The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) has dissolved the executive committee of Basketball South Africa (BSA) and appointed an interim committee. This follows allegations that Vusi Mgobhozi and Eric Nkosi — who were respectively president and treasurer of BSA until Sascoc’s move — are guilty of financial mismanagement.
Nine miners have died after an accident at the Gold Fields South Deep mine near Randfontein in Gauteng, the chief inspector of mines said on Thursday. Thabo Gazi said he received a report about the accident at about 12pm. It is believed that a conveyance in an inclined shaft fell down the shaft after the rope snapped.
South African petrol pump prices and wholesale diesel prices will rise sharply next week, the government said on Wednesday, adding to inflationary pressures. The Department of Minerals and Energy Affairs said all grades of petrol would on May 7 rise by 55 cents, or 6,2%, to R9,46 a litre in Gauteng.
Power was restored to Kempton Park on Gauteng’s East Rand at about 3.30am on Tuesday after just under seven days of darkness, the Ekurhuleni municipality said. Spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said an investigation into the cause of the power failure was under way.
About one third of posts for environmental impact assessment (EIA) officials are vacant, the Democratic Alliance said on Monday. DA spokesperson on the environment Rika Kruger said 37% of all posts in the directorate were vacant, while 25% of the managerial positions were also vacant.
About 170 accidents occurred in Gauteng since late Friday afternoon, Netcare 911 said on Sunday. In one incident, a three-year-old boy died and two other children were in critically injured following a head-on collision on the N12 near Xavier Road off-ramp on Saturday.
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee will this weekend probe allegations of financial mismanagement at Basketball South Africa (BSA). The probe follows complaints by Gauteng basketball officials, who have accused the national federation’s president, Vusi Mgobhozi, and treasurer Eric Nkosi of turning BSA into their personal bank account.
Gauteng has allocated more than R640-million for the upgrading and development of roads in terms of the ”Twenty Prioritised Townships Programme” since 2006. The provincial government said on Wednesday the programme seeks to ensure the tarring of all roads in historically disadvantaged areas
Listed food retailer Pick n Pay is ”very aware” of the increase in food prices, it said on Tuesday. ”We are very aware of the inflationary pressure on basic foods and are doing everything we can to minimise its impact on customers,” the company said in its results for the year ended February 29.
Economists say it is only a matter of time before the rising price of oil puts pressure on the petrol price, causing it to rise yet again. Econometrix’s senior economist, Tony Twine, says that it is too late for the oil price to affect the current petrol price, but that it would certainly take the petrol price up in May by another 25c.
While commuters are still digesting last month’s rise in minibus taxi fares of as much as 20%, the bus industry has announced that the latest increase of diesel by R1,28 a litre will add between 3% and 4% to the cost of operating bus services. Diesel costs represent between 20% and 30% of the total operating cost of a bus.
The escalating fuel price has seen South Africans discarding gas guzzlers in favour of smaller, more fuel-efficient cars.Although car sales overall are down 23% compared with last year, small car sales are up by 25%, according to figures from the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa.
South African employers have short-changed the country’s intellectually impaired by employing only workers with physical disabilities and not intellectual ones. An oversight in the Employment Equity Act groups the intellectually impaired with citizens with other disabilities for job opportunities. Employers tend to opt for the physically disabled over the intellectually disabled.
Composer Philip Miller tells Percy Zvomuya and Yunus Momoniat about the ethical consideration of making music from human tragedy.
A downtown "fash off" will highlight clothing as a unifier of circumstance and culture.
The Cabinet is concerned about ”collusive behaviour” in the food industry, leading to higher prices, government communications head Themba Maseko said on Thursday. Meanwhile, thousands of people were expected to take part in a protest against high food prices in Johannesburg on Thursday afternoon.
Two ATMs, one in Boksburg North and one in Brakpan, were bombed early on Thursday morning by gangs of about 20 people, Gauteng police said. Brakpan police spokesperson Captain Petros Mabuza said an ATM at the Dalview Shell garage was blown up after about 20 people held up garage staff at about 1.30am on Thursday.
Thousands of people are expected to take part in a protest against high food prices in Johannesburg on Thursday, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Wednesday. ”We expect more than 5 000 people from trade unions, non-government bodies and community organisations to turn up,” the Cosatu Gauteng secretary said.
Wintry weather conditions are expected to appear this weekend, the South African Weather Service said on Wednesday. ”The first outbreak of cold weather this year will occur from Saturday, taking more effect on Sunday,” said forecaster Puseletso Mofokeng. He said rain-free conditions were expected until Friday.
About R6,9-million has been spent on nine cases pertaining to Ekurhuleni metro police chief Robert McBride and senior officers, Ekurhuleni mayor Duma Nkosi said on Tuesday in reaction to photocopies of three invoices given to the media by Ekurhuleni councillor Izak Berg.
The informal motor mechanic industry is big in most townships and it comprises specialists in different mechanical areas. These include panelbeaters, electricians, welders, gearbox fitters, engineers, wheel alignment and diff adjusters. Most of these specialists operate on street corners and in backyards and employ several helpers each.
Leonard Chuene will have the last laugh on Sunday over his number-one enemy, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc), when he is re-elected as president of Athletics South Africa. No one is standing against him. In the run-up to the elections, Chuene has been under pressure to resign.
South Africa’s transport services are ”sure to improve dramatically” in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup, Transport Minister Jeff Radebe said on Wednesday. ”It will be a defining moment for our transport system,” he told reporters in Pretoria. The tournament will not be a world-class event if the majority of journeys by visitors are not completed efficiently, he said.
Gerhard Zandberg’s South African swimming contingent was caught up in the chaos at Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow airport in London, which caused the swimmers to miss their connection flight to Manchester. The terminal opened recently only to descend into disorder as its baggage-handling system broke down.
Weather-pattern changes are expected to have a negative effect on health and quality of life, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Monday. ”We need to take actions aimed at strengthening our infectious-diseases control, ensure safe use of water supplies and coordinate health actions in order to respond,” she said.
Schools ranked "the poorest of the poor" will be bolstered by an increase in support staff to free teachers from administrative duties so that they can spend more time on teaching and delivering quality Âeducation. The government has allocated just less than R1-billion that will provide for an extra 14 000 support staff posts.
Awaiting-trial prisoners at Johannesburg Prison embarked on a hunger strike on Sunday following the removal of radios from their cells, the South African Prisoners’ Organisation for Human Rights (Sapohr) said. Spokesperson Miles Bhudu said Sapohr was informed of this action on Saturday.
Warren Foster speaks to stand-up comedians about the Heavyweight Comedy Jam.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) on Friday condemned alleged death threats made against South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) journalists. ”Sanef condemns the attack on SABC 2 weather presenter Tshidi Diphoko and the death threats against SABC political reporters Miranda Strydom and Sophie Mokoena,” it said.
A couple of months back, driving past one of those service stations that advertises its prices on a large board on the street, I noticed that diesel was quite a bit more expensive than petrol. I thought that whoever had the job of putting up the prices had got the two mixed up, writes Kevin Davie.
The Department of Transport has put aside R55-billion as part of the government’s plan to improve traffic flow on Gauteng highways, it said on Wednesday. Department spokesperson Collen Msibi said the Highway Improvement Scheme would take effect in phases to expand the carrying capacity of existing roads.
Six additional Gauteng highways will become toll roads. The cost to motorists for using the roll roads would be about 50c per kilometre.