Elvira Van Noort

"Today I might be reporting about a crime that happened across the street, and tomorrow about a car accident. I’ll report about everything that is newsworthy," says a Johannesburg security officer. Hold on a second — a security officer who reports on everyday news? What he will be doing is called "citizen journalism", and everyone can take part in it.

Seven major conservation and wildlife NGOs in South Africa say culling elephants in the Kruger National Park must be considered. A report from the South African National Parks board in July this year proposed culling between 5 000 and 7 000 elephants, but several wildlife groups have opposed the proposal.

A new combination therapy comprising only three pills cures patients of malaria once and for all in one day, its Belgian manufacturer said on Friday. The new therapy has been developed by Belgian company Dafra Pharma and will be launched on the African market next year.

An e-mail doing the rounds in South Africa warns ATM users that organised criminals are installing equipment on the machines to steal both the ATM card number and its PIN. The scam involves a square piece of equipment that is placed in front of the existing bank-card slot.

South Africa’s divorced fathers may need to start ironing their favourite superhero costumes and prepare for a headline-grabbing stunt. The South African chapter of Fathers 4 Justice, an international civil rights movement fighting for children to have equal access to both parents after a divorce, is planning to execute high-profile stunts at least once a month.

<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>In its weekly online newsletter on Friday, the African National Congress has attacked an editorial piece in the <i>Financial Mail</i> that criticised the ANC’s support for Zuma in the week that Zuma appeared on corruption charges in the Durban Magistrate’s Court.

More than 30&nbsp;000 South Africans have signed a petition on a website called <i>Stop the Bill</i> against a draft law to reform the Road Accident Fund (RAF). Hein Kaiser, one of the organisers of the petition, says "compensation is now limited and the RAF is taking away compensation for people with minor injuries".

Muslims in the Middle East and Malaysia can now rely on their cellphones at prayer time. The Ilkone i800 includes the complete Qur’an, points the way to Mecca and has a prayer alarm and Ramadan calendar. The smart-looking phone has English and Arabic language options.

After 47 days on a hunger strike, Iranians Azita Aslami and Mohammad Mehdi Neshat may finally get what they want: a residence permit to stay in The Netherlands. The Dutch government says Iran is a safe country, but Aslami and Neshat don’t agree. On June 30, eight Iranian asylum seekers had embarked on a hunger strike to protest the Dutch asylum-seeking procedure.

The Media Monitoring Project (MMP) is again challenging the South African media on their coverage of National Women’s Day. For the past six years, the MMP has monitored media coverage during the period around National Women’s Day. Last year’s challenge was won by the <i>Mail & Guardian</i>.