The alleged blacklisting by the state broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), was an ”internal matter”, the South African Cabinet said on Thursday. The SABC has appointed a commission of inquiry into the allegations that a number of commentators including Business Day‘s Karima Brown and author William Mervin Gumede had been ”banned”.
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The South African Cabinet has noted that the emblem for the 2010 Fifa World Cup will be unveiled in Berlin on July 7. In a statement on Thursday — after a regular Cabinet meeting in Pretoria on Wednesday — it said: ”As the 2006 Fifa World Cup reaches its climax in Germany, the world will be watching us carefully to judge whether we will be ready to host this prestigious event.
A magistrate on Wednesday refused bail to two of the nine men arrested after a night of murder, rape and robbery in Gordon’s Bay last month. Strand magistrate Du Toit Malherbe said they had failed to show the ”extraordinary circumstances” that merited him granting bail on the charges.
Many African National Congress MPs are not performing properly and should be fired, the Democratic Alliance said on Wednesday. ”It is a fact that the average ANC MP is not up to the job. At least 100 of them should be fired and replaced by people who are competent,” DA chief whip Douglas Gibson said in a statement on Wednesday.
SA Rugby has announced four new caps for the forthcoming Springbok’s Vodacom Tri-Nations tour to Australia and New Zealand. They are Akona Ndungane, JP Pietersen, Pierre Spies and Mahlatse (Chiliboy) Ralepelle. The 28 players will convene in Johannesburg on Monday before leaving for Australia on Thursday July 6.
South Africa’s Commission for Employment Equity — which monitors transformation in the South African workplace — has come out with all guns firing against a Solidarity trade union employment-equity plan that proposes a code of good practice for affirmative action, which promotes the commitment of a non-designated group (whites).
The South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) inquiry into alleged blacklisting of commentators should be broadened to include bias against the official opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Wednesday. The DA’s Donald Lee said: ”The SABC’s coverage of the DA’s 2006 local election campaign was indicative of the public broadcaster’s aim to cut out the opposition.
Western Cape police have completed their investigation into the death of a rugby player in a match last week and are waiting for a decision from the public prosecutor, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. Riaan Loots (24), a flyhalf for Rawsonville Rugby Club, died during a match with the Delicious Rugby Club last Friday.
South Africa’s transport sector is in crisis, African National Congress MP and chairperson of Parliament’s transport portfolio committee Jeremy Cronin said on Tuesday. ”We’ve got a very, very substantial crisis around transport mobility and accessibility,” he told journalists at a Cape Town Press Club meeting.
A split in the alliance between the African National Congress, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions will ”seriously” damage South Africa at this point, the SACP’s deputy general secretary warned on Tuesday. ”I think fragmentation of the alliance … wouldn’t be good for South Africa,” Jeremy Cronin said.
South Africa’s Department of Health was "not considering" paying compensation to the families of four deceased children who died at the Cecilia Makiwane hospital in East London recently, as it was "not a deliberate action or a result of negligence", said Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang this week.
Another circumcision initiate has died in the town of Port Shepstone, bringing death toll to seven in two weeks since the start of the mid-year initiation season, the Eastern Cape health department said on Tuesday. Another boy, from Ngqeleni near Mthatha, faces possible amputation.
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress has extended its heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the four members of the South African Police Service who died in a confrontation with armed criminals in Jeppestown on Sunday.
Three policing agencies are to meet on Tuesday to discuss ways to step up the fight against the continuing stonings on Cape Town’s highways, according to Western Cape provincial minister for community safety Leonard Ramatlakane. This follows the weekend death of city motorist Nolan Daniels, hit by a brick thrown through a window of his car as he drove along the R300.
Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin has declined to answer a parliamentary question about whether Western Cape farmers — hit by recent power outages — could sue the power parastatal Eskom. He was asked by Democratic Alliance MP Sarel van Dyk whether Eskom will give financial compensation to fruit-crop farmers.
Tinashe Rioga, the 21-year old Zimbabwean accused of trying to hijack a South African Airways domestic flight from Cape Town on June 17, appeared briefly in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Monday. The case was postponed for a bail application on July 5, and he was remanded in the Bellville South police station cells.
