More public servants are blowing the whistle on corruption and unethical behaviour, but government departments are sluggish in joining the fight. This is the thrust of a trend analysis report compiled by the Public Service Commission (PSC) that compares the responses by public servants between 2004/05 and 2005/06.
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One of three women raped last year in KwaZulu-Natal was so traumatised she had to be led away from an identification parade without identifying anyone, the Scottburgh High Court heard on Thursday. The report from the identification parade was submitted to the court after one of the three accused expressed dissatisfaction with the parade.
An investigation into the rape of a Wits medical student at the Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg continued on Thursday, Gauteng police said. Superintendent Thembi Nkwashu said police were still waiting for the girl to make a statement.
A train crash in a remote location in central Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) killed at least 68 people, the United Nations peacekeeping force said on Thursday. ”There are 68 dead and 128 severely wounded,” UN mission spokesperson Kemal Saiki said. The accident took place late on Wednesday near Benaleka.
Medical experts who declared child murderer Theunis Olivier fit to stand trial should reappear in court to answer allegations that they did not follow proper procedures, the Cape High Court ruled on Thursday. ”Serious allegations have been made against these professional people and they should be given an opportunity to answer,” the judge said.
Divers combed the dark, debris-strewn waters of the Mississippi River on Thursday searching for up the 30 people missing after a major bridge collapsed at rush hour, killing at least four people. Officials expected the death toll to rise, with dozens of cars and trucks dumped in the river after massive sections of the bridge roadway were sheared off on Wednesday.
Pakistan cricket officials said on Thursday they might move two matches against South Africa from Peshawar and Rawalpindi, but denied any action would be linked to security concerns. ”There may be changes in two venues of one-day internationals in the home series against South Africa,” Pakistan Cricket Board director of operations Zakir Khan said.
The influx of Zimbabwean refugees into South Africa is a ”serious problem” and should be dealt with, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said on Thursday. ”Clearly we must do more to see what we can do to deal with this large influx of refugees,” he told reporters in Pretoria.
A man was killed in a scuffle over a loaf of bread in Zimbabwe, where food shortages are worsening, press reports said on Thursday. The man, believed to have been an illegal gold panner, was killed on Thursday on the outskirts of the city of Gweru, central Zimbabwe, the official Herald daily said.