Welkom police divers will resume searching on Thursday for a man who is believed to have drowned when a boat capsized on the Vaal Dam early on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the body of a 35-year-old man was recovered from the Nigel Dam on the East Rand on Wednesday, and a man was found dead in a swimming pool in Johannesburg.
Rescue workers are searching for two men who were washed down a crevice along a Port St Johns beach on Tuesday, the National Sea Rescue Institute said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, two men drowned in separate incidents while swimming in Parys and Heidelberg, and a man drowned when a boat capsized at the Vaal Dam.
The festive-season death toll on South Africa’s roads has dropped despite an increase in the number of cars and drivers, the Department of Transport said on Tuesday. Spokesperson Ntau Letebele said 1Â 366 people had died in 1Â 168 crashes over the December 2006 period — a drop from 1Â 454 deaths in 2005.
Pupils from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls will be sent for HIV/Aids testing with their parents’ consent, said Oprah Winfrey at the opening of the school at Henley-on-Klip, Meyerton, on Tuesday. The school for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds was officially opened by Winfrey at a star-studded event.
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/ 31 December 2006
Two relatives are among the six suspects arrested in connection with the murder of Avhatakali Netshisaulu, son of City Press editor Mathatha Tsedu, reported the newspaper at the weekend. City Press said a suspect arrested on Friday was a relative and was allegedly the ”mastermind, financier and recruiter of Netshisaulu’s killers”.
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/ 30 December 2006
A total of 1 277 people have died in 1 104 traffic accidents since December 1, the Department of Transport said on Friday. Spokesperson Collen Msibi said that while this was a slight decrease compared to 1 372 deaths in the same period last year, the department was concerned about the increase of fatal crashes involving pedestrians.
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/ 29 December 2006
Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding Ekurhuleni metro police chief Robert McBride’s car accident in Centurion last week. A case of reckless or negligent driving was opened against McBride after he lost control of his car last Thursday. Controversy surrounding the crash has included allegations that McBride was under the influence of alcohol.
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/ 28 December 2006
The matric class of 2006 lived up to former state president Nelson Mandela’s expectations, said Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa on Thursday. ”The 78,35% pass rate shows very clearly that we have succeeded in creating a culture of learning and teaching that Nelson Mandela talked about when these matriculants started school in 1994.”
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/ 28 December 2006
Gauteng’s matric pass rate has improved by 3% to 78%, the South African Broadcasting Corporation news has reported. The province has also managed a slight increase in exemptions. Twenty-three percent of matric pupils who sat for exams received exemptions.
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/ 28 December 2006
Nine people have been arrested for allegedly using explosives to blow up ATMs, police said on Wednesday. Two were later released. Gauteng police spokesperson Director Govindsamy Mariemuthoo said four suspects were arrested on Christmas day and appeared in court on Wednesday.
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/ 23 December 2006
Two awaiting-trial prisoners hanged themselves in two separate police stations in Mpumalanga, police said on Friday. One of the men, who had been arrested for the rape of his eight-year-old niece, used a blanket to kill himself. ”The 19-year-old was arrested on Wednesday, a day after the alleged rape,” Superintendent Abie Khoabane said.
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/ 23 December 2006
Two police officers were among people arrested for drunken driving in the presence of Transport Minister Jeff Radebe in separate roadblocks on the N3 in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday, the provincial traffic department said. By Friday, the death toll on South Africa’s roads stood at 907, down from last year’s 1 024 for the same period.
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/ 22 December 2006
The decision by the Gauteng department of agriculture, conservation and environment to approve the ”unsightly” overhead section of the Gautrain through Centurion is shocking, the Democratic Alliance said on Thursday. Sizwe Matshikiza, spokesperson for the department, said the approval of the project had followed normal processes.
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/ 22 December 2006
Charges of reckless or negligent driving are being investigated against an Ekurhuleni metro police official, but police have refused to say whether the official is police chief Robert McBride. Witnesses have reportedly claimed McBride was ”blind-drunk” when he rolled his car on the R511 near Centurion on Thursday night.
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/ 20 December 2006
The Botswana pilot who was killed when his light aircraft crashed into a block of flats in Yeoville was training to be a commercial pilot, said a flight instructor on Tuesday. Anastasios Vouros, who runs a flight school at the Rand Airport and owned the wrecked Piper Cherokee 140, said the pilot was qualified to fly the plane.
