The Democratic Alliance has formally requested a debate in Parliament on the government’s proposed loan package to Zimbabwe, saying South African taxpayers need to be told why money may be made available for that country. ”Parliament must approve any financial agreement of this nature,” the DA said.
Sanlam Life, South Africa’s second-largest life assurer, will buy a 50% stake in niche life assurer Channel Life from its parent, PSG Group, for R116,5-million, the two companies said on Thursday. The purchase price represents 125 cents per share for Channel Life, valuing the company at approximately R230-million.
The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal said it will investigate who incited crowd members to shout pro-Jacob Zuma slogans while Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka tried to address them on Women’s Day. Mlambo-Ngcuka was booed as she tried to deliver her speech at Utrecht.
The media have concentrated on his bad deeds but ignored his good actions, convicted murderer Mark Scott-Crossley told the Phalaborwa Circuit Court on Thursday. Reporters at the court have seen a man ”who now and again reacted irresponsibly”, he said in evidence in mitigation of sentence.
More than 3Â 000 striking municipal workers made their way to the Braamfontein Civic Centre in Johannesburg on Thursday to hand over a memorandum of grievances to executive mayor Amos Masondo. There was no littering and no serious incidents of violence or confrontation with the police.
With indications that striking gold miners would accept their employers’ latest wage offer, union bosses awaited a final response on Thursday afternoon. ”It’s looking positive. I’m waiting for the final verdict from the chief negotiator,” Solidarity spokesperson Reint Dykema said on the fifth day of the strike.
Lawyers for six suspended United Democratic Movement (UDM) politicians will argue their case in the Cape High Court on August 29 — only three days before the opening of the September floor-crossing window. The six were suspended on August 5, apparently after rumours that they intended to defect to another party.
Hundreds of private schools will be forced to shut down in Zimbabwe if a Bill allowing the government to set fees and recruit teachers is passed, teachers and school associations warned on Thursday. The Education Amendment Bill was presented in May, allowing the education minister to set school fees, impose a school uniform and determine the recruitement for all teachers.
Entertainment on your home computer is about to become more than just gaming and music. Within a year, computer owners should be able to download movies and hit television shows and then watch them on TV. The first steps in cutting out the trip to Blockbuster are already being taken, although the web content is still ”locked” to the PC.
Salman Rushdie’s novel Shalimar the Clown, about a Kashmiri boy who becomes an Islamic terrorist, has made the 2005 longlist for the prestigious Booker Prize. The yet-to-be-released book was named on Wednesday alongside 16 others in the running for the annual Man Booker Prize for Fiction.