State’s policy monitoring and evaluation unit in the premier’s office. He was the premier and the provincial government’s spokesperson, as well as a close confidant of the premier.
Workers at DRDGold’s North West operations arrived at work on Tuesday to find the gates locked ahead of the company’s application for provisional liquidation of that section, trade union Solidarity said. Solidarity said that workers were told they will receive their salaries at the end of March but no guarantees could be given on accumulated benefits.
South Africa’s police and Department of Foreign Affairs officials are liaising on the reported arrest of a South African in New York on weapons-smuggling charges, police said on Thursday. According to reports, Christiaan Dewet Spies was arrested with at least 17 others in an FBI operation at a hotel in Manhattan, New York, earlier this week.