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/ 17 October 2005
The Department of Minerals and Energy has no intention of scrapping the proposed duty on the export of rough diamonds, Minister of Minerals and Energy Lindiwe Hendricks told parliamentarians on Monday. The minister noted that this has been "a contentious issue of serious debate".
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/ 14 October 2005
South Africa’s National Industrial Participation (NIP) programme has generated investment and sales credits valued at $3,5-billion during the past eight years, says the Department of Trade and Industry. This translates into about R23-billion at the current exchange rate.
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/ 12 October 2005
South Africa’s transport parastatal Transnet may need up to R25-billion in funding over the next five years from the financial markets, Transnet group treasurer Swazi Tshabalala told the parliamentary public enterprises portfolio committee on Wednesday.
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/ 22 September 2005
South Africa’s official opposition Democratic Alliance is taking the Petroleum Oil and Gas Corporation of South Africa (PetroSA) to court because R11-million of taxpayers’ money has still not been accounted for relating to the Oilgate scandal, the party’s chief whip Douglas Gibson said on Thursday.
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/ 22 September 2005
Apartheid’s legacy remains tenacious and despite a huge public investment in housing in the 10 years of democracy, the number of informal settlements has grown substantially, South Africa’s national Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said on Thursday.
<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=zuma_report"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/243078/zuma.jpg" align=left border=0></a>President Thabo Mbeki has bluntly given his support to a Congress of South African Trade Union campaign to protect former deputy president Jacob Zuma, and pledged on Friday to unite "the entirely of our movement in a determined offensive" to defeat any conspiracy to discredit him.
South Africa’s rigid black economic empowerment (BEE) targets for equity, employment and management mean that United States firms will have to rearrange their entire business structure "simply to invest" in South Africa, says official opposition leader Tony Leon.
Vodacom has led the charge in Parliament among cellular network companies arguing before a parliamentary committee that the National Credit Bill should not be made applicable to cellular telecommunication service contracts. Vodacom said the respective rights and negotiating powers between cellular operators and consumers are "to a considerable extent" balanced.
Anglo American and Old Mutual have both received a political pat on the back by President Thabo Mbeki for their black economic empowerment initiatives. In his regular internet column, <i>ANC Today</i>, Mbeki added that the country has taken the decision to realise the goal for a better life for all.
The African National Congress has engaged in a series of "winks and nudges" in dealing with the human rights abuses and autocratic behaviour of President Robert Mugabe, says Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon. "Mugabe’s ‘cocking a snook’ or giving a ‘two’s-up’ to whiteys and the West seems to appeal to a sizeable constituency in the ANC," he said.
South Africa’s municipal debt jumped about R4-billion from R31,8-billion in 2002 to R35,9-billion in 2003, while figures for 2004 are not yet available, said Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi. The figures show that Durban/eThekwini — once a shining light of budgetary prudence — has grown its debt from R2,8-billion to R3,2-billion.
The African National Congress’s policy-making body had been correct to express its support for former deputy president Jacob Zuma "during these trying and painful times", wrote President Thabo Mbeki in his internet letter on Friday. "[Zuma] should have an opportunity to defend himself against whatever accusations have been made against him," said Mbeki.
A R14,2-million "interim maintenance" project is in the planning stage for President Thabo Mbeki’s official Tshwane home of Mahlamba Ndlovu on the Bryntirion Estate, according to Minister of Public Works Stella Sigcau. Three ministerial homes are also to be built on the estate in the next two years.
The ruling African National Congress’s policy-making conference has agreed that a further "look" at the labour market in South Africa is necessary, says President Thabo Mbeki. The president spoke on his labour-market reform in an interview on South African Broadcasting Corporation television, broadcast on Sunday night.
South Africa’s new Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka should address the gap between the ruling African National Congress’ words and deeds and speak out against President Robert Mugabe’s regime in Zimbabwe, says official opposition leader Tony Leon.
