No image available
/ 25 February 2008
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is to hold a public forum on complaints of racial prejudice against the Forum of Black Journalists (FBJ) and the issue of exclusive organisations. This stems from last Friday’s controversial FBJ meeting addressed by African National Congress president Jacob Zuma in Johannesburg.
No image available
/ 25 February 2008
A ”significant” number of children drop out of the schooling system after grade nine, Education Minister Naledi Pandor said in Cape Town on Monday. ”South Africa is doing very well with respect to enrolment of children up to grade nine, but a significant number drop out at that point,” she told journalists during a Council of Education Ministers meeting.
No image available
/ 25 February 2008
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel should have considered asking for an apology rather than a gagging order against arms-deal activist Terry Crawford-Browne, the Cape High Court was told on Monday. Manuel is seeking an urgent interim order to stop Crawford-Browne from continuing to publicly accuse him of criminal conduct in signing loan agreements for the deal.
No image available
/ 25 February 2008
Yusuf Abramjee, Primedia Broadcasting group’s head of news and talk programming, and Talk Radio 702/567 host Kieno Kammies on Monday laid a formal complaint of discrimination with the South African Human Rights Commission over the inaugural meeting of the Forum of Black Journalists.
No image available
/ 25 February 2008
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on President Thabo Mbeki to make public the full report of the Khampepe Commission. ”I have today [Monday] submitted a request to the Presidency to make the full Khampepe Commission Report public in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act,” DA leader Helen Zille said in a statement.
No image available
/ 23 February 2008
Western Province teenage swimming sensation Jessica Pengelly battled to contain her surprise after smashing her national 400m individual medley record in front of a vocal crowd at the Samsung Swimming Grand Prix series at the University of the Western Cape on Saturday.
No image available
/ 22 February 2008
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille on Friday dismissed as ”posturing” Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool’s threat to sue the DA over recent land invasions in Delft. ”A threat to sue the DA for allegedly encouraging land invasions in Delft is just posturing,” she said in a statement.
No image available
/ 22 February 2008
The City of Cape Town has begun providing water and toilets for evicted occupants of homes in Delft, and has earmarked a site for them to move to, mayoral committee member Dan Plato said on Friday. Many of them have been living and sleeping in the open since the evictions on Monday.
No image available
/ 22 February 2008
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille has accused the Public Protector of abusing his office for party political purposes in attacking DA MP Mike Waters. She declared that in the six years since his appointment, Lawrence Mushwana, a former ANC MP, has succeeded only in protecting the ANC from the people.
No image available
/ 22 February 2008
The government remains committed to protecting and strengthening the role of traditional leaders in South Africa, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. Addressing the opening session of the National House of Traditional Leaders in Cape Town, he said the major challenge revolved around the implementation of legislation and programmes across the country.
No image available
/ 22 February 2008
The Western Cape government may join in a contemplated R20-million lawsuit claim against a Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor it claims is behind the illegal occupation of houses at Delft on the Cape Flats. Premier Ebrahim Rasool said on Friday that his administration has been given ”preliminary” legal advice that it could sue the DA as well.
No image available
/ 22 February 2008
The government has promised Anglo American that its mining rights will be renewed under new rules governing the industry — even as data summarised in the budget shows just how badly regulatory barriers continue to limit South Africa’s ability to cash in on the biggest commodities boom in living memory.
No image available
/ 22 February 2008
The government’s R60-billion capital injection for Eskom will come with strings for the parastatal’s management, and added pressure on the regulator to raise prices sharply. Director General in the National Treasury Lesetja Kganyago says the final package will probably combine an ordinary loan, a subordinated loan, a loan guarantee and cash.
No image available
/ 21 February 2008
The KwaZulu-Natal health department has dropped a misconduct charge against rural doctor Colin Pfaff, following a storm of protest, the doctor confirmed on Thursday. Pfaff faced the charge for administering dual therapy — two antiretroviral drugs — to prevent the infection of babies born to HIV-positive mothers.
No image available
/ 21 February 2008
The Legal Resources Centre, a public-interest law firm working on land issues, expressed scepticism on Thursday at the claim in Wednesday’s national budget that the land-restitution process is nearing completion. An extra R1-billion will be set aside over the next three years to settle outstanding land-restitution claims.
