Male circumcision should not be seen as a ”silver bullet” in fighting HIV infection, University of Cape Town researchers said in a paper published in the latest issue of the South African Medical Journal. The evidence for the preventive benefit of male circumcision is ”rather modest”, humanities student Alex Myers and co-author, public health professor Jonny Myers, said.
The increase in the period of internship for doctors from one to two years in 2008 may cause a shortage of doctors, the Health Department said on Thursday. Spokesperson Sibani Mngadi said the department was making efforts to address the challenge. ”There is ongoing collaboration between relevant stakeholders,” he said.
The municipality of Matatiele seems likely to stay in the Eastern Cape, according to Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi. Briefing the media on Thursday following Cabinet’s fortnightly meeting the day before, he said new draft legislation would re-affirm the current cross-boundary arrangements as they are now.
In the same week that a major climate conference said that gas-emission cuts need to be both drastic and urgent, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk gave his go-ahead for a giant new Eskom coal-fired power station. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that the world has just 10 years to implement new strategies to combat global warming.
Dr Marianne Cronje’s office speaks volumes about her. From the framed pictures of her husband and two sons to the neatly stacked documents, everything points towards a woman who is extremely well organised. This serves the senior lecturer in the biochemistry department of the University of Johannesburg well as she juggles teaching and research.
Everyone knows <i>Sunday Times</i> columnist David Bullard has enough vitriol to run a small vehicle for a month.
Media reports about chronic ambulance shortages in the Eastern Cape are a ”gross exaggeration”, the Eastern Cape health department said on Thursday. ”The situation is not out of hand,” said spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo. A national targeted norm of one ambulance for every 10Â 000 residents by 2010 had been set by the national committee on emergency services, he said.
An Eastern Cape traffic officer seized seven state vehicles that were apparently being misused by civil servants at the weekend, the Dispatch Online reported on Monday. Some of the vehicles he confiscated were out of their jurisdiction and others had no valid authorisation for trips.
If the Democratic Alliance is to shrug aside it baggage from the past, it could hardly do better than vote Cape Town mayor Helen Zille into the top job.
Cape Town mayor Helen Zille was on Sunday elected as the new leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA). The announcement was made by DA leader Tony Leon to over a thousand delegates at the party’s federal congress in Gauteng. She beat two other contenders for the position, Eastern Cape leader Athol Trollip and federal chairperson Joe Seremane.
The education crisis is the greatest challenge facing South Africa, newly elected Democratic Alliance Leader Helen Zille said on Sunday. In her first speech as party leader to delegates at the DA Federal Congress in Midrand, Zille outlined what she saw as the greatest challenges in the country.
Tony Leon on Saturday delivered his last speech as leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), predicting that the party would one day bring about a new government in South Africa. In an emotionally charged session of the party’s federal congress in Midrand, he thanked supporters for the ”incredible journey” they had allowed him to take in heading the DA.
After months of speculation over the next Democratic Alliance (DA) leader, it will all come down to just over two hours of voting by 1 145 delegates on Sunday morning. The new leader is expected take to the stage to address the party’s federal congress in Midrand by 11am on Sunday.
Outgoing official opposition Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon bid farewell in his final internet column, <i>SA Today</i>, which since its launch in February 2003 has focused largely on the state of democracy, including critiques of the ruling African National Congress and its governance.
If the consumer pays between R5 and R6 for a litre of milk in the shops, how much should the farmer get? The milk industry is currently under investigation by the competition authorities, who are focusing on the price build-up between farmer and consumer. In particular, they are paying close attention to a set of apparently cosy interventions that the large milk processors are able to make in the market.
Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon met South African President Thabo Mbeki on Thursday ahead of bowing out as official opposition leader on Sunday. Leon’s spokesperson, Martin Slabbert, said it was a chance to ”say goodbye”, but it had been a private meeting.
Spending by South Africa’s provincial governments dramatically improved in the past year as they managed to spend 98,7% of their budgets in the 2006/07 financial year, the National Treasury reported on Thursday. The provinces spent R185,6-billion of their combined adjusted budgets of R188-billion.
