Cape Town

The South African Rugby Union (Saru) has complied with the demand by Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile that he be provided with a report outlining the way forward for rugby in South Africa. A ministry spokesperson confirmed on Monday that it had received a two-page fax from Saru.

Proceedings in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court against two travel agents implicated in Parliament’s travel scam were stopped on Monday, when their lawyers successfully argued that another postponement would prejudice their right to a speedy trial. The matter has been referred to the Cape High Court.

Ajax Cape Town finished bottom of group A in the CAF Championship League when they were beaten 3-0 by Raja Casablanca in a game played at the Athlone Stadium on Sunday night. Raja led 2-0 at the interval after opening the score in the sixth minute when Fofana Abooulkari easily netted.

The Adult World sex shop on Plein Street, Cape Town, located over the road from South Africa’s Parliament, has been closed following complaints by the government and members of Parliament, according to the Department of Home Affairs.

The African National Congress is expecting more MPs from all political parties, including at least six from the Democratic Alliance, to join it before midnight on September 15. Briefing the media at Parliament on Thursday, ANC Chief Whip Mbulelo Goniwe said there were ”many people who have shown interest in joining the ANC”.

Even though the men charged with killing baby Jordan Leigh Norton have been assaulted by fellow prisoners for a third time, a prosecutor argued on Thursday that they would be safer behind bars. Prosecutor John Ryneveld made the assertion in his closing submissions in a bail application by Sipho Mfazwe, Mongezi Bobotyane and Zanethemba Gwada.

No changes to South Africa’s floor-crossing legislation — which allows a window period for members of the National Assembly and the nine legislatures to switch political allegiances — are envisaged, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Johnny de Lange said on Thursday.

The chairperson of the watchdog standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), Francois Beukman, has resigned, he announced on Wednesday. Beukman formally joined the African National Congress at the start of the defection period for National Assembly members.

South Africa will not unilaterally pay back Zimbabwe’s loan to the International Monetary Fund, as the country ”is not South Africa’s 10th province”, says South Africa’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Addressing a briefing at Parliament on Wednesday, she said the matter of the loan offer ”hasn’t moved”.

Not all HIV-positive South African National Defence Force members are on anti-retrovirals, says Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota. He told Democratic Alliance MP Moulana Sayedali-Shah on Tuesday that only HIV positive members with a CD4 count of less than 200 or members displaying symptoms of an HIV/Aids defining disease, were eligible for anti-retroviral medication.

The Democratic Alliance has proposed six measures the government should take to reduce the ever increasing fuel price. ”Government can and should take proactive steps to decrease the price of petrol,” DA MP and minerals and energy spokesperson Hendrik Schmidt told a media briefing at Parliament on Tuesday.

Successfully applying for a postponement on Tuesday, arms deal critic Terry Crawford-Browne suggested in an application before the Cape High Court that Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s sequestration action was ”malicious”. Crawford-Browne said it was ”unreasonable” for an individual, who acted in the public interest, to be punished or sequestrated for legal costs.

South African Rugby vice-president Mike Stofile claimed on Monday the appointment of Andre Bester as spokesperson for rugby boss Brian van Rooyen had been irregular. ”Bester is being paid R300 000 a year and he was never properly appointed by SA Rugby. I lodged a complaint in December about Bester,” said Stofile.

The Democratic Alliance wants Parliament’s rules committee to discuss Speaker Baleka Mbete’s decision not to allow a question to be put to President Thabo Mbeki over the arms deal. The question related to Mbeki’s alleged meeting with arms-deal company Thomson-CSF.

Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile believes beleaguered SA Rugby boss Brian van Rooyen should step down, Stofile’s spokesperson said on Saturday. He also said Stofile is considering asking President Thabo Mbeki to order a judicial commission of inquiry into allegations of maladministration in rugby.

The ongoing Thabo Mbeki-Jacob Zuma ”saga” is an outlet for pent-up frustration and even hatred in South Africa’s ruling African National Congress as it is being released from ”a presidency of fear”, says official opposition Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon.