Whistle-blowers under the Protected Disclosures Act (PDA) were not being safeguarded enough against reprisals from their employers, Open Democracy Advice Centre (Odac) Chief Operating Officer Alison Tilley said on Monday. Even though corruption was widespread in South Africa, not enough employees were coming forward to disclose what they knew about wrongdoing in the workplace, Tilley said.
At least three people were killed and nine wounded in a gun battle over United Nations food aid in drought-stricken central Somalia early on Monday, police and relief workers said. The incident, which underscores the difficulties faced by aid agencies working in the lawless nation, occurred shortly after midnight near the town of Baidoa, they said.
![]()
A church pastor told the Johannesburg High Court on Monday how he was expelled from college after a false rape accusation by Jacob Zuma’s rape accuser. Pastor Sithembile Masoka told the court that he and the woman, who alleges Zuma raped her on November 2 last year, studied together in Vereeniging in 1995.
Junior platinum-mining company African Platinum (Afplats) on Monday announced that it was withdrawing its application for a secondary listing on the American Stock Exchange (Amex). Afplats is already listed on London’s Alternative Stock Exchange or AIM.
The United States administration backs sending up to several hundred Nato advisers to support African Union peacekeepers protect villagers in Sudan’s Darfur region, The Washington Post reported. The newspaper said the move would include some US troops and mark a significant expansion of US and allied involvement in the conflict.
European group Arianespace said on Monday it had been picked by Mitsubishi Electric to launch the first commercial telecommunications satellite to be built by a Japanese company. The contract to put into orbit the Superbird 7 satellite is the 270th won by Arianespace, the world’s biggest satellite launcher.
The average price of wines sold at the 32nd Nederburg Auction over the weekend fell 25% from those attained in 2005, with the market experiencing a correction after having soared 90% last year. The 2006 auction, which returned to a two-day format and offered more wine versus 2005, also saw the return to prominence of supermarkets amongst the buyers.
A powerful explosion at a hospital complex in northern China’s Shanxi province early on Monday killed at least 17 people with up to a dozen more missing, state media and local police reported. The explosion occurred in a garage at the hospital and damaged buildings within one square kilometre "to various degrees", Xinhua news agency and police said, without giving a reason for the blast.
Alex Ferguson believes that Manchester United’s trip to Chelsea on April 29 will decide the outcome of the Premiership title race after Wayne Rooney’s dazzling display inspired United to a 2-0 victory over Arsenal here at Old Trafford. Having slashed Chelsea’s lead from 18 points to seven since the beginning of March, the veteran United manager is convinced his players can pull off an amazing comeback.
The JSE managed to cling onto its gains by midday on Monday in what traders described as an "unexciting" session. Commodities prices were the main feature on a day that otherwise lacked any market-moving news. By 11.55am, the all-share index had gained 0,19%, while the all-share industrial index declined 0,31%. Resources rose 0,9%, with the gold-mining index gaining 2,66%.