Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota’s views on the difficulties of achieving racial representivity were both welcomed on Wednesday and dismissed as having missed the point. Lekota told the National Assembly’s defence committee on Tuesday there would have to come a point when South Africans stopped being black, white, Indian and coloured and were merely South Africans.
‘It’s a difficult thing, transformation’
Denel, the state arms manufacturer, will be manufacturing more of the parts used in the construction of Boeing commercial airliners, the two companies said at a function at Denel Aviation in Kempton Park on Wednesday. ”We find it heartening that Boeing selected Denel as sole supplier of certain parts for their airplanes,” Denel’s chief executive said.
South Africa’s 2010 bid committee will get their final 30 minutes at 5pm on Friday to convince international soccer bosses to give the country the right to host the Soccer World Cup. The 24-member Federation of International Football Associations executive will also hear why Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco should rather host the prestigious event.
Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa on Monday repeatedly promised to discharge the mandate handed him and the African National Congress to deliver the party’s mandate to voters, while opposition parties pledged to lend a hand. Shilowa was making his first address of his second term as premier to the province’s third legislature.
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Ten percent to 12% of the vote — that is what Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille predicts her party will get in next month’s general election. The fiery party leader, called the one-woman-show by many of her opponents, on Tuesday introduced her provincial leaders and premier’s candidates to the media.
Special Report: Elections 2004
The mystery aircraft impounded at Harare’s airport left South African air space illegally, en route for Burundi, aviation sources said on Tuesday. The aircraft, a Boeing 727-100 that once belonged to the United States Air Force, was scheduled to fly from Wonderboom airport outside Pretoria to Polokwane International airport and from there to Bujumbura, in Burundi.
Mercenaries on a mission
The mystery surrounding the ownership of a Boeing 717-100 cargo plane impounded at Harare’s airport deepened on Tuesday with various reports citing different sources contradicting each other. There are allegations that South Africans were among the 64 men on board.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?ao=32393">Mystery plane ‘left SA illegally'</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?ao=32381">Mercenaries on a mission</a>
Safety and removing unfit drivers from South Africa’s roads are not the issues behind a two-day minibus taxi strike that started on Monday, organisers said. The strike and a protest march on Monday were to protest against taxi drivers in Gauteng being harassed for not having permits.
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/41909/10-X-Logo.gif" align=left>A thunderstorm interrupted President Thabo Mbeki’s canvassing for votes in Botshabelo, east of Bloemfontein, on Tuesday afternoon. Mbeki visited Botshabelo, a Bloemfontein suburb with about one million people, in order to canvass for votes for the African National Congress in the upcoming general election.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3_fl2.asp?o=40922">Special Report: Elections 2004</a>
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/ 18 February 2004
Reaction to tax cuts in Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s annual Budget speech has been favourable. But an economist said there was still not enough detail on black economic empowerment. ”I hope there won’t be unrealistic restrictions that will in turn create barriers for BEE. The devil is in the details,” he said.