A memorandum of understanding outlining cooperation around black economic empowerment and unity among the business community was signed between Eskom and the National Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industries (Nafcoc) in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
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Prisoners sentenced without the option of a fine will also be allowed to vote in the general election in April, the Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday. The court heard last month that an amendment to the Electoral Act promulgated in 2003 violated two constitutional rights of prisoners: the right to vote and the right to equality.
Special Report: Elections 2004
Sanlam, South Africa’s second-largest financial services group, is expected to report basically unchanged pro-forma headline earnings per share based on a long-term rate of return when the company announces its results for the year to the end of December 2003 on Thursday.
Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne, will spend his third week during a private visit to Africa building fences and planting trees at a rural orphanage in the small mountain kingdom of Lesotho, a royal spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The United States on Tuesday said it was widening an existing sanctions regime against Zimbabwe to include seven government-related businesses. The enhanced US sanctions ban any transactions with the seven black-listed groups.
Four retailers at the Johannesburg International Airport were served with notices on Tuesday for contravening labour laws, the Labour Department said. Spokesperson Snuki Zikalala said the labour inspectors had slapped Medicine Chain, Natting, Fournos and Kuai with a total of 10 subpoenas after a raid at the airport on Monday.
The Constitutional Court began hearings on Tuesday into three cases challenging the customary law of inheritance. There were many frowns in evidence as advocates thrashed out the issues which could affect the lives of thousands of women and children living under customary law.
First was Minister of Foreign Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. ”But what’s wrong with registering journalists?” was the bottom line of her message. Then came Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Penuell Maduna. The gist of his theme: ”Why assume that registration of the media is necessarily bad?” Their mantra has been making many media people angry, because it whitewashes Zimbabwe’s repression of the press via registration.
STMicroelectronics, Europe’s largest chipmaker, announced last week that it will spend $100-million on two design centres in India to cash in on the country’s large, cheap but highly educated workforce.
The domestic airline Sun Air, operating between Johannesburg and Cape Town, was liquidated on Tuesday and all flights have been cancelled until further notice, the managing director said. Rowald Kresfelder said the airline was liquidated at 5pm after suffering losses and developing a cash flow problem during the past four months.