The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism on Tuesday called on Southern African Development Community countries to adopt a co-ordinated approach to phase out the use of leaded fuel.
A new national daily English-language newspaper, ThisDay, will hit the streets of South Africa’s major cities on Tuesday. With its headquarters in Johannesburg, it is emerging after more than a year of planning and the appointment of some of the key staff as long as six months ago.
President Thabo Mbeki has warned those ”peddling false stories” about various members of the African National Congress having been apartheid spies that they would face the wrath of the masses. He said during pre-1994 negotiations it had been agreed ”that all of us had the responsibility to let bygones be bygones”.
Companies that did not comply with the October 1 deadline to submit reports on employment equity can expect no mercy and face a minimum fine of R500 000, the Department of Labour has announced. A spokesperson said an extension of the deadline is not an option and no late submissions would be accepted.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has had to shut down computers in two of its office buildings in Pretoria in an attempt to contain the MSBlaster worm computer virus. The worm quickly rendered machines unusable, with e-mail and internet access being refused or very slow, and computers crashing.
South African Transport Minister Dullah Omar has announced the appointment of Sebosesco Machobane as the new commissioner for the Civil Aviation Authority on contract from October 1 to March next year.
Four municipal by-elections are to take place in three provinces on October 15, with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) contesting them all — but likely to win two of them. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) looks set to win the other two.
It was a disgrace that four out of every 1 000 South Africans were in jail, delegates to a Nicro symposium on rehabilitation of offenders were told on Wednesday. Khanya Mpuang, from the National Institute for Crime Prevention and Reintegration of Offenders said offender reintegration was vital to reducing crime in South Africa.
No image available
/ 30 September 2003
The country’s only independent website providing crime statistics nationally celebrates its one-month birthday on Wednesday — but critics wonder about its validity and accessibility to those most affected by crime. About 80% of the website’s respondents are from the Gauteng region.
No image available
/ 30 September 2003
The Democratic Alliance has taken ”the strongest possible exception” to what it says is a sacrilegious poem in honour of Northern Province premier Ngoako Ramatlhodi. The poem, by a school pupil, was published on the front page of the September edition of the Limpopo government’s newspaper.
No image available
/ 30 September 2003
Distell, South Africa’s largest listed wine and spirits producer, has announced it is expanding the reach of its Nederburg wine brand into China and India, two of the world’s fastest-growing markets. Nederburg is the largest brand within Distell’s wine portfolio and the largest premium brand in South Africa.
No image available
/ 30 September 2003
The South African national Department of Public Works is to spen a total of nearly two billion rand on its building programme in the nine provinces during the 2003/04 financial year. Nearly half of this money — a total of R900-million — will be spent on prisons.
No image available
/ 29 September 2003
Multinational pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim has given a guarded response following threats by the Treatment Action Campaign and the Generic Anti-Retroviral Procurement Project to import generic nevirapine, which will be sold for about R70, opposed to Boehringer’s R410 for its nevirapine product.
No image available
/ 29 September 2003
The presidency has moved to limit damage arising from remarks made by President Thabo Mbeki about him not knowing anyone who has died from Aids. "His negative replies do not support any broader interpretation that some media have given them," said presidential spokesperson Bheki Khumalo.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=21153">Call for ‘dishonest’ Mbeki to apologise</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=21135">Mbeki’s comments ‘highly insensitive'</a>
No image available
/ 26 September 2003
Opposition political parties have lambasted President Thabo Mbeki for his statement in the United States that he personally does not know anyone who has died of Aids, and called for him to apologise immediately. Democratic Alliance spokesperson Mike Waters said Mbeki’s comments were highly insensitive.
No image available
/ 26 September 2003
High inflation expectations among producers and consumers are one of the key threats to the South African Reserve Bank’s inflation target, according to SARB Governor Tito Mboweni. He also said the bank will continue to buy US dollars in the market to build up the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
No image available
/ 25 September 2003
The problems of finding acceptable isiXhosa expressions for 21st Century political vocabulary came under the spotlight at an isiXhosa terminology workshop in Cape Town. The workshop is trying to address problems that government translators were coming across in their daily work.
