The national government has failed on a grand scale to properly manage public money, Democratic Alliance public accounts spokesperson Eddie Trent said on Thursday. An overview of the audit outcomes of government departments proves that too many ministers and directors general are unable to provide proper financial management of public money, he told a media briefing at Parliament.
When Bill Gates started to make an impact in the software business, he reportedly said: ”I want to be the IBM of software.” It looks as though he succeeded all too well — Microsoft looks as bloated and bureaucratic as its giant model, where programming was famously compared to prehistoric monsters wrestling in tar-pits.
South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni said on Thursday that although things looked good at present, he warned of danger signs in the economy, which could signal "some major inflationary consequences down the road". Speaking to the Parliamentary finance portfolio committee, the governor said while "things generally look good … there are lots of dangers".
Uneasy calm returned to the Nigerian market city of Onitsha on Thursday after almost a week of violence that claimed at least seven lives and left more than 200 prisoners freed, police said. ”Our men are on top of the situation. There is calm everywhere now. But the curfew imposed … is still in force,” state police spokesperson Fidelis Agbo told Agence France-Presse.
Israel vowed on Thursday to continue air attacks in the Gaza Strip, despite global outcry over the killing of civilians in botched raids, as the Israeli and Palestinian leaders met in Jordan. Fourteen Palestinian civilians, including five children, have been killed in air strikes over Gaza in nine days, following an upsurge in cross-border violence.
The justice system is seen as unfair to people laying a charge of rape, a survey has found. This perception was strongest in the coloured community, with black people the least critical, said Research Surveys, which conducted the study as part of ongoing research into social and political issues. It was also a belief held mainly by women, but not markedly so, the survey found.
Sudan’s war-ravaged region of Darfur needs a United Nations peacekeeping force, despite President Omar al-Beshir’s repeated opposition to deployment of Western forces, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Thursday. Annan said that such a force would be essential to uphold the "tenuous and incomplete" peace accord between Khartoum and rebel groups.
East Timor Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, blamed by opponents for violence that gripped the tiny nation last month, huddled with senior members of his party as his fate hung in the balance on Thursday. President Xanana Gusmao has told Alkatiri to step down or be sacked after seeing a documentary that purported to show evidence of the prime minister’s involvement in arming men tasked with killing his rivals.
A blood shortage alert has been declared by the South African National Blood Service as staff and donors have been struck down with flu, it said on Thursday. The inland region has a three-day supply of blood and the east coast region a one-day supply.
SA Rugby said on Thursday that they were pleased the Southern Spears’ court application will not proceed this week. By agreement between the parties involved, the matter will now be heard on August 10. This means that the Currie Cup will commence on Friday without any immediate threat of legal action hanging over the process.