If there was ever a critical moment for a universal income support mechanism such as a Basic Income Grant, it is now. This becomes very clear when looking at social security through the lens of the Aids epidemic. Nearly half of all South Africans live in poverty, half of these have no access to social grants and numerically speaking, South Africa has the largest HIV epidemic in the world.
At an Aids support centre operated by Freedom Foundation, a private charity in Bangalore, the beautiful brown eyes of Rajni, a young Indian mother, look into a bleak future. Married at 14, she became a widow at 20 when her husband, who ran a small business, died of Aids-related illnesses — and she tested positive for HIV. A new initiative has been launched to help young women protect themselves against HIV.
Mzukisi Sikali is living on borrowed time as the IBO flyweight title holder, warns challenger Mhikiza Myekeni. The two gladiators, who are from Port Elizabeth and East London respectively, will fight at Carnival City, east of Johannesburg, on Saturday night. ”Sikali’s time is up. This is my time,” said Myekeni.
Ululations, hugs from friends and strangers, and a gutsy rendition of Shosholoza greeted South Africa’s Olympic team on their arrival in Johannesburg on Tuesday from the Athens Olympic Games. ”The experience was beyond words,” said Ramon di Clemente who, with Donovan Cech, clinched bronze in the rowing.
Cloete’s coach ‘angry’ with the media
Oil prices could still rise sharply in the coming months, two large investment banks have warned. Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) said oil could spike at to a barrel in the next year, while Deutsche Bank said this year is set to be the sixth successive one in which analysts have underestimated the strength of crude oil prices.
”Was John Matshikiza’s column (‘The good, the bad and the ungrateful’) a belated audition for Winnie Mandela FC? Ronald Suresh Roberts replies.
Business tycoons Tokyo Sexwale and Patrice Motsepe’s involvement in local soccer has been described as a positive step to end the sport’s Cinderella reputation in South Africa. ”We commend Motsepe and Sexwale,” said Mpumalanga Premier Thabang Makwetla at the official launch of Sexwale’s Mvela Golden League at the weekend.
English Premiership side Everton are in talks with European champions FC Porto to sign South African striker Benny McCarthy, private radio TSF reported on Tuesday. McCarthy was the Portuguese league’s top scorer last season with 20 goals but is not seen as a favourite of Porto’s new coach, Vitor Fernandez.
An aggressive 125-run partnership between Sanath Jayasuriya and Saman Jayantha on Tuesday helped Sri Lanka set a massive 309-run target for South Africa in the fifth and final one-day international. Sri Lanka went into the match with four consecutive wins and hope to sweep the series 5-0.
The family of Mark Thatcher have quit his Cape Town home, bound for the United States. Thatcher was arrested in South Africa last week on suspicion of financing a coup attempt in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea. Thatcher’s Texan wife Diane and two children left their house on Monday evening, speeding past waiting journalists and through rush hour traffic escorted by guards in a second vehicle.