The government has no intention of infringing on media freedom through the draft Films and Publications Amendment Bill, Government Communication and Information System head Themba Maseko said on Thursday. The Bill was approved by the Cabinet at its fortnightly meeting at Tuynhuys on Wednesday.
The main witness in an alleged plot to topple Burundi’s government on Thursday recanted his claims, saying he had made the accusations under torture and threats from authorities. Alain Mugabarabona’s surprise statement came three days after police arrested the country’s former president Domitien Ndayizeye in connection with the purported plot.
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Reaction to Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s calls for Jacob Zuma to abandon his presidential ambitions was muted on Thursday. By Thursday afternoon, Zuma himself had not responded to Tutu’s comments made while delivering the Harold Wolpe Memorial Lecture in Cape Town on Wednesday.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) threatened on Thursday to escalate mass action if Merafong — a cross-border municipality — is incorporated into North West. Merafong includes Carletonville and Khutsong, which were part of Gauteng. The remainder of Merafong, including Fochville, is part of North West.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) spokesperson Makhosini Nkosi on Thursday labelled calls for his resignation as an ”elaborate plan” to discredit him and the NPA. The Congress of South African Trade Unions in KwaZulu-Natal claims Nkosi lied when he said the NPA would be ready to proceed with its case against Jacob Zuma.
African National Congress national executive committee member Tony Yengeni, who was swept to the gates of Pollsmoor prison on a wave of solidarity from party officials, suggested on Thursday that Parliament erred in its handling of his fraud case. He was addressing a crowd of supporters outside the prison’s gates.
Police used pepper spray to evict a group of Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) protesters from a Department of Correctional Services building in central Cape Town on Thursday. The protest was part of the TAC’s ”day of action” to pressure President Thabo Mbeki to sack Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
Clothing retail group Truworths lifted headline earnings per share by 29% from 144,8 cents to 186,4 cents for the 52 weeks ended June 25 2006. The group declared a final dividend of 45 cents per share, bringing the total dividend for the year to 89 cents per share.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) held a closed meeting of heads of State and foreign ministers over the economic troubles in member state Zimbabwe, South African Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said on Thursday. He was addressing a media briefing at Parliament — beamed to Pretoria — and said simply: "The fact that they met is important."
Well, the war is finally over: and the cellphone has emerged as the winner on two key fronts. For most buyers it will be the device of choice for playing music and taking photographs. I have been trying out some of the latest cellphones and there has been a big increase in the quality and quantity of the tracks they play.