The ”recklessness” with which some South African lose their identity documents (IDs) is a concern, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba said on Wednesday. ”Some people in South Africa have been applying for an ID five times a year,” Gigaba said.
Former Enron chairperson and chief executive Kenneth Lay, awaiting sentencing after being convicted of fraud and conspiracy charges, has died, United States media reported on Wednesday. ”Ken Lay passed away early this morning in Aspen,” said a family statement read out on CNN.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has budgeted R1-billion to update its management of money in trust programme (MMIT), its chief operations officer Khotso De Wee said on Wednesday. His remarks come after Auditor General Shauket Fakie tabled a report in Parliament on Tuesday identifying serious financial and administrative inefficiencies in the MMIT.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Wednesday condemned the proposed Western Cape fuel tax of between 10c and 50c a litre in addition to the current national levy. ”The effect of such a levy would be to move the greatest burden of this special tax onto the poor people,” Cosatu said in a statement.
The National Lotteries Board has denied responsibility for the alleged delay in appointing distribution agencies. The board was responding to media reports alleging that charity organisations depending on funding from the lottery were in difficulty as money due to them had not been forthcoming.
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Even as this World Cup reaches a climax with Italy having booked a final spot against France or Portugal on Sunday, eyes are already turning to a South African jamboree in four years’ time. Organisers are hoping the first World Cup to be played on African soil will produce ”Football for a Better World” and Fifa will flag up preparations on Friday at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.
Bluefin tuna stocks in the Mediterranean Sea and East Atlantic Ocean are on the brink of extinction because of rampant illicit fishing, the environmental group WWF said on Wednesday. A report by the WWF said that bluefin tuna catches are at least 40% higher than an internationally-approved quota of 32 000 tonnes, and are deliberately under-reported at official level.
More than 240 experts have been placed at problem municipalities to help them improve their affairs, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba said on Wednesday. Gigaba said a total of 112 experts, 18 graduates and 80 students had been mobilised and deployed to the 69 Project Consolidate municipalities.
An Eastern Cape initiate was to appear in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday after allegedly killing a traditional surgeon with a spade. Spokesperson Captain Ernest Sigobe said the 22-year-old initiate was apparently unhappy with the way in which he had been circumcised.
Martina Navratilova has finally decided that, with her 50th birthday just four months away, enough is enough and she will retire this year. ”I just want to move on to my next life,” Navratilova said. Having collected 58 Grand Slam titles in total, she needs one more here to become the most successful Wimbledon competitor of all time.