Revised regulations aimed at making the processing of environmental impact assessment (EIA) applications ”quicker, simpler and better” were unveiled by Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk on Wednesday. Among the features of the new regulations is the introduction of compulsory timeframes.
Life-long champion of women’s rights Nnoseng Ellen Kate Kuzwayo died at the age of 92 in Soweto in the early hours of Wednesday after a long illness. Her son Bobo said Kuzwayo, who was until June 1999 South Africa’s longest-serving parliamentarian, died in the Lesedi private clinic at 2.30am.
Two large drug busts at the Johannesburg International airport in the past two days have kept cocaine worth an estimated value of R64-million off the streets. South African Revenue Service (Sars) customs officials intercepted a shipment of 20kg of cocaine on Wednesday morning.
South African broadcast distribution and telecommunications company Sentech has signed a commercial cooperation agreement with GlobeCast Africa enabling programme satellite-linking to and from anywhere in the world, the company said on Wednesday.
First National Bank (FNB) on Wednesday announced a joint commercial-property and housing-finance deal that will see the provision of over 3 000 houses in Protea Glen, Soweto, over the next two years. The suburb of Protea Glen to be developed will be called Glen Ridge. The first batch of houses is expected to be available for occupation in September or October this year.
A month-long outbreak of cholera has killed 21 people and sickened 253 in mainland Tanzania and the semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago, officials said on Wednesday. Twelve people have died in the past four days and 115 others were taken to hospitals in Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam, said city council spokesperson Gaston Makwembe.
South Africa was urged on Wednesday to tread carefully on land reform in a report released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. ”Land reform is a massive, complicated process and not everything can be done simultaneously,” said the 185-page report by the Paris-based club of market economies.
Media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi was set to take a bow as Italy’s prime minister on Wednesday, but has promised to be a thorn in the side of centre-left nemesis Romano Prodi in opposition. The supreme court was expected to copper-fasten Prodi’s provisional victory in last week’s polls.
Australian tail-ender Jason Gillespie stunned both himself and the cricket world on Wednesday by scoring an unbeaten 201 in the second Test against Bangladesh. ”I never expected it in my wildest dreams … so it’s pretty surreal, pretty bizarre actually,” said the fast bowler, who celebrated his 31st birthday with one of the most astonishing Test knocks ever seen.
Further suspects police want to arrest for last month’s massive airport heist are in Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Angola, the Kempton Park Regional Court heard on Wednesday. Investigating officer Peter Mbobani revealed this in cross-examination by Pieter Wilkens, an advocate defending an Airports Company South Africa employee.