South Africa’s ruling Africa National Congress’s (ANC’s) documents suggest that government is beginning to embrace the Democratic Alliance (DA) economic policies, says official opposition leader Tony Leon. "We have persuaded the ANC to adopt significant DA policy proposals, such as our ‘prisons Policy’", Leon says.
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress has announced that five members of Parliament "involved in the travel investigation" — now known as Travelgate — have resigned from Parliament. They are Ruth Bhengu, Mildred Mpaka, Rhoda Joemat, Pamela Mnandi and Mavis Magazi.
Businessman Cyril Ramaphosa has emerged as the favourite to succeed Thabo Mbeki as president of South Africa in a survey. Finance Minister Trevor Manuel emerges as second favourite choice of South Africans and official opposition leader Tony Leon is in third place.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has reinforced his message that his administration and the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), is not in the business of tolerating corruption. He says his ruling party will be providing "clear guidelines" governing its behaviour in the future.
Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula, national chairperson of the South African Communist Party, has been named as axed Deputy President Jacob Zuma’s successor as Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly. This may be an indication of whom the president has in mind to fill the Deputy President’s shoes but the Presidency was still not telling on Friday morning.
A total of 25 183 businesses came into being during the financial year ended February 28 2005, says Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel. The minister said that during the same period — March 1 2004 to February 28 this year — 3 449 businesses were liquidated.
Embattled South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma was welcomed in the National Assembly with a standing ovation by his African National Congress MPs on Wednesday afternoon. Zuma slipped through a side entrance of Parliament from the presidential office, Tuynhuys, evading journalists who were waiting for him.
South Africa’s Black Management Forum wants the government to set up a commission of enquiry into racism and unfair discrimination in the workplace. Such a commission should be given a one-year mandate "to review incidents and cases of racial discrimination in the workplace", it said.
Peddlers of doom for South Africa remain hard at work, but the real story of South Africa is one of hope, South African President Thabo Mbeki argued on Friday in his weekly online column, <i>ANC Today</i>. The reality in the country is a story "of a growing and resilient economy", said the president.
South Africa’s Parliament has a strategic plan that includes the intention of turning the institution into "a beacon of good moral behaviour", according to its secretary, Zingile Dingani. On Monday, journalists asked why it is that parliamentarians are able to remain on as members after being convicted of Travelgate fraud charges.
President Thabo Mbeki has questioned the figures produced by official data capturer Statistics South Africa on unemployment figures and says it is "quite unlikely" that its figures are correct — otherwise people would have seen millions of people in the streets looking for work. There are even millionaires who are deemed "unemployed", he argued on Friday.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has told African transport ministers that he is "concerned" about the high concentration of air-traffic accidents on the continent. He was speaking at the opening ceremony on Wednesday of a summit of African Union ministers responsible for air transport and aviation being held in South Africa.
A transformation plan for the judiciary — to make it more representative of women and black people — is scheduled to be put to the Cabinet by August this year, Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula and Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Cheryl Gillwald said on Thursday.
Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Thursday she does not remember endorsing Aids dissident Matthias Rath’s Dr Rath Health Foundation — but said that the foundation’s focus on nutrition in fighting the disease complements the government’s programme to fight Aids.
There is "no precise date" for the start-up of the second national operator (SNO) — which will compete with the semi-privatised state telephone operator Telkom, says Minister of Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin. He said such matters as the shareholders’ agreement and business plan are being discussed.
The Cape High Court has ruled that political parties in South Africa should not, as a matter of principle, be compelled to disclose details of private donations made to their coffers. In a landmark ruling by Judge BM Griesel on Wednesday, he dismissed the application by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa.
Ending the ‘haemorrhaging’ of Transnet and South African Airways (SAA) has been achieved, Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin told members of Parliament on Friday. Speaking in his Budget vote, Erwin said: "I believe that we have achieved these objectives and are now moving beyond to greater efficiency."