A Constitutional Court application relating to same-sex marriage began with gasps of disbelief and laughter at the state’s apparent understanding of such relationships on Tuesday. ”Same-sex partnerships are a relatively new phenomena,” said the Department of Home Affairs’ advocate, sparking laughter in the gallery.
Jeers and cries of disbelief greeted a remark by Minister of Education Naledi Pandor in the National Assembly on Tuesday that the government is not against any language in South Africa. Pandor told MPs the time has come to ”make the learning of an African indigenous language compulsory in our schools”.
Mexican President Vicente Fox apologised on Monday for saying that Mexicans in the United States do the work that blacks won’t, but many Mexicans — stung by a new US crackdown on illegal immigrants — said Fox was just stating a fact. Fox at first refused to apologise for the Friday comment, saying his remark was misinterpreted.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has warned FA Cup final opponents Arsenal that his side will have no inferiority complex, despite being cast as the underdogs. ”One thing’s for sure, we are certainly not afraid of them,” the Scot told the official Manchester United magazine.
While international terrorism appears to pose no immediate threat to South Africa, vigilance remains the watchword, Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils said on Tuesday. ”Since no country can claim immunity from this scourge, we remain vigilant,” Kasrils said when introducing debate on his Budget vote in the National Assembly.
”We just want our marriage to be recognised legally — we have already married in church,” said Charles January on Tuesday, ahead of a Constitutional Court application relating to same-sex marriage. A small group of protesters sang outside the court in Johannesburg, some carrying posters.
The European Union on Tuesday scolded Ethiopia’s ruling party and opposition for premature announcements of their success in the hotly contested weekend elections, but said the process has been relatively smooth. Officials of the National Election Board of Ethiopia cannot confirm any result until Saturday.
A small group of taxi drivers danced with traditional weapons in central Johannesburg on Tuesday to protest against the government’s ”broken promises”. Between 80 and 100 protesters carried placards reading ”Impounding has to come to an end” and ”Enough is enough, this impounding has to stop”.
The African National Congress said at a media briefing to discuss the release of discussion documents on Tuesday that the rand needs to balance the interests of exporters and importers, and would not be drawn on what it considered to be an appropriate competitive level.
The JSE Securities Exchange (JSE) was in positive territory just before noon on Tuesday with the rand — which was trading at its worst levels in seven months — buoying heavyweight resources and dual-listed stocks. By 11.51am, the rand was quoted at R6,42 per dollar from R6,36 when the JSE closed on Monday.