A total of 419 primary schools in poor communities in the Western Cape have been given ”no-fee” status, the provincial education department announced on Monday. This would bring relief to parents of almost 150 000 learners, it said in a statement. An amount of R29-million had been allocated to fund the initiative in the current financial year.
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Switzerland kept their World Cup dream well and truly alive with a 2-0 win over troubled but lively debutants Togo on Monday. Goals in either half from Alexander Frei and Tranquillo Barnetta lifted Kobi Kuhn’s youngsters up to the top of Group G on four points, along with South Korea, who await them in their remaining first-round fixture on Friday.
An animal sanctuary is offering a safe haven to Lewis the cat, a Fairfield, Connecticut, feline whose vicious attacks on neighbours have landed his owner in court. Neighbours claim the gray-and-white cat has used his long claws and stealth to attack at least a half-dozen people.
Experts at a world conference on desertification in Tunisia on Monday called for political leaders to use the technical tools available to stem the merciless advance of parched land and its devastating social, economic and human consequences. "In most cases, the technical solutions exist and the know-how is available to help the greatest number," a United Nations official said.
Zambia has issued a démarche, the highest form of diplomatic protest, against an outspoken French envoy that will see him leave the country, the foreign ministry confirmed on Monday. The government has complained to the French government over what it called a blatant breach of diplomatic etiquette by the ambassador.
The body of another murdered security guard was found hanging from a tree in Springs on Monday, Gauteng police said. ”He was found hanging from a tree, he had a wound possibly caused by a sharp object on his head and his legs had been tied up,” Superintendent Andy Pieke said.
The Egyptian government’s policy on low-income housing districts received mixed reactions from experts, with some praising it for providing basic utilities and others panning it for not addressing the root cause of slum growth. A new United Nations habitat report praises the government for investing in electricity, water and sanitation infrastructure in the country’s vast slum areas.
The death of a female leopard three days after she tore herself from a gin trap in the Eastern Cape has reignited debate around what some conservationists call ”barbaric weapons”. The leopard tore free from the trap and was on the loose in the Baviaanskloof area for at least three days with the trap still attached to her paw.
South Africa’s proposals to clamp down on ”canned hunting”, or the killing of captive animals, will be useless unless the laws are clear and properly enforced, an animal welfare group said on Monday. ”The loopholes will be exploited,” said Neil Greenwood, Southern African spokesperson of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Twelve people were killed and four left in a critical condition when a tour bus overturned near Kroonstad on Monday, Free State police said. Captain Rosa Benade said 35 people were treated for serious injuries on the accident scene and moved to the Boithumelo and Kroon hospitals.