Cape Town

The opposition Democratic Alliance says South Africa would save R622-million a year by dissolving district municipalities. Speaking at the Meyerton Golf Club in Midvaal — a municipality controlled by the DA — party leader Tony Leon said the responsibilities of district municipalities should be shifted to local municipalities.

The British citizen who allegedly started Thursday’s Table Mountain fire in which a woman died appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Friday morning. The man — who faces charges of culpable homicide and arson — was arrested on Friday for allegedly starting the fires when he dropped a cigarette on the mountain.

Winds of up to 60 knots continued to pound Table Mountain on Friday morning — but Thursday’s inferno was under control by daybreak. Parts of the city remained engulfed in smoke, according to Clarence van Roodt, station commander at Cape Town Regional Control.

The Travelgate scandal is growing. Investigators are working through a new list of 100 names that could implicate senior MPs, including two Cabinet members, members of the whippery and parliamentary office-bearers. New information gleaned by the legislature’s axed finance chief, Harry Charlton, and liquidators indicates that Parliament may be owed as much as R36-million by travel agents and MPs for fraudulent travel claims.

A 65-year-old British woman out walking with her daughter died in the fire raging across the lower slopes of Table Mountain above Cape Town’s city bowl, according to radio reports. Three German tourists are also reported to be trapped on the mountain, and rescue crews are searching for them.

South African gun lobbyists were launching a new organisation on Thursday to press their case that more — not fewer — weapons are needed to curb crime in a country notorious for murders and armed robberies. South Africa’s 45-million people own an estimated 3,7-million licensed guns and many more illegal ones.

The Democratic Alliance has presented a memorandum of grievances to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) over its coverage of the run-up to the March 1 municipal elections. The DA believes the prospect of free and fair local government elections has been compromised by the SABC’s approach to election coverage.

The African National Congress has published its national consolidated list of candidates for all municipalities for the 2006 local government elections due to take place on March 1. Nelson Mandela metro mayor Nceba Faku does not appear at all on the list while Tshwane Mayor Smangaliso Mkhathswa appears at number four slot.

Preparations have been made for thousands of people to attend the memorial service of business tycoon Anton Rupert, who died last Wednesday, and was buried next to his wife Huberte on Tuesday. The memorial service takes place at the historic NGK ”Moederkerk” in Stellenbosch at 3pm on Wednesday.

A vigil will be held in Cape Town on Tuesday night by victims of apartheid, as their lawyers possibly adjourn for a lunch-break while arguing a reparations lawsuit in a New York appeal court. Oral argument started in Khulumani et al vs Barclays et al on Tuesday with 87 South African victims claiming reparations from 23 foreign corporations charged with aiding and abetting the apartheid regime.

Two opposition parties have given a cautious thumbs-up to the public broadcaster’s coverage of their March 1 municipal election campaigns so far, but the official opposition has cried foul. The Independent Democrats believe the party has been treated ”very fairly” by the SABC so far.

The spat between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) over the Oilgate scandal grew on Tuesday with the DA accusing the NPA of ”failing to do its mandated duty”. On Monday, NPA spokesperson Makhosini Nkosi said the NPA had yet to receive a complaint by the DA about its handling of the scandal.

<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/262374/vote-box_blue.gif" align=left>The public broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), has not covered the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in nine days, says its official spokesperson Douglas Gibson. "The DA has now held five election events in a row and SABC TV has refused to provide coverage for any of them on SABC 3," he said.

It is time for change because the African National Congress government has failed to deliver, African Christian Democratic Party president Kenneth Meshoe said on Monday. Speaking at a public meeting in Mitchells Plain, Meshoe said the ACDP is committed to a clean government because dirty streets reflect the morals of those in charge.

The Oilgate matter is still under investigation by the police after the Freedom Front Plus filed charges against Imvume Management last year, the party said on Monday. The National Prosecuting Authority said earlier on Monday it had yet to receive a complaint by the Democratic Alliance about its handling of the Oilgate scandal.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has yet to receive a complaint by the Democratic Alliance about its handling of the Oilgate scandal, spokesperson Makhosini Nkosi said on Monday. ”When the said complaint is brought to the NPA’s attention, it will be given due consideration on the basis of its merits,” he said.

Opportunities to tackle poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment have never been better, the African National Congress said on Monday. All South Africans should throw their weight behind this task, the party said after the annual lekgotla (meeting) of its national executive council at the weekend.

The national director of public prosecutions has refused to take any action on the Oilgate scandal for six months, says the official opposition Democratic Alliance. Spokesperson Hendrik Schmidt said the National Prosecuting Authority’s failure to take any action on this matter "is disgraceful and only serves to give the impression that it is desperately hoping the matter with simply go away".

It was the Bryan Habana show at Newlands on Saturday as the brilliant wing ran in five tries in the Bulls’ 44-13 thumping of the Stormers. Although the Cape side fielded a predominantly second string, the Bulls will nevertheless take great satisfaction from the performance.

Winning cricket returned to Newlands on Friday night as the Cape Cobras celebrated their first limited-overs win of the season against the Dolphins in their opening Pro20 Series match. Since beating the Lions in a Supersport Series match in Johannesburg in November, the Cobras had played 11 matches in the various competitions without a victory.

An electricity blackout in Cape Town had nothing to do with the maintenance work at Koeberg nuclear power station, Eskom and the city of Cape Town said on Friday. ”It has nothing to do with us, it has to do with the City of Cape Town,” said Carien de Villiers, a spokesperson for Koeberg.

The National Prosecuting Authority said on Friday that it has decided not to prosecute the son of a British-diplomat who was accused of rape. ”The NPA has decided not to prosecute in this matter, as there is no reasonable prospect of a successful prosecution,” Makhosini Nkosi, NPA spokesperson, said.