A man accused of killing his former gay partner with an axe pleaded temporary incapacity in the Cape High Court on Thursday while the prosecution argued that it was a premeditated murder. Judge Daniel Dlodlo and two assessors heard closing argument in the trial of BSc graduate Michael van Zyl, who has pleaded not guilty to murdering estate agent Andre Weitz.
Zimbabwe’s annual inflation jumped to a record 2 200% in March, central bank Governor Gideon Gono said on Thursday as the country’s economic and political crisis deepened. He dismissed calls to devalue the Zimbabwean currency, saying it will remain at its official peg of Z to the United States dollar.
A Czech court ruled on Thursday that a British tourist who was seriously injured when a Christmas tree collapsed on top of him should receive 560 000 koruna (about R190 000) compensation. British tourist Malcolm Tuffin suffered a fractured femur and injuries to his spine and chest when the 23m tree fell on top of him.
Businesswoman Danisa Baloyi is still to repay an R8-million loan she received from financial services company Fidentia Holdings, Moneyweb reported on Thursday. It said Fidentia curator Dines Gihwala confirmed on Wednesday that Baloyi had not repaid the loan yet.
The African National Congress Youth League and trade union Solidarity’s youth wing failed to agree on Thursday on whether youth should be exempt from affirmative action. The two youth organisations held talks in Johannesburg to discuss how affirmative action could benefit different racial groups.
The North West education department ventured into Khutsong on Thursday under police protection to act against teachers supporting ongoing class boycotts. A spokesperson said three teachers and a principal were notified of their suspension, while 10 other teachers from various schools were asked to explain their actions.
Demand for credit by South Africa’s private sector should brake in March in a delayed reaction to last year’s interest-rate increases, easing pressure on the central bank to resume raising interest rates. The country’s trade deficit should, however, widen to R4,1-billion after narrowing to R2,7-billion in February.
An Indian judge ordered the arrest of Hollywood star Richard Gere and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on Thursday over a hug and kiss at an Aids-awareness event. The arrest warrants were issued in the Rajasthan state capital of Jaipur following a public-interest plea filed last week by a resident accusing the pair of obscenity, court officials said.
The African National Congress (ANC) membership should reject a key draft document that will be presented to the party’s national conference in December, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Thursday. The draft Strategy and Tactics document will be discussed at the ANC policy conference in June ahead of the December conference.
The Cape High Court ruled on Thursday afternoon that it would accept the late filing of an affidavit by Matthias Rath in opposition to an application by the Treatment Action Campaign. The affidavit, which stretches with annexures to 2 709 pages in nine lever-arch files, was lodged about 13 months after deadline.