Two speeding motorists caught with laser jammers in their cars have been charged with exceeding the speed limit and defeating the ends of justice, Johannesburg metro police said on Sunday. The two were among 37 motorists arrested for speeding in the city over the weekend.
Ernie Els was in upbeat mood after finishing third at the United States PGA Championship on Sunday, sensing he is close to giving world number one Tiger Woods a run for his money. The 37-year-old South African, six strokes behind leader Woods at the start of the final round, signed off with a four-under-par 66 in steamy conditions at Southern Hills Country Club.
South Africa has blamed Britain for the deepening crisis in Zimbabwe by accusing the United Kingdom of leading a campaign to ”strangle” the beleaguered African state’s economy and saying it has a ”death wish” against a negotiated settlement that might leave Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF in power.
Capetonians cannot boast endlessly only about their beaches, mountains and winelands. They can be justifiably proud of their economy too — the Western Cape has the highest growth rate of all the provinces, as well as the lowest unemployment figures.
British mining giant Anglo American has been accused of profiting from the persecution, intimidation and killing of miners in Colombia who oppose the company’s operations. The international charity War on Want says in a report released this week that Anglo American and its subsidiaries benefited from army operations in areas where the company is prospecting, which have forced families off their land and intimidated community leaders.
Householders have been warned to expect a big rise in home insurance premiums after Britain’s two biggest insurers said they would increase rates to cover the impact of this summer’s flooding — predicted to cost £3,3-billion. Britain’s largest insurer, Norwich Union, said it was planning to introduce 10% increases — typically £35 to £40 a year — in buildings and contents premiums on all renewal notices sent out after August 6.
A week after the Kenyan Parliament passed a law compelling journalists to disclose their sources, pressure is mounting for President Mwai Kibaki to reject the punitive legislation. The new Kenya Media Bill, which was passed last week by 27 votes instead of the mandatory 30-member quorum, has come under heavy criticism from both the industry and the public, which perceive it as a deliberate attempt to gag the media, which has openly criticised the government for corruption.
With the spectre of price controls on private hospitals looming, market leader Netcare has called for self-regulation by the industry to ward off moves by government to set prices. Netcare found itself in the eye of a storm recently amid accusations that it benefited from non-transparent pricing and for not passing on rebates from suppliers to its customers.
Amid the top-level dialogue, public debate and opulent functions dedicated to solving the scourge of violence against women and children, is it possible that we are losing sight of the obvious? Could we be suffering from the "bullshit baffles brains" syndrome instead of allowing common sense and reason to prevail?
Last month Bidvest Bank was launched officially in South Africa, the latest project of diversified industrial giant Bidvest. Brian Joffe’s company appears to have taken the view that there’s nowhere to go but up, although Bidvest is taking a conservative approach. Joffe founded his empire 18 years ago with one acquisition, Chipkins, a catering services company.