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/ 10 September 2004
The national government on Thursday ordered an urgent independent forensic investigation into 14 contentious deals in Mpumalanga that have cost the taxpayer R72,1-million. Chief land claims commissioner Tozi Gwanya has instructed senior independent property valuer Derick Griffiths to verify whether sales prices for the 14 vegetable and dairy farms in Mpumalanga’s Badplaas valley were inflated or otherwise manipulated by land speculators and government officials.
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/ 10 September 2004
The government says it will meet and even surpass the water and sanitation targets set at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg two years ago. Director General of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Chippy Olver told the Johannesburg +2 conference last week that by 2010 all South Africans will have access to adequate sanitation and safe drinking water.
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/ 7 September 2004
Two years ago the international community gathered in Johannesburg for the World Summit on Sustainable Development and drew up a plan to protect resources for the benefit of the planet. Last week the government and various civil society organisations gathered at the Johannesburg +2 Sustainable Development Conference to assess progress. We spoke to Environmental Affairs Director General Chippy Olver.
Tensions in the government are sharpening over controversial plans to mine one of the country’s most ecologically valuable areas. Conflicting plans for developing Pondoland in the Eastern Cape will be challenged next week at the Johannesburg +2 Conference, called on the second anniversary of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
"I sing of arms and the man. And of his legs. Some toes, too. I sing of …" A thunderflash, the smell of singed hair, and the minstrel was no more. "These epics are just silly nowadays," said Zeus, cooling his finger in a vase. The water steamed and the last surviving lily turned brown. "Does my bum look big in this?" asked Apollo. He had bought a figure-hugging toga that morning.
Pressure groups opposed to genetically modified (GM) organisms say some of the experts advising the government on permits for GM products are guilty of conflicting interests. Particular concern is focused on a state official, Muffy Koch, who advises the government on whether to grant permits to companies to test genetically modified organisms.
Crime experts have assured worried parents that kidnapping for ransom is unlikely to become a trend in South Africa. South Africans have been shocked by the tragic kidnapping and killing of 21-year-old Leigh Matthews, and left fearful that these events signal the emergence of a wave of such crimes.
The provincial minister of housing in Limpopo, Machwene Semenya, has been subpoenaed by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to answer accusations of having dumped 237 evicted families in the veld near Lebowakgomo, with no basic services. ”The situation at Turfpan was desperate,” said Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, the SAHRC commissioner in Limpopo.
Well-known artists including Hugh Masekela, Tshepo Tshola, Jabu Khanyile and Busi Mhlongo are furious because a prominent music promoter has not paid them for a concert in Port Elizabeth six months ago. Now their agent, Chissa Artists, has initiated legal action against the promoter to recover the outstanding R200 000.
Development and the environment have always been reluctant friends and natural enemies. Environmental impact assessments have changed the way development is done. Can they stop bad development — or are they just a rubber stamp?
Earthyear investigates the process, and the loopholes opportunists
are ready to exploit.