It’s all systems go for South Africa’s second national fixed line telephone operator (SNO). Communications Minister Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, on Friday announced that she had granted the licence to a consortium consisting of Nexus Connexion, Transtel, Esitel, WIP Investments Nine (trading as Communitel), Two Consortium and the remaining un-allocated equity shareholder, to provide public switched telecommunications services.

Three police officers stationed at the Johannesburg International airport were wounded by armed robbers on Thursday night and some flights were delayed, police said. North Rand police spokesperson Superintendent Eugene Opperman said two of the officers were in hospital in a serious condition.

A dodgy R15-million black economic empowerment deal involving a provincial minister in the Eastern Cape and an affluent farmer was being investigated by the head of the provincial treasury, Monde Tom, at the time of his suspension two weeks ago. The M&G has learnt that Tom was probing the agriculture minister, Max Mamase, for his involvement in a controversial land deal.

”In a sense it is easier to win the faith of people, [but] people do have greater expectations. The fact that one has collapsed this false battle with national [government] has meant the amount of cooperation and ability to tap into national processes has been enormous … Look at housing! ” Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool talks to Marianne Merten about his first 100 days in office.

”Moleketi you chicken shit!” read one of the hundreds of posters denouncing Minister of Public Service and Administration Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi for her failure to meet demands of striking public service unions. Lydia Briedenhann (61), a clerk in the Department of Safety and Security, said the fact that civil servants of all races marched together showed workers were truly united.

A six-month power struggle between the government and public sector unions has culminated in a strike by civil servants that appears to have left the two sides further apart than ever. And it is clear that the contest of political wills has now largely superseded the basic considerations of wage negotiation — namely whether the offer on the table is fair and affordable and whether it represents real improvement.

A husband and wife have been arrested in connection with last week’s bombing outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta, which killed nine people and injured 180, Indonesian police said on Thursday. Rahmatullah, his wife Farida, and another man, Agung Yulianto, were arrested on Wednesday night on suspicion of helping to recruit and coordinate the suicide squad thought to have conducted the bombing.