The Department of Education is to investigate the extent of racism and other forms of discrimination in higher education, it said on Monday. A ministerial committee is expected to look into discrimination based on gender, ethnicity and disability, with a particular focus on university residences, said spokesperson Lunga Ngqengelele in a statement.
Food prices are soaring, a wealthier Asia is demanding better food and farmers can’t keep up. In short, the world faces a food crisis and in some places it is already boiling over. Around the globe, people are protesting and governments are responding with often counterproductive controls on prices and exports.
A candidate who stood as an independent in this weekend’s Zimbabwe general elections failed to get a single vote, according to the country’s electoral commission on Monday. Whisper Chivandire, who stood for Parliament in the middle-class suburb of Hatfield in the capital Harare, did not even vote for himself.
The African National Congress (ANC) Youth League on Monday called for the immediate closure of Johannesburg’s Noord Street taxi rank after a second woman was assaulted. Spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the continued abuse and harassment of women by taxi operators at the rank undermined the dignity and freedom of women.
South Africa’s monthly trade deficit narrowed to R5,8-billion in February, compared with January’s R10,2-billion shortfall, the South African Revenue Service said on Monday. Compared with the previous month, exports rose by 19,28%, largely due to a sharp rise in vehicle exports, while imports increased by 6,44%.
Rescuers dug through sludge and rock on Monday in their search for dozens of miners trapped for three days in northern Tanzania, police said, as hopes dwindled of finding any survivors. Rescue teams retrieved a seventh body and were struggling to reach others traced underground in flooded mines in a tanzanite concession in Mirerani.
Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille on Monday again asked African National Congress president Jacob Zuma for a meeting to discuss the Scorpions’ future. ”In a press interview published on the weekend, Jacob Zuma declared that he is willing to ‘debate anything’ — even the future of the Scorpions,” said Zille.
South Africa plans to boost livestock and crop production by up to 15% in the next two to five years and help tame soaring food inflation, an agriculture official said on Monday. Priscilla Sehoole, chief communication officer at the Department of Agriculture said the government was ”confident” it would achieve its expansion targets.
Gold Fields chief executive officer Ian Cockerill is to step down from his position, the company’s board said on Monday. Cockerill will be succeeded by Nick Holland who has been the chief financial officer of the company. Terence Goodlace, executive vice-president and head of South African operations, will be appointed to the new position of chief operating officer.
The Western Cape’s economy remains extremely healthy, although some factors are hampering accelerated growth. This is one of the key findings of the new Sake24 Western Cape Barometer (WCB) launched in Cape Town on Monday. The WCB is a unique statistical index that measures business activity in the province.