The police have ”concrete evidence” of a suspected third-force involvement in xenophobic attacks in and around Johannesburg, the Gauteng Legislature heard on Tuesday. ”The police now have concrete evidence of those involved in orchestrations and they are dealing with it,” said Gauteng’s minister for sport Barbara Creecy.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on Tuesday defended inflation targeting as an economic management tool and hinted the government was still comfortable with a 3% to 6% percent target range for the main CPIX (consumer inflation less mortgage costs) gauge.
Zimbabwe’s ruling party on Tuesday dismissed as pure fantasy opposition claims that President Robert Mugabe’s military intelligence was plotting to assassinate opposition leadership. ”The allegations … have no foundation whatsoever,” Nathan Shamuyarira, spokesperson for the ruling Zanu-PF, was quoted by the state-run Herald as saying.
South Africa’s police and the African National Congress (ANC) intensified efforts on Tuesday to quell anti-foreigner violence that has killed at least 24 people and sent thousands of African immigrants into refugee shelters. Police have struggled for over a week to end the violent attacks on foreigners.
Fighting resumed on Tuesday in Abyei, the flashpoint oil-rich border area between north and south Sudan whose status remains contested three years after the end of civil war, aid workers said. ”It began early this morning and now it seems like the fighting has stopped,” Kouider Zerrouk, the deputy spokesperson for the United Nations mission in Sudan, said.
South African consumer foods and healthcare products group Tiger Brands plans to sell an additional 10% to black-economic empowerment (BEE) investors after the completion of the unbundling of its healthcare products unit, it said on Tuesday. "Post-unbundling, an additional broad-based equity deal of approximately 10% will be implemented," CEO Peter Matlare said.
A fading photo tossed on an empty bed is all that remains of the interrupted lives in Spinkai, a desolate Pakistani village that has endured the wrath of the army’s ”collective punishment”. In the image, a laughing young man in a jet-black turban brandishes his rifle like a trophy. Beside him stand two little girls in bright frocks, giggling with glee.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board will appeal a high court ruling setting aside the suspension of chief executive Dali Mpofu, board chairperson Khanyi Mkhonza said on Tuesday. ”After careful study of the judgement, the board has identified areas of concerns that we believe can only be clarified through the legal process,” she said.
Despite a number of ongoing risks and structural imbalances in South Africa, the rand has a very good chance of strengthening impressively for the rest of this year and into 2009, say market analysts ETM. They say, however, that levels approaching 6,50 to the dollar — should they be reached — would probably be difficult to sustain.
New ideas, young talent and injections of money are needed to invigorate the war against Aids, top experts said on Monday at a review of medical progress since the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was discovered 25 years ago. Men and women in the front line of the combat said there had been some remarkable successes in fighting Aids.