China expressed willingness on Wednesday to restrict its textile exports to South Africa, but no firm deal was on the table at the conclusion of talks between Chinese premier Wen Jiabao and President Thabo Mbeki. The two leaders agreed that concerns over the alleged flooding of the local clothing and textile market would not derail otherwise strong ties, Wen told reporters in Cape Town.
A R19-million waste-water treatment plant, which will save a thirsty Cape Town millions of litres a day, is to be commissioned in the city on Thursday. The revamped Potsdam plant will eventually supply 38-million litres of non-potable water to the Blaauwberg area, project manager Anic Smit said on Wednesday.
Former president FW de Klerk was out of intensive care following complications after a cancerous colon tumour was removed, a family spokesperson said on Wednesday. Dave Steward said De Klerk was still linked to a ventilator but was now functioning ”more than 80%” on his own lungs.
President Thabo Mbeki should take over leadership of South Africa’s National Aids Council in the face of soaring HIV/Aids mortality figures, Treatment Action Campaign chairperson Zackie Achmat said on Wednesday. He was commenting on a 2003/04 mortality report released by Statistics South Africa three weeks ago.
A meeting called by NGOs to discuss a controversial City of Cape Town beggar by-law was disrupted on Wednesday when a city councillor was asked to leave. The by-law outlaws a number of alleged offences, such as intentionally touching or causing physical contact with another person.
The forestry sector could lose almost R900-million because of invasive alien wasps, says Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Lindiwe Hendricks. In written reply to a question by Democratic Alliance MP Janet Semple in the National Assembly, Hendricks said a control programme to limit damage had been introduced.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in South Africa on Wednesday on a groundbreaking visit during which the two giants are to sign a nuclear cooperation pact and discuss the thorny question of textile imports from Beijing. South African officials have said the proposed agreement between South Africa and power-hungry China on the peaceful use of nuclear energy was vital.
The claim by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) that it had merely issued guidelines on the use of commentators indicated that it was on a slippery slope towards the dark days of apartheid when banned persons were prevented from writing or speaking publicly, the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) argued on Wednesday.
Injuries have continued to hamper the Springbok team ahead of their one-off Test against France on Saturday in Cape Town. Springbok coach Jake White named a team for the first time without both his enforcers in Schalk Burger and Bakkies Botha, who have been ruled out due to injury.
South African President Thabo Mbeki should take China ”to task” over its weak human rights record at home and abroad, said opposition Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille. She said on Wednesday that while Chinese investment in Africa has taken place, there are costs to the relationship.
South Africa-born French prop Pieter de Villiers was on Wednesday announced to start in the one-off Test match against the Springboks at Newlands on Saturday. De Villiers, whose brother passed away recently, has been spending some time with his parents in South Africa after his team’s arrival.
South African clothing manufacturers and designers should concentrate on producing high quality, "distinctively South African" clothing that could capture niche markets that were not in direct competition with the efficient Chinese, Free Market Foundation director Eustace Davie and economist Jasson Urbach have argued.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has written a letter to the group chief executive of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), asking him if there was any truth to reports that his corporation had banned four top political commentators.
A man accused of making death threats against two men suspected of the murders of actor Brett Goldin and his designer friend Richard Bloom appeared briefly in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. The accused is the alleged leader of the Cape Town gang known as the Americans.
The Department of Transport is committed to the introduction of a nationwide, integrated fare-collection system that would include the taxi industry in the taxi-industry subsidy net, Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe reported on Tuesday. The ticketing system is included in the department’s 2006-to-2009 strategic plan.
Freedom Front Plus MP Pieter Groenewald said on Tuesday he would not withdraw a remark — accusing Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula of being a racist — and was asked to remove himself from the National Assembly. This follows a recent clash in the assembly in which Groenewald accused the minister of undermining democracy.
The recently announced amnesty for small business to regularise its tax affairs does not open the door to those who have profited from criminal activities, Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel told MPs on Tuesday. He was speaking in a debate in the National Assembly on legislation to provide for the tax amnesty.
