The ”severely paralysed” Darfur peace agreement ”does not resonate with the people” and is in danger of collapse, the head of the United Nations mission in Sudan wrote in his blog. But Jan Pronk said the pact was still salvageable if revisions were made, calling it ”a good text, an honest compromise”.
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Germany could be hit by a late blow ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal with Italy after Fifa announced they would take a decision whether to punish influential midfielder Torsten Frings. Fifa took the decision on Sunday after viewing television footage in which he apparently hits Argentinian striker Julio Cruz after the quarterfinal.
Johncom CEO Connie Molusi is to decide on Tuesday whether to accept an ultimatum to leave Johncom voluntarily as chief executive, reports Business Day. It said that Molusi had had several run-ins with chairperson Mashudu Ramano over the company’s black economic empowerment (BEE) strategy.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) over the weekend announced that it had declared a dispute over maternity leave and housing with South Africa’s second largest platinum miner Impala Platinum. The declaration of the dispute followed a meeting between the two parties to address the implementation of existing agreements, NUM said.
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Raymond Domenech is playing down France’s past superiority over their World Cup semifinal opponents Portugal, saying it will count for nothing when the whistle blows in Munich on Wednesday. Les Bleus have won all four of their clashes with Portugal, the most significant coming at Euro 2000 when they ran out 2-1 extra time winners in a fractious semifinal en route to taking the title.
A woman accused of having an affair with long-distance athlete Zola Budd-Pieterse’s ex-husband was arrested after an attempted suicide drama in Bloemfontein, media reports said on Monday. Pinkie Pelser — the alleged mistress — fired a gun while threatening to shoot anyone entering the premises of the house she rents from Mike Pieterse.
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Claims that South Africa could lose the 2010 World Cup were ”laughable” and ”absolute nonsense”, said Danny Jordaan, the chief executive of the local organising committee for the event. ”What has changed since we won the World Cup? Why will we suddenly now lose it?” Jordaan asked from Germany.
Israel threatened to target the Hamas political leadership in the Gaza Strip with detention or worse on Sunday as diplomatic efforts to negotiate the release of a soldier held by Palestinian militias stalled. An Israeli air strike destroyed the office of the Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniyeh, in the early hours, without causing injury.
Two of the three former apartheid spies who were released from a Zimbabwean prison at the weekend have been reunited with their families, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported on Sunday. Michael Smith, Kevin Woods and Philip Conjwayo were jailed for life for murder and sabotage in 1988. They were pardoned by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
The past few weeks have been seriously troubling for those who still consider the Constitution and its promises to be the most effective cement with which to hold this country together. If we fail to make our constitutional dreams an increasing lived reality, the long-term potential of this Constitution to hold all South Africans together may well be jeopardised.