South Africa’s main opposition party, widely seen as the voice of the white minority, has a rare chance to shake off its conservative image when it elects a new leader this weekend. A black man, a woman and a farmer are all vying for the leadership of the Democratic Alliance (DA) at a party conference near Johannesburg.
President Thabo Mbeki is to meet outgoing Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Thursday. The meeting appears to be a first for the two men with Leon, head of South Africa’s main opposition party, reportedly describing their relationship as strained.
Two children died of smoke inhalation after their mother fell asleep leaving a stove on, Eastern Cape police said on Monday. ”The mother, who was preparing vetkoek for their builder on Sunday night, put a batch on the stove and then fell asleep,” said Captain Jackson Manatha. ”It started to burn and there was a lot of smoke.”
A boy was shot dead and two others wounded, allegedly by a man who had a quarrel with his brother, Eastern Cape police said on Friday. Captain Jackson Manatha said the three youngsters were shot at a homestead in Nxaxo near Centane in the old Transkei on Thursday night.
Thousands of South Africans gathered in various locations across the country on Friday to celebrate the country’s 13th year of freedom from apartheid rule. In the Eastern Cape, President Thabo Mbeki addressed the packed Bisho Stadium and urged South Africans to join the fight against crime and corruption.
All South Africans were called upon to join the fight against crime and corruption by President Thabo Mbeki in his Freedom Day speech at Bhisho in the Eastern Cape on Friday. ”There is a minority in our country who have made crime their business, who terrorise our communities, robbing our people … raping women and children …,” Mbeki said at the Bhisho Stadium.
Teenage girls, many of them in school uniforms, are flocking to Port Elizabeth’s Dora Nginza Hospital to have abortions, the media reported on Wednesday. It said more than 160 abortions were performed at the Dora Nginza Hospital last month. A health worker said on Tuesday there was an alarming increase in girls under the age of 18 going to the hospital for abortions.
The South African Weather Service has warned beach revellers to brace themselves for chilly conditions over the country’s coastal areas during this long weekend. Mark Todd, a forecaster from the National Forecast Centre, said on Wednesday that it was going to be cold and windy over the Southern parts [of the country].
The murder of a Mount Frere teacher in front of her grade two pupils raised the issue of security at schools, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Wednesday. ”It is intolerable that teachers and learners should face such horrific incidents when they are in school,” spokesperson Patrick Craven said in a statement.
A Sunday tabloid aimed at the ”new, modern Afrikaner” is to be launched in May, its editor said on Tuesday. Sondag’s Mike Vink said it would offer less sleaze than weekly Afrikaans tabloid Son. This will entail, among others, a page three pin-up girl, who will not be topless. ”It’s not going to be sleazy, but a genuine Sunday newspaper with a sports, news and business section.”
The official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) says that President Thabo Mbeki is quite right to criticise ruling party African National Congress (ANC) councillors for not doing their jobs — but it argues that words must be turned into action. On Tuesday, DA local government spokesperson Willem Doman said: "A year after the local elections it is clear that many councillors are not effective."
The prospect of President Thabo Mbeki staying on as African National Congress (ANC) head would harm the country, official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Tony Leon said on Monday. At a farewell meeting in Port Elizabeth the DA leader said an anointed presidential successor would become a ”puppet president owing his or her position to Mbeki”.
The most dangerous places in South Africa are not big cities but scantly populated rural or border areas, a new crime-mapping tool showed on Sunday. Although Johannesburg is synonymous with crime in the minds of many overseas visitors, the new computerised map showed that the chances of being murdered or raped were higher in isolated rural areas.
A draw to determine the order in which candidates’ names will appear on the ballot for a new Democratic Alliance (DA) leader was held at the party’s parliamentary offices in Cape Town on Friday. Top spot was won by DA federal chairperson Joe Seremane.
A petite Eastern Cape girl cornered two burglars with her motor scooter this week, attacking one with her crash helmet, media reports said on Friday. Marilee Hibbers (18), of Despatch, said on Thursday she never thought of the danger in which she could have been. Her only goal was to get the two criminals arrested.