THURSDAY 10.30AM THE SA Municipal Workers’ Union has accused Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Kader Asmal of engaging in secret negotiations with UK multinational Biwater, which has offered R12-billion to privatise SA’s entire water and waste services. Samwu representative Anna Weekes said yesterday: “The fact that this sum is not public knowledge and that it […]
THURSDAY, 1.00PM: THE CABINET Wednesday approved a Bill prohibiting South Africans from rendering military services abroad without government authority. The Bill provides for a fine of up to R1-million or 10 years’ imprisonment for offenders. The new law is clearly aimed at curtailing the activities of mercenary outfit Executive Outcomes. The Foreign Military Assistance Bill […]
THURSDAY 10.30AM TELKOM’S MD and CEO Brian Clark yesterday announced his resignation with immediate effect. A Telkom statement said Clark left “to pursue other interests”. However, Telkom sources suggest his resignation had more to do with a dilution of his powers following the sale of a strategic equity stake in the parastatal to a US-Malaysian […]
THURSDAY, 12.30PM: The slow pace of entries for this year’s Comrades Marathon has made a sudden turnaround and organisers are now expecting a record entry for the June 16 downhill race after a last-minute rush of entries last week. From just over 1 000 entries the previous week, total entries soared to 4 410 by […]
THURSDAY 12.00NOON The trade and industry department yesterday announced the early termination of the controversial General Export Incentive Scheme due to budgetary constraints. The scheme will cease on July 11 The scheme was introduced in 1990 to offer financial incentives to local manufacturers to increase exports after years of apartheid isolation. Payouts in terms of […]
THURSDAY, 12.30PM: SOUTH African tennis international Wayne Ferreira seems set on a career as a serial loser after bowing out of a major tournament once again. The third seed and world number 10 opted out of the first round of the $425 000 BMW Open yesterday with the same 6-3 6-4 score against the same […]
THURSDAY, 2.00PM: TWO stock thieves were shot dead and several people were injured yesterday afternoon when a group of rustlers on horseback attacked a group of SA and Lesotho security force members rounding up stolen livestock at Qubenga on the Lesotho border. About 60 horsemen surrounded the group, firing on them and attacking them with […]
South Africa is battling to contain a criminal economy whose roots lie in the covert war and cross-border struggles of the past, reports Stephen Elli SOUTH AFRICA has become a democracy, but the country is now witness to a level of crime which causes deep concern to its citizens and its government. The notion that […]
South Africa can influence human rights abusers by maintaining contact, writes Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad IN an article under the heading “SA open to business with anyone who pays” (April 4 to 10), the Mail & Guardian presupposes that South Africa has a one-dimensional approach to developing relations with certain countries where human rights […]
Bestselling author Kathy Lette recently visited South Africa. MADELEINE WACKERNAGEL met her ONE morning spent eavesdropping in Sandton Square was enough to convince Kathy Lette that her next book had to have a South African element. “What great material! I actually overheard someone saying `Ja well, no fine’!” She describes her discovery of that great […]