An establishment candidate was always going to emerge, eventually, from the Byzantine confusion of the ANC’s leadership fight. It was only a question of when — and, of course, who. The new South African establishment, just like any establishment, requires the reassurance that its interests will be served at the apex of government.
The National Treasury has gazetted the details of municipalities whose 2006/07 municipal infrastructure grant allocations have been stopped — because of non-compliance with the 2006 Division of Revenue Act. It amounts to R503-million. The main reason for the funds being stopped is "significant under-expenditure".
Opposition parties on Tuesday castigated the government for not doing more to uphold human rights around the world, particularly in Burma and Zimbabwe. ”How sad that within 13 years South Africa has lost its image as the champion of human rights in the world,” Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder said.
North and South Korea launched a new round of reconciliation talks on Tuesday, calling for successful negotiations despite tensions over delays in Seoul’s rice aid and Pyongyang’s nuclear disarmament. ”Let’s move forward like a train, never retreating,” said the South’s Unification Minister, Lee Jae-joung.
Limpopo residents were on Tuesday protesting against their relocation to make way for mining operations. About 300 residents of Mohlohlo village, outside Mokopane, barricaded the road into the village with rocks early on Tuesday morning, said Limpopo police spokesperson Captain Sebotsaro Motadi.
A lack of capacity to spend their allocations from the integrated housing and human-settlement development grant has resulted in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga being stripped of R145-million by the national Housing Department, the Cape Town-based South African Local Government Research Centre has reported.
South African fashion retailer Stuttafords said on Tuesday a court had ordered it to stop selling Gap merchandise due to a dispute with a local firm that claims to be the owner of the brand. Stuttaford chief executive Bruce Rubenstein said the retailer would abide by the court decision and wait for a response from Gap.
Britain’s largest organic group may refuse to certify produce which has been imported by air amid concern about environmental impact. The Soil Association launched a consultation on Tuesday which will look at several options for air-freighted organic produce including a halt to certification, a selective ban, labelling and carbon off-setting.
The United States plans to slap fresh sanctions on Sudan over the Darfur conflict on Tuesday and seek a tough new United Nations Security Council resolution punishing Khartoum, top US officials said. China, one of Sudan’s main allies, criticised the sanctions even before they were officially announced by President George Bush.
President Thabo Mbeki’s facilitation of political dialogue in Zimbabwe will succeed only if its people show they are serious about finding solutions to that country’s crisis, Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said on Tuesday in her budget-vote debate in the National Assembly.