A strike by South African Airways’ (SAA) 800 pilots is looming, in a further blow to the airline’s widely criticised ”emperor”, CEO Khaya Ngqula. The SAA Pilots’ Association started its strike ballot on Wednesday this week, over what it alleges is a unilateral attempt by SAA management to change the terms of its contracts.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe may well choke on the tough conditions attached to any loan package offered to him by the South African government — despite Zimbabwe’s worsening foreign currency crunch. Mugabe’s spokesperson, George Charamba, told the Mail & Guardian that Zimbabwe would not accept financial help tied to conditions.
Allegations of voting irregularities at the Western Cape conference of the African National Congress refuse to die down as the ousting of Premier Ebrahim Rasool continues to divide the party’s provincial structures. Competing lists of voting delegates at the Western Cape ANC conference appear to have created scope for election irregularities.
President Thabo Mbeki has confidently set out his stall with the appointment of his protégé, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, to the deputy presidency. He has opted neither for the seniority of African National Congress national chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota nor the popularity of Trevor Manuel, nor for the trust he places in Sydney Mufamadi.
The Mail & Guardian this week faced a new legal assault on its right to investigate and publish information relating to financial flows surrounding the payment of R15-million by PetroSA to African National Congress-aligned oil company Imvume Management in December 2003.
An intense political contest over the future structure of the labour market has been taking shape for the past six months in the African National Congress, as the ruling party weighs up radical steps to accelerate job creation and economic development. A suggestion that the party consider supporting the introduction of a ”two-tier” labour system, has the backing of some of the party’s most senior figures.
Taxpayers spooked by the prospect of a hefty income tax hike to fund the expansion of the private health system can relax. The proposal, already in the works for two years, faces major obstacles. The Department of Health wants to expand the number of South Africans using the private system by raising income taxes.
In case we have forgotten the tragedy, United States President George W Bush has cooked up a farce to remind us that reforming the Bretton Woods institutions is just like building democracy in hot countries. It isn’t a job for the natives. Paul Wolfowitz is Bush’s nominee for the presidency of the World Bank. Since Europe appoints the head of the International Monetary Fund, it effectively means he’s got the job.
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/ 18 February 2005
The government is planning a radical overhaul of the governance and administration of the courts, on the grounds that existing oversight mechanisms have failed to achieve thorough transformation. Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Brigitte Mabandla announced this week that a ”concept paper” on the transformation of the judicial system will be tabled before Cabinet.
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/ 4 February 2005
Vusi Pikoli’s surprise appointment to the top job at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) followed shortly after a corruption probe prevented one of the leading contenders for the post, former Limpopo premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi, from being admitted to the Bar, effectively ending his bid.