Constitutional Court Judge Johann Kriegler cut to the heart of the floor-crossing controversy this week, saying that he had ”great difficulty” in accepting the defection law was an honest reflection of the people’s will.
Unisa has been footing some of the legal bill for McCaps Motimele’s defence in the case of sexual harassment brought by Professor Margaret Orr.
A row over the opening concert for the World Summit on Sustainable Development underscores tensions between the ”greens” and President Thabo Mbeki’s pro-Nepad (New Partnership for Africa’s Development) team organising the mega-event in Johannesburg later this month.
The Mail & Guardian is poised for nothing less than an imperfect and challenging future as it looks to become commercially viable and increase its presence and influence in the region. This emerged at a panel discussion addressed by the newspaper’s new owner, Trevor Ncube.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan deepened splits this week over how the international community should respond to an Iraqi invitation for the chief UN weapons inspector to visit Baghdad by saying such a move could be considered under certain conditions.
The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal is split from top to bottom between supporters of current party chairperson S’bu Ndebele and his deputy Zweli Mkhize for the top leadership position. The province will elect its new party office bearers in the next month.
Few of the promised heavy industrial projects stipulated as offsets under the controversial multibillion-rand arms deal have materialised; instead South Africa gains a condom factory, Scandinavian package tours, a mohair yarn project and a jewellery plant.
Elna McIntosh, a Gauteng sexologist and radio host, won an apology from a researcher and an NGO behind a report used to help close down The Ranch, a brothel in Johannesburg. McIntosh appeared this week as plaintiff in the Cape Town High Court in a defamation suit.
Every day Usama Khalid jumps into a car or taxi queuing at an Israeli checkpoint. The 11-year-old Palestinian is an officially sanctioned human shield. For the Israeli troops who squint out of a watchtower, the boy’s presence is proof that a suicide bomber is not at the wheel of the car.
The radical group, Gush Shalom, sent letters to 15 senior officers advising them that imposing collective punishments or making hostages of civilians violated the Geneva Convention. It said the officers had been identified by their own statements to the media.