No strategic equity partner is being contemplated for state-controlled South African Airways (SAA) "at this stage", Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin reports. "The airline industry is a difficult and highly competitive one. To meet these challenges the [public enterprises] department is continually attempting to improve its risk management in regard to SAA."
<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=soccer_world_cup_2006"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/272488/icon_focuson_wc3.gif" align=left border=0></a>The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) says it is to submit questions to all national departments of government in South Africa about which politicians and officials have gone to Germany during the World Cup at taxpayers’ expense. This follows a report that the KwaZulu-Natal transport department was sending a delegation to look at the German transport system.
France gave the Springboks a rude awakening to their international season when they produced a classy performance of total rugby to beat the Springboks 36-26 at a packed Newlands on Saturday. The French completely outplayed the Boks, and brought an abrupt halt to the Boks’ proud 13-match unbeaten run on home soil.
The Eastern Cape province has defended a planned visit to Germany by its premier and senior officials in what has been dubbed a ”Soccer World Cup junket” by a watchdog body. The Public Service Accountability Monitor said the ”junket” should be declared fruitless and wasteful expenditure by the auditor general.
The son of former Cape Town mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo, Onele Mfeketo, was on Friday let off the hook on a shoplifting charge in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court. Mfeketo was scheduled to go on trial, charged with stealing potato crisps, fruit juice and maize meal from the V&A Waterfront’s Pick ‘n Pay in May last year.
Security has been beefed up on South African trains to deal with possible incidents of violence following the ending of the nationwide security workers’ strike, Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana said on Friday. Speaking to the media in Cape Town, the minister said that government is concerned that many security workers "are armed".
The South African Parliament is lagging behind in its responsibilities to South Africa hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup, official opposition Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon said on Friday. Some commentators have also pointed out that South Africa is lagging behind in its planning to build new stadiums.
Clothing workers have hailed an understanding reached between South Africa and China on textile imports as a chance to rebuild the local industry. Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao expressed on Wednesday his country’s willingness to restrict textile exports to South Africa.
They failed to get going against the World XV, showed potential in the first Test against Scotland and stuttered to a worrying victory in the second. However, Springbok coach Jake White is not scampering to pressing any panic buttons yet as his team prepare for a one-off Test match against France in Cape Town on Saturday.
Former president FW de Klerk, recovering in hospital following surgery to remove a malignant colon tumour, is completely off his ventilator, a family spokesperson said on Thursday. ”He’s doing very well and we’re all very pleased with his progress,” said Dave Steward.
South Africa spent about 0,87% of its gross domestic product on research and development (R&D) in 2004/05, the Department of Science and Technology said on Thursday. It said this amounted to about R12-billion — up from R10,1-billion, or 0,81% of GDP, the previous year.
South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni on Thursday emphasised that his concerns about conspicuous consumption did not suggest he meant that the economy was overheating. He said his comments that people find themselves financially overcommitted did not mean "that we are saying that the economy is overheating".
”Our heritage is unique and precious and it cannot be renewed,” reads part of the preamble to South Africa’s heritage legislation, yet many public bodies don’t know what resources are under their custodianship. The South African Heritage Resources Agency now plans a national audit of state-owned heritage resources to help manage those collections.
The national government has failed on a grand scale to properly manage public money, Democratic Alliance public accounts spokesperson Eddie Trent said on Thursday. An overview of the audit outcomes of government departments proves that too many ministers and directors general are unable to provide proper financial management of public money, he told a media briefing at Parliament.
South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni said on Thursday that although things looked good at present, he warned of danger signs in the economy, which could signal "some major inflationary consequences down the road". Speaking to the Parliamentary finance portfolio committee, the governor said while "things generally look good … there are lots of dangers".
SA Rugby said on Thursday that they were pleased the Southern Spears’ court application will not proceed this week. By agreement between the parties involved, the matter will now be heard on August 10. This means that the Currie Cup will commence on Friday without any immediate threat of legal action hanging over the process.