No image available
/ 25 September 2003
South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel is to present his medium-term Budget policy statement — known as the mini-Budget — on November 11, according to a parliamentary schedule, followed by Manuel’s introduction of his Adjustments Appropriation Bill and the Revenue Laws Amendment Bill.
No image available
/ 23 September 2003
Political parties have expressed their dismay at the African National Congress’ (ANC) decision on Tuesday to table a last minute legislative amendment effectively preventing citizens abroad from voting in next year’s general election.
No image available
/ 23 September 2003
The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Bill completed its passage through Parliament on Tuesday when it was adopted in the National Council of Provinces, albeit with the objections of the Democratic Alliance (DA). The bill was also approved in the National Assembly earlier this month.
No image available
/ 23 September 2003
Lasting peace in the Middle East will require the right kind of leadership on both sides of the conflict, and the right kind of support from the international community, says Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon, adding that South Africa and Israel both ”struggle with democracy in practice”.
No image available
/ 22 September 2003
Another South African journalist is in hot water over allegations of plagiarism, this time the editor of the South African edition of glamour magazine Elle, Cynthia Vongai. Sunday also saw the final appearance in print of Darrel Bristow-Bovey, who earlier this year faced accusations of plagiarism.
No image available
/ 19 September 2003
South Africans living abroad temporarily during next year’s general election will be allowed to vote, following an amendment to the Electoral Laws Amendment Bill. The Bill allows three categories of special votes: students, citizens temporarily out of the country such as holidaymakers and people abroad for business reasons.
No image available
/ 19 September 2003
The section of the tobacco law dealing with the allocation of smoking areas in public places is about to face its first test in court. The summons followed a complaint from the anti-smoking pressure group the Tobacco Control Board.
No image available
/ 19 September 2003
President Thabo Mbeki has appointed former Supreme Court of Appeal president Judge Josephus Johannes Francois Hefer to chair the commission of inquiry into allegations of spying made against National Director of Public Prosecutions head Bulelani Ngcuka.
No image available
/ 19 September 2003
South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma has called the probe into allegations of corruption related to the multi-billion rand arms deal and his own alleged involvement, a test of South Africa’s democracy, saying the affair has actually proven how mature the country’s democracy has become.
No image available
/ 18 September 2003
President Thabo Mbeki has emphasised in Parliament that he will not suspend Deputy President Jacob Zuma as he is not a court and a person is innocent until proven guilty. ”We will not take any disciplinary action simply on the basis of allegations,” he said.
No image available
/ 18 September 2003
Do Cape Town city councillors have something to hide? Only five out of 200 councillors voted yes to a question to have the city’s register of interests viewed. Assistant city manager Dr Stewart Fisher said the city still needs to determine which aspects of the register be made public and which remain private.
No image available
/ 17 September 2003
That staple of church bazaars, the humble koeksister — said to be ”a symbol of the self-sufficiency and endurance of the Afrikaner woman” — is finally getting the recognition it deserves. A 2m-high statue of the syrupy confection, with its trademark twist, is to be unveiled in the Afrikaner enclave of Orania on Saturday.
No image available
/ 16 September 2003
The government should let pharmaceutical companies know that if negotiations on cheaper Aids drugs fail, it will not hesitate to issue compulsory licences, the Aids task team, set up last month by the Ministry of Health, has been told.
No image available
/ 16 September 2003
Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi and official opposition Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon met in Cape Town on Monday to discuss their working agreement ahead of national elections next year. The meeting follows a joint parliamentary caucus meeting of the parties last week.
No image available
/ 15 September 2003
Opposition political parties have criticised the decision to make Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang acting president in the absence of President Thabo Mbeki and his deputy, Jacob Zuma, on Monday. Mbeki and Zuma are attending the Burundi peace talks in Tanzania.