The City of Johannesburg is approving an average of nearly 2Â 000 building plans per month while some northern areas are experiencing growth rates of 25%. Dr Philip Harrison, executive director of development planning and urban management, said figures indicated that the city’s population would double within 20 to 25 years.
Zambia has banned the use of an imported HIV/Aids drug that was recently recalled in Europe due to contamination and might seek compensation from the company that manufactures it. Viracept was withdrawn in Europe after drugmaker Roche Holding AG said it had identified a chemical impurity in the product.
Zambian doctors have ordered the ailing ex-president Frederick Chiluba sent to South Africa for treatment after his heart condition deteriorated, a Chiluba spokesperson said on Tuesday. Emmanuel Mwamba said Chiluba would be flown to South Africa after local doctors said he needed immediate specialist treatment.
Astronomers using a giant telescope say they have found glimpses of the most distant — and oldest — galaxies ever seen. The light the researchers viewed originated when the universe was only 500-million years old and has been travelling through distant space for billions of years.
Numerous metal and engineering employers have concluded agreements with unions that entail additional increases for skilled employees, Solidarity announced on Tuesday. Cape Gate has offered a 15% increase for artisans and 20% for technicians while Barloworld has offered a 10% increase plus a R1 500 skills allowance.
Accidents at Chinese coal mines killed nearly 1 800 people in the first half of this year, 14,3% fewer than in the same period of 2006, the Xinhua news agency said on Tuesday. But while overall deaths declined, there were more accidents where the toll numbered between 10 and 30.
The Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) is probing the death of builder Pieter Wheeler in a police cell in Grabouw, Western Cape police said on Tuesday. Wheeler (51) was found dead in the cell he shared with three other men at 11pm on Saturday, just over six hours after his detention for alleged drunkenness.
Confidence among South Africa’s consumers eased in the second quarter of 2007, but remained high as most expected the benefits of faster economic growth to filter down to them, a survey found. The confidence index compiled by First National Bank and the Bureau for Economic Research was down to +21 from a record high of +23.
The United States navy has sent a third aircraft carrier to its Fifth Fleet area of operations, which includes Gulf waters close to Iran, the navy said on Tuesday. ”Enterprise [aircraft carrier] provides navy power to counter the assertive, disruptive and coercive behaviour of some countries,” a US Navy statement said.
Several explosions ripped through Mogadishu’s sprawling Bakara Market on Tuesday, killing two people in a fifth straight day of violence in the area. Somalia’s interim government says Bakara, one of the world’s biggest open-air arms markets, is a stronghold of Islamist insurgents it blames for almost daily guerrilla attacks.