<b>ON CIRCUIT:</b> <i>The Eye</i> and <i>Married Life</i>, in which Pierce Brosnan stars and narrates.
Andre Nel is back in the Proteas Test squad for the four-match cricket series against England, to be played in July and August. Cricket South Africa selection committee convener Joubert Strydom on Friday announced a squad of 15 that consists of Nel plus the 14 players who did duty on the recent tour of India.
Anti-foreigner violence in South Africa has already hit the mining sector, a mainstay of the domestic economy, and threatens to undermine confidence among international investors, analysts say. Even before the unrest broke out, the outlook for the South African economy was clouded by uncertainty.
An HIV-positive man, who may have infected an 11-year-old girl he raped, was jailed for life by the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Thursday. Bhoyi Plaatjies (44) of Pietermaritzburg, was convicted in the local magistrate’s court and was referred to the high court for sentencing.
Criminals are using xenophobia as a ”perfect excuse” to commit crime, KwaZulu-Natal safety and security minister Bheki Cele said on Friday. ”I am just concerned that criminals are using xenophobia as an excuse to commit crimes … Why else would they steal the foreigners’ belongings?”
Twelve pedestrians were knocked down and injured by a police vehicle in Berea in Johannesburg on Thursday, ER24 emergency services said. Spokesperson Riana Beech said the accident happened at the corner of Tudhope and Soper Streets at about 4.30pm.
The Iranian government has proposed the creation of an international consortium to enrich uranium on its own soil as a way of defusing the tense stand-off over its nuclear programme. The proposal is part of a ”new and comprehensive initiative” put forward by Iran ahead of a planned visit to Tehran by Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Angola on Friday in a bid to improve relations following an arms scandal that provoked tensions between the two countries. Sarkozy was to hold talks with Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos on Friday morning at the presidential palace.
World food prices are likely to stay high and volatile for the foreseeable future despite some record crops this year, according to a report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation on Thursday. Food import bills around the world are expected to total more than a trillion US dollars in 2008.
Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad will not be available to serve in public office after next year’s elections, a media report said on Friday. Pahad is the latest government figure to announce his intentions after Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin went public about his resignation, also planned for after next year’s elections.