THE Heath Special Investigating Unit has summonsed eight senior magistrates to account for alleged corruption totalling R38-million. Heath unit spokesman Guy Rich said on Sunday the magistrates from Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, the North West and the Eastern Cape, were summonsed on Friday. A further 30 chief magistrates will receive summonses in the new year, he said.

THE public service department wants a national framework agreement to be negotiated with organised labour in order to win support for “alternative service delivery mechanisms”, the Business Day reports. The paper reports the document containing the proposal — aimed at reducing government’s personnel costs — has been adopted as the basis for talks with public […]

A PROMINENT group of South African lawyers on Tuesday urged President Thabo Mbeki to extradite Ethiopian former dictator Mengistu Haile Mariam, who is accused of mass murder. The General Council of the Bar, representing 1700 advocates, said that Mengistu, who is wanted for genocide in Ethiopia, could not claim immunity from prosecution and extradition as […]

TWO senior Witbank councillors will be criminally charged for illegally using council electricity and refusing to pay their rates and taxes. Reginald Nkosi and Moses Msibi allegedly made illegal electricity connections from the council grid to their township homes earlier this year, council spokesman Pieter de Klerk said in a statement on Tuesday. The matter […]

THE Congress of South African Trade Unions on Monday launched a campaign to rally South Africa to “buy local”. Cosatu said in a statement that the country needs policies that encourage the use of locally manufactured raw materials, and grant preferences for companies who are expanding production for the domestic and the export market. It […]

SOUTH Africa are happy they won’t have to travel far for their first World Cup qualifying tie and are counting on some home support from the away fans. “It’s a fair draw, Lesotho is a good team, but you want to get to the finals, you have to play anybody,” said Raymond Hack, chief executive […]

DEBT-strapped Ghanaian gold producer Ashanti Goldfields said Friday it had submitted a financial restructuring plan to its creditor banks, which have extended it another two weeks’ grace. In a statement issued at the London stock exchange, Ashanti said that while the banks are preparing their response, it will attempt to reach an agreement with the […]

ARRIVE Alive road safety campaign said on tuesday that at least 61 road deaths have been reported on South African roads since the start of the holidays on December 1. Figures indicate that the highest death toll was reported in the North West, where 23 people have died in road accidents. The Free State reported […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday 3.20pm PUBLIC Enterprises Minister Jeff Radebe said on Tuesday the government wants to speed up the restructuring of state assets and will first focus its attention on the biggest state-owned companies to that end. ”We agreed that while the restructuring and disposal of non-core entities will proceed apace, we will […]

MIKE COLLETT, Tokyo | Tuesday 1.00pm. CRICITCS of South Africa’s bid to stage the 2006 World Cup are making too much fuss over the country’s crime statistics, campaign officials said on Tuesday. Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the South African bid, told reporters: ”Our opponents are clutching at straws in their efforts to undermine our […]