Homosexuality is against the Bible and so same-sex marriages should not be allowed, the Constitutional Court heard on Tuesday. The court is hearing an application to appeal a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that the common law should be developed to allow same-sex marriage.
Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai appeared in a magistrate’s court on Tuesday for a routine remand hearing on a treason charge over protest marches he led nearly two years ago. His lawyer complained that the state has taken too long to bring the Movement for Democratic Change leader to trial.
One man was arrested as protesting members of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) clashed with police in central Cape Town on Tuesday. About 2 000 workers marched through the city to voice their opposition to privatisation of basic services such as water and electricity.
Kenya on Tuesday dropped murder charges against a prominent white rancher over the killing of a game warden for lack of sufficient evidence, the country’s top prosecutor said, as officials blamed police for rushing a flimsy case to court. The high-profile charge has rekindled deep colonial-era resentment.
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.