There can be ”no turning back” on the restructuring of South African Airways (SAA), chief executive Khaya Ngqula said on Friday, releasing SAA’s financial results for the year ending March 31. SAA posted an R883-million loss, with operating costs of R21,3-billion outstripping income at R20,6-billion.
Wrapped in a blanket, sitting near the heater, a steamy mug of hot chocolate in one hand and the other resting on the armrest your favourite chair — what could be better to beat the bleak chills of winter? Other than experiencing the National Arts Festival from Grahamstown in the comfort of your own home at the same time, that is.
SA’s own dramatic tenor comes home for performances in Johannesburg and Cape Town, writes Dillon Davie
The Children’s Act is set to come into force on Sunday, except for those sections still needing regulations, Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya said on Friday. ”The bulk of the Act deals with matters that must be implemented on a practical level, which means that regulations will be required before these matters can be operationalised,” he said in a statement.
The African National Congress (ANC) succession battle has loomed large over the party’s policy conference in Midrand despite a call by President Thabo Mbeki for members to remain focused on policy. At a media briefing on Friday, ANC secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe confirmed to reporters that the issue had been strongly on the agenda.
British police defused a car bomb in central London on Friday and said the device, made up of petrol, gas cylinders and nails, could have caused significant loss of life. The bomb was left in a car parked outside a nightclub in the busy heart of London shortly after 1am local time, when ”hundreds” of people were in the vicinity.
MOVIE OF THE WEEK: David Fincher returns to the serial-killer idea with Zodiac, which opens this week, writes Shaun de Waal
Brent Meersman reports on the panel discussion, Is Poetry The New Black? which took place at this year’s Cape Town Book Fair
A total of 46 327 people are awaiting trial in prisons across the country, the South African Prisoners’ Organisation for Human Rights (Sapohr) said on Friday. Golden Miles Bhudu of Sapohr said the organisation was creating awareness of people languishing in prisons without knowing when their cases would be heard.
Murders of aid workers, pirate attacks, closed borders and growing violence make the distribution of relief in Somalia almost impossible, aid workers say, as conflict and drought boost needs still further. A Somali nurse for a Western aid group and a driver were shot dead late on Wednesday.