Murder accused Florence Lukhele will remain behind bars until her case is finalised, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported on Tuesday. The Evander Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga refused Lukhele bail for allegedly masterminding the murder of Govan Mbeki deputy mayor Thandi Mtsweni.
Zimbabwe’s opposition and ruling party squared up in Parliament Tuesday at the start of a session that is set to usher in controversial changes to the Constitution ahead of next year’s elections. President Robert Mugabe is expected to get overwhelming approval for his plans to synchronise the timing of the parliamentary and presidential polls.
South Africa captain Aaron Mokoena said on Tuesday he loves a British-style physical contest on the pitch and reckons his experience in England will serve him well against Scotland. The Blackburn Rovers defender is set to lead out Bafana Bafana against the Scots at Pittodrie on Wednesday in a warm-up game for both sides.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on Tuesday defended South Africa’s quiet diplomacy toward Zimbabwe, saying that foreign intervention to bring about a regime change risked unleashing turmoil like in Iraq. He told lawmakers that South Africa — the top regional powerbroker — was not in a position to dictate political and economic policy to Zimbabwe.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday proposed a motion of no confidence in Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and called for her dismissal. It said the existence of a conviction against her was never disclosed to the South African public, despite the position of trust she was placed in as minister of health.
Nasa astronauts prepared on Tuesday to bring the space shuttle Endeavour back to Earth after a two-week mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Endeavour is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida, with two chances to touch down, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said.
General price pressures are evident in the South African economy, which is growing above its potential, Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni said on Tuesday. Mboweni also told students in the northern city of Polokwane that interest rates were the only tool to tame generalised inflation, raising the possibility that rates may have to rise further this year.
Support for Nazi ideas in Germany is making people fear for their lives, a government minister said on Tuesday. Wolfgang Tiefensee, the minister responsible for east Germany, was speaking after a mob of about 50 Germans attacked and chased eight Indians through the streets of a small eastern town at the weekend.
A parliamentary committee, in a report tabled on Tuesday, has proposed sweeping and controversial changes to the structure and functioning of institutions such as the Human Rights Commission (HRC), the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) and other constitutional bodies.
Thirty-nine people are believed to have been killed in a weekend ferry disaster in northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), local officials said on Tuesday. The boat, overloaded with passengers and goods, sank during a storm on Saturday while crossing the Ubangui River.