At no time has Standard Bank had any knowledge of — or "to the best of its knowledge" been party to — any unlawful actions of a fund administrator that has engaged the bank to provide the benefits of bulking by means of its cash-management service, MPs were told on Tuesday.
The Springboks have been dealt a massive blow to their chances this year with the news that flanker Schalk Burger has been ruled out of rugby until January 2007. It is the latest in a string of injuries that are catching up with the Boks, and following the scrappy performance in beating the Scottish in Port Elizabeth at the weekend, coach Jake White must be a worried man.
A total of 419 primary schools in poor communities in the Western Cape have been given ”no-fee” status, the provincial education department announced on Monday. This would bring relief to parents of almost 150 000 learners, it said in a statement. An amount of R29-million had been allocated to fund the initiative in the current financial year.
New fire trucks bought by Cape Town’s municipality are put together with ”pop rivets”, a probe into the state of city’s overstretched fire services has been told. The claim is contained in an interim report, made public on Monday, by a committee headed by councillor Debbie Schafer.
Former South African president FW de Klerk is now ”communicating pretty freely” with people from his bed in an intensive-care unit, after a lengthy period under sedation, spokesperson Dave Steward of the FW de Klerk Foundation said on Monday.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has made a key contribution to making the African dream a reality and no more will Africa be perceived as a dark continent without any rule of law and development, the ruling African National Congress said on Monday in celebration of his 64th birthday.
A slightly built Zimbabwean University of Cape Town student, Tinashe Rioga (21), appeared briefly in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Monday in connection with an alleged aircraft hijacking attempt. Rioga was overpowered by fellow passengers on board a domestic flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg on Saturday morning.
The 21-year-old student who allegedly tried to force his way into the cockpit of a South African Airways (SAA) aircraft with a hypodermic needle on a flight from Cape Town on Saturday is to appear in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s court on Monday, South African Broadcasting Corporation radio news reported.
Leaders of four of the largest opposition parties were united on Saturday in their condemnation of floor-crossing and calling for its abolition. Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon and his Inkatha Freedom Party and Freedom Front Plus counterparts Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Pieter Mulder, and African Christian Democratic Party MP Steve Swart, shared a stage in an anti-defection rally.
The African National Congress parliamentary caucus has publicly backed the decision of the forum for the minister of housing and provincial housing ministers to remove the Democratic Alliance-led City of Cape Town from the N2 Gateway Housing Project ”with immediate effect”.
The South African government has urged Israel to act with the utmost self-restraint in ensuring the legitimate defence and security of its own people. ”The South African government wishes to express its concern at the continuing Israeli military actions in the occupied territories,” the Department of Foreign affairs said in a statement on Thursday.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has welcomed the plea-bargain agreement entered into by a travel operator with the directorate of special operations. The NPA it said that travel operator Shamima Lamalia had entered into a plea-bargain agreement on Thursday. The case relates to Parliament’s travel fraud, which has been dubbed ”Travelgate”.
It was unclear on Thursday what the condition was of Elita, wife of hospitalised former president FW de Klerk, a family spokesperson said. He confirmed that Elita had been admitted to Cape Town’s Panaroma medi-clinic, which is also treating her husband, on Wednesday evening after she developed a stress-induced allergic reaction.
The official opposition Democratic Alliance is to call on Auditor General Shauket Fakie to carry out a forensic audit of housing departments in all the provinces and at national level. Standing committee on public accounts DA member Eddie Trent said national and provincial housing officials were unable to account for irregularities involving more than R300-million.
The South African government repeated denials on Wednesday that the deportation of Pakistani illegal immigrant Khalid Mahmood Rashid amounted to unlawful rendition. Rashid’s lawyer Zehir Omar seems bent on portraying the government as breaking its own laws and constitutional provisions, government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe said in Cape Town.