A perceived ”witch-hunt” against specific people involved in apartheid atrocities could revive ”problems”, African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma warned on Sunday. The challenge to the country, its leadership and the National Prosecuting Authority was to get to the truth, but at the same time ensure there was reconciliation, he said.
Fraud and theft claims against South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Blade Nzimande were an attempt to discredit the organisation. The campaign was being conducted by ”elements, including agent provocateurs” who were ”hell-bent” on destroying the party because they were opposed to the direction it was taking.
A trip to Spain by the Deputy Minister of Health without the president’s approval was a ”mistake” and partly due to ”miscommunication”, a media report said on Monday. Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge and her party were already in Spain when her office informed her of President Thabo Mbeki’s decision to disallow the trip.
Premier League champions Manchester United beat FA Cup winners Chelsea 3-0 on penalties to win the Community Shield in a shoot-out on Sunday. Stalwart Ryan Giggs gave United a 35th minute lead with a sweetly-struck shot but Chelsea’s new France winger Florent Malouda levelled with a fine solo goal on the stroke of halftime.
Millions of people who have been left marooned by torrential monsoon rains south of the Himalayas face an uncertain future cut off from their submerged villages amid fears that epidemics would spread unchecked in the waterlogged region, say relief agencies.
The South African Rugby Union and the South African Rugby Players’ Association will meet early this week to discuss the decision last week by the President’s Council to ban overseas-based players from playing for the Springboks. The meeting could result in the President’s Council decision being ”rescinded”.
Prison officials must have colluded with the ten prisoners who escaped from the Qalakabusha Correctional Centre in Empangeni, Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour said on Sunday. The prisoners, aged between 28 and 35, were serving life sentences for murder, armed robbery and other crimes.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, criticised for driving his country to economic ruin, on Monday received a cordial welcome at an anti-poverty summit in this Malaysian resort. "Mugabe is actually participating in all the events," a delegate said, adding that the latter was "hugged and kissed" by some participants.
As a country we do not do too well on the green front. We are generally energy inefficient and wasteful. But we can take a small measure of pride next month when the first solar panels resulting from South African taxpayer-funded research and development come out of a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant costing upwards of R500-million.
There are many good reasons for communists to exist. Anti-communists cite the plentiful examples provided by the 20th century of rampant corruption, dictatorship and mass impoverishment associated with such regimes, in which the comrade leaders lived it up far from the unwelcome gaze of the proletariat.