Three trucks filled with food and blankets for Zimbabweans are still in Johannesburg waiting for clearance from Harare, the South African Council of Churches said on Monday. The trucks were due to leave last week but have been stuck in Johannesburg while paperwork is sorted out.
Braziers used for heating are being blamed for the deaths of three people burnt to death and another two suffocated in shacks in Ivory Park, on the North Rand, this weekend. A woman and her two sons burnt to death when their shack caught fire on Saturday night.
Municipal workers’ unions and the South African Local Government Association (Salga) met on Monday in another attempt to resolve a wage dispute that has seen a countrywide resumption of a pay strike. The meeting was taking place even though Salga had already imposed a 6% wage increase against the unions’ demands.
Ajax Cape Town gained a valuable point in their CAF Champions League game against the number-one team in Africa, Egypt’s Al Ahly, when they held them to a goalless draw at the Athlone Stadium on Sunday. The experience of the visitors showed, but the home side kept their heads.
Bloemfontein Celtic beat newly promoted Tembisa Classic 1-0 in an entertaining opening game of the Castle Premier Soccer League played at the Mehlareng Stadium in Tembisa on Sunday afternoon. Big-spending Mamelodi Sundowns needed a last-gasp goal from Surprise Moriri to earn a hard-fought 1-0 win over Silver Stars.
Russian crewmen walked ashore unsteadily, rescued from a three-day ordeal after their mini-submarine surfaced with all seven crew members safe after being trapped deep under the Pacific Ocean in the frigid darkness. Six were taken to a hospital on the mainland for examination, waving to relatives as they went in.
The JSE was firm with the all share index at a fresh all-time high at midday on Monday in extremely quiet trade, with little fresh news to move the market. After posting early losses, the gold mining index came off its worst levels despite the major gold mining strike which got under way in South Africa on Sunday.
Steve Komphela says that he has resigned as Bafana Bafana’s assistant coach because coach Stuart Baxter questioned his loyalty to the national team. But not everyone agrees with him. Sources have suggested Komphela was removed from his position and given the option to handle the affairs of the South African Under-23 team.
England captain Michael Vaughan warned his side to keep their focus after they levelled the Ashes series with a dramatic two-run win over Australia in the second Test at Edgbaston. England’s victory, the closest in 308 Tests spanning 128 years between the old rivals, squared the current campaign at 1-1.
The Premier League schedule doesn’t start for another week, yet Chelsea look like they are in midseason form by beating Arsenal in the Community Shield. A pair of Didier Drogba goals gave Chelsea the 2-1 win in the traditional season curtain-raiser between the league champion and the FA Cup winner.