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/ 19 December 2006
The Gauteng Business Barometer (GBB) jumped by six index points, or 3,7%, to 152 points in November, reflecting robust business activity in the country’s richest province. This was 0,8% higher than the November 2005 level of 150 points. Compiled by Standard Bank and T-Sec chief economist Mike Schüssler, the GBB shows robust business activity in virtually all sectors of the economy.
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/ 16 December 2006
South Africa ended the first day of the first Castle Lager Test between South Africa and India at the Wanderers on Friday the happier team, although neither side really seized the initiative. At close of play on a day in which 133 minutes were lost to delays and interruptions, India had struggled to 156 for five in their first innings.
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/ 14 December 2006
After months of threats since a series of fuel spills happened at OR Tambo International Airport, the Environmental and Conservation Association has finally pressed charges against the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa), the association said on Thursday.
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/ 13 December 2006
No one has been arrested for the murder of Avhatakali Netshisaulu, son of City Press editor Mathatha Tsedu, Gauteng police said on Wednesday. Director Govindsamy Mariemuthoo said the results of a post-mortem conducted cannot be revealed as they form part of the investigation, he said.
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/ 12 December 2006
The lawyer representing Kebble murder accused Glenn Agliotti ”knows nothing” about plans to charge Agliotti with involvement in a multimillion-rand drugs syndicate. The lawyer, Lawrence Hodes, said he did not attend a brief court appearance on Tuesday by Stephanos Paparas (45) at which it was indicated that another accused was to be added to the charge sheet.
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/ 12 December 2006
Conservationists panicked when more than a million litres of jet fuel spilled out from OR Tambo International Airport and flowed into the Blaauwpan Dam, east of Johannesburg, in early November. It has been a month since the leak occurred and the area is still being rehabilitated — but how was it possible for so much fuel to end up in the dam?
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/ 11 December 2006
Former National Intelligence Agency director general Billy Masetlha was charged with fraud on Monday after handing himself over to police in Pretoria. He was later granted bail of R10Â 000 in an appearance in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court, said national police spokesperson Dennis Adriao.
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/ 11 December 2006
Great possibilities exist for combating crime if the police and the security sector ware allowed to work together, said Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson for community safety in Gauteng, John Moodey, on Monday. He said this following the hijacking of his 20-year-old daughter and her boyfriend on Sunday morning.
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/ 11 December 2006
More than 13 000 people die every year on South African roads, costing the economy R43-billion, Transport Minister Jeff Radebe said on Sunday. He said economic growth contributes to the increase of accidents as the number of vehicles on the road is increasing.
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/ 8 December 2006
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) formally declared a dispute on Friday with the Department of Education over non-payment of teachers. The dispute was declared over an agreement on incentives — termed ”accelerated progression payments” for good performance — Sadtu said.
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/ 8 December 2006
The involvement of Cabinet ministers in the Gautrain rapid-rail project shareholding has been defended by South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has argued that there has been a determination to cast them in a bad light — motivated by the stereotype that black people are corrupt.
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/ 7 December 2006
The Department of Education must give teachers detailed salary advice so they know what money is owed to them and what the money is for, the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa said on Thursday. However, the department slammed unions for ”misinformed and inflammatory” remarks.
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/ 7 December 2006
The Cabinet has denied having influenced the Gautrain consortium selection and defended the right of all citizens, including members of the government, to participate in the economy. At its final fortnightly meeting of the year on Wednesday, the Cabinet noted media reports alleging a conflict of interest when it discussed the Gautrain project.
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/ 7 December 2006
2010 World Cup generalissimos Danny Jordaan and Irvin Khoza have denied reports that they almost came to blows three weeks ago over a travel tender that wasn’t awarded to a company owned by a friend of Khoza. But Lemmer wishes they wouldn’t be so quick to bury the whole concept.
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/ 6 December 2006
The National Prosecuting Authority is to ask the Durban High Court to request that Mauritian authorities hand over documentation which may show that a meeting took place between Jacob Zuma, Schabir Shaik and the former chief executive of French arms manufacturer Thint.
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/ 5 December 2006
Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe has announced a road-safety initiative that will be piloted this festive season, his office said on Tuesday. ”Road accidents are the work of man. We create them ourselves and we must therefore also solve the problem,” said Radebe in a speech.
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/ 5 December 2006
The Gauteng legislature ordered provincial education minister Angie Motshekga to apologise for infringing its code of conduct by not disclosing her husband’s financial interests in dormant companies. The ethics and privileges committee also warned speaker Richard Mdakane not to declare certain interests in the confidential section of the register of members’ interests instead of the public section.