No image available
/ 21 February 2008
There would be some very ”tough negotiations” with Eskom over the repayment of its R60-billion loan, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said in Cape Town on Thursday. ”The terms will have to be worked out, it’s not in our interests to try to squeeze a short-term return,” he told a breakfast meeting.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
The government has sent an official delegation to the United Kingdom to discuss the electricity crisis. The delegation is led by Deputy Finance Minister Jabu Moleketi, government communications head Themba Maseko said after Wednesday’s fortnightly Cabinet meeting.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
Keeping prices down had to remain the key objective of monetary policy, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said in his budget speech on Wednesday. ”A policy stance that accommodates higher inflation cannot be consistent with a government that is intent on reducing poverty,” he said.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
Springbok rugby captain John Smit will remain at the helm of the side until the end of the year, coach Peter de Villiers announced on Wednesday, as political mudslinging continued with the Freedom Front Plus condemning the reaction of African National Congress MPs to former Springbok captains calling for an end to political interference in the sport.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, while delivering his national budget speech in Parliament on Wednesday, made a point of replying to a number of South Africans who had sent budgetary suggestions to him under the "Tips for Trevor" programme.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
Landowners who opt to preserve habitats and biodiversity on their land are set to receive an income-tax deduction for their efforts, according to the Budget Review tabled by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on Wednesday. Meanwhile, 726 trees, almost 37 tonnes of paper, were used for the paperwork and the documents of the national budget.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
Over R10-billion will be spent on strengthening the police force and judiciary over the next three years, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said in his budget speech on Wednesday. There would be more than 200Â 000 police officers by the end of March 2011, up 22% from the 163Â 000 police officers in 2006/07.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
The age limit for the child-support grant will be raised by one year to include 14-year-olds as from January next year, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel announced on Wednesday. He also said the qualifying age for men for the state old-age pension would be reduced from 65 to 63 this year, to 61 in 2009, and 60 by 2010.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
South Africa’s current account increased to 7,2% of gross domestic product in 2007 and will rise to 8% by 2010, as imports soar and export growth remains sluggish, the Treasury said on Wednesday. The Treasury said the current account had shifted from a surplus of R10-billion in 2002 to a deficit of R143-billion in 2007.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on Wednesday dismissed suggestions that recent political developments within the African National Congress (ANC) made the drafting of the 2008 budget difficult. "I never had any concerns on whether there will be difficulties in these areas," he said.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
The government will fund embattled electricity producer Eskom to the tune of R60-billion over the next five years, according to national budget documents tabled by Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on Wednesday. At the same time, it will introduce a levy in a bid to get consumers to save electricity.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s 2008/09 national budget tabled in Parliament on Wednesday brings tax relief, reduced corporate taxes, financial support for Eskom’s programme to build power stations, a new electricity levy, more social spending and a boost for job creation.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
Despite global economic turmoil, South Africa’s economy remains robust and the longer-term outlook favourable, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said on Wednesday. "It is time for neither gloom nor panic," he said in his 2008/09 budget speech to the National Assembly.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
A group of Nobel laureates called on Wednesday for an arms embargo against Burma, dismissing elections planned for 2010 as flawed if pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi is barred from standing. Seven laureates, including Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu, said the junta should face sanctions for its crackdown on Buddhist monks.
No image available
/ 20 February 2008
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel has delivered what he terms a "can do" budget that aims to put the doomsayers and naysayers at rest by boosting infrastructure and people. Manuel noted that this was important or else the doomsayers and naysayers would simply "take control".
No image available
/ 19 February 2008
Persian Gulf countries may enlist South African expertise in their plans to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, Kuwait’s Foreign Minister said on Tuesday. Mohamed Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah was speaking after talks in Cape Town with his South African counterpart, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
No image available
/ 19 February 2008
Looking at the options available to Finance Minister Trevor Manuel when he delivers his national budget in the National Assembly on Wednesday, the experts of the Old Mutual Investment Group reckon that he could have as much as R25-billion to play with. But how would he spend it?