Japanese company Bridgestone will exclusively supply tyres for the Formula One world championship from 2008 to 2010, world motor sport’s governing body the FIA said on Wednesday. Bridgestone had been the favourites to win the deal since French tyre manufacturer Michelin refused to participate after FIA asked for offers.
A barrage of criticism burst forth after the South African Broadcasting Corporation was accused of operating a politically motivated ”blacklist” to exclude controversial commentators. But there’s a need to get beyond knee-jerk responses and still-to-be-tested allegations.
The ”recklessness” with which some South African lose their identity documents (IDs) is a concern, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba said on Wednesday. ”Some people in South Africa have been applying for an ID five times a year,” Gigaba said.
Former Enron chairperson and chief executive Kenneth Lay, awaiting sentencing after being convicted of fraud and conspiracy charges, has died, United States media reported on Wednesday. ”Ken Lay passed away early this morning in Aspen,” said a family statement read out on CNN.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Wednesday condemned the proposed Western Cape fuel tax of between 10c and 50c a litre in addition to the current national levy. ”The effect of such a levy would be to move the greatest burden of this special tax onto the poor people,” Cosatu said in a statement.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has budgeted R1-billion to update its management of money in trust programme (MMIT), its chief operations officer Khotso De Wee said on Wednesday. His remarks come after Auditor General Shauket Fakie tabled a report in Parliament on Tuesday identifying serious financial and administrative inefficiencies in the MMIT.
The National Lotteries Board has denied responsibility for the alleged delay in appointing distribution agencies. The board was responding to media reports alleging that charity organisations depending on funding from the lottery were in difficulty as money due to them had not been forthcoming.
![]()
Even as this World Cup reaches a climax with Italy having booked a final spot against France or Portugal on Sunday, eyes are already turning to a South African jamboree in four years’ time. Organisers are hoping the first World Cup to be played on African soil will produce ”Football for a Better World” and Fifa will flag up preparations on Friday at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.
Bluefin tuna stocks in the Mediterranean Sea and East Atlantic Ocean are on the brink of extinction because of rampant illicit fishing, the environmental group WWF said on Wednesday. A report by the WWF said that bluefin tuna catches are at least 40% higher than an internationally-approved quota of 32 000 tonnes, and are deliberately under-reported at official level.
More than 240 experts have been placed at problem municipalities to help them improve their affairs, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said on Wednesday. Gigaba said a total of 112 experts, 18 graduates and 80 students had been mobilised and deployed to the 69 Project Consolidate municipalities.