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/ 21 February 2006
As gays and lesbians become more visible in South African townships, they are increasingly becoming targets of homophobia, according to rights activists. The organisations were reacting to reports at the weekend of the murder of a young lesbian in a township in Cape Town.
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/ 21 February 2006
Metrorail on Tuesday again appealed to train commuters in Gauteng to use alternative transport as the strike by Transnet employees entered its second day. Spokesperson Brenda Motau said a partial service would again be offered during the morning peak, supplemented by buses where possible.
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/ 20 February 2006
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The Freedom Front Plus has lodged criminal charges in Pretoria/Tshwane against the official opposition Democratic Alliance over what it regards as the spreading of ”false information” through the broadcasting of a DA advertisement for the local government election.
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/ 20 February 2006
Transnet’s strike badly affected Metrorail in Gauteng but left the company’s other operations in the country unaffected, the firm said on Monday. Metrorail, one of Transnet’s divisions, was, ”as expected”, affected by the first of day of strike, which left only a handful of trains operating in central Gauteng during peak hour on Monday.
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/ 20 February 2006
The blame for power cuts that hit large parts of the country over the weekend and continue in the Western Cape lies squarely with Minister of Minerals and Energy Lindiwe Hendricks and the African National Congress, the Democratic Alliance said on Monday. The Western Cape, including Cape Town, was without power for most of Sunday.
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/ 20 February 2006
The Transnet strike has severely affected Metrorail in the West Rand — most seriously in Soweto — an official said on Monday. ”We are not able to run a service, even with our contingency plan on the Soweto line,” said Thandi Mlangeni, Metrorail’s spokesperson.
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/ 20 February 2006
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Protests against the incorporation of Khutsong into the North West province will end in time for the March 1 elections to take place there, African National Congress (ANC) chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota told the South African Broadcating Corporation on Sunday.
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/ 19 February 2006
Murdered mining magnate Brett Kebble had an intimate relationship with a young man, the Afrikaans-language <i>Rapport</i> newspaper reported on Sunday. The newspaper said the relationship came to light during the investigation into the wealthy businessman’s shooting death in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs in 2005.
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/ 19 February 2006
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African National Congress chairperson Mosiuoa Lekota warned Khutsong residents on Saturday afternoon that those who participate in ”destruction” in the area will be dealt with by police. Some community members threatened earlier this week to boycott the upcoming local government elections.
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/ 19 February 2006
The entire Western Cape was without power early on Sunday and no trains were running following faults on transmission lines that were the result of misty conditions and residual pollution from recent fires, according to Eskom. Meanwhile, power failures also affected northern Johannesburg and most parts of Ekurhuleni.
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/ 18 February 2006
Gauteng’s Tebogo Mashela (Absa/University of Johannesburg) blitzed her way on Friday to a new South African record in the 3 000m women’s steeple chase. After two events in Secunda and Tswane in January, and one in Stellenbosch earlier this month, this was the fourth Athletics South Africa Champions Challenge event.
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/ 17 February 2006
Transnet will consider a proposal for mediation in the ongoing dispute with labour over the restructuring of the parastatal, a spokesperson said on Friday. John Dludlu said the company has informed the four labour unions involved in the dispute that it will consider their proposal for mediation as early as this weekend.
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/ 16 February 2006
A ”vile cocktail” of cancer-causing pollutants has been measured in and around some of South Africa’s industrial centres, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said on Thursday. He said the country spent more than R4-billion a year on respiratory health problems linked to foul air.
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/ 16 February 2006
The Gautrain route has been finalised and can now be cleared for construction to begin, Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa said on Thursday. He said preferred bidder Bombela and the provincial government signed an agreement on Wednesday on issues that could affect the cost of the project.
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/ 16 February 2006
A group of Khutsong residents declared the township a no-go area for the African National Congress during a protest march on Wednesday. ”We are tired of the ANC. Other political parties are welcome to campaign, but not the ANC,” said Elisa Bogatsa as residents protested the transfer of the Merafong municipality from Gauteng to the North West.
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/ 16 February 2006
Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel has added R6,6-billion to planned spending on the administrative capacity of the government over the next three years, as the state tries to get better at converting the current economic momentum into sustained development.
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/ 15 February 2006
A Transnet strike in the Western Cape and Northern Cape kicked off on Wednesday with rail services in the Cape Town area severely affected. The South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union said more than 5 000 employees downed tools to protest ”management’s unilateral decisions about restructuring the company”.
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/ 15 February 2006
Thousands of Khutsong residents marched to the local police station on Wednesday to protest the transfer of Merafong municipality from Gauteng into the North West. The group earlier threatened to boycott the March 1 local government election. ”If this is democracy, then we are willing to die for it,” said one protester.
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/ 15 February 2006
South African economists and interest groups have reacted to Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel’s 10th Budget speech delivered on Wednesday. Economist Mike Schussler said: ”I think it’s a good Budget, but not a great Budget, because I believe Manuel had a lot more room to cut individual and company taxes even further.”
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/ 14 February 2006
The daughter of Orlando Pirates football club chairperson Irvin Khoza has died of Aids-related complications at a Pretoria hospital, a spokesperson said on Monday. Dominic Ntsele said Zodwa Khoza (30), who was also the club’s brand manager, died of what doctors described as multiple organ failure at the Louis Pasteur hospital.
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/ 14 February 2006
The daughter of Orlando Pirates football club chairperson Irvin Khoza has died of Aids-related complications at a Pretoria hospital, a spokesperson said on Monday. Dominic Ntsele said Zodwa Khoza (30), who was also the club’s brand manager, died of what doctors described as multiple organ failure at the Louis Pasteur hospital.
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/ 14 February 2006
South Africa’s relationship with Britain is strong, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in Soweto on Monday. ”I want to see it even stronger still,” said Blair, who came to South Africa to attend last weekend’s Progressive Governance Summit. Blair paid a courtesy call on former president Nelson Mandela and visited the Apartheid Museum.
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/ 14 February 2006
<b>Vicki Robinson</b> reports on a company that has been branded as the country’s flagship of broad-based black economic empowerment.
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/ 13 February 2006
The Gauteng provincial government is to pump R3-billion into upgrading infrastructure in 20 townships in the next three years, Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa said on Monday. The premier was addressing delegates at the opening of the Gauteng legislature in Johannesburg.
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/ 13 February 2006
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Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe has recused himself from the rape trial of African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma. He told the Johannesburg High Court he is stepping aside, but not for the reasons put forward by Zuma’s defence. Zuma addressed about 3Â 000 supporters outside the court after Ngoepe recused himself.
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/ 13 February 2006
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The controversial song Msholozi — Jacob Zuma’s clan name — kicked off a carnival atmosphere at the former deputy president’s rape trial on Monday. The song, by the group Izinganizoma, called for charges against Zuma to be dropped.
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/ 10 February 2006
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Axed deputy president Jacob Zuma goes on trial in the Johannesburg High Court on Monday for allegedly raping a family friend. Zuma (63), who has not yet pleaded to the charge, is out on R20Â 000 bail. Transvaal Judge President Bernard Ngoepe will preside over the trial.
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/ 9 February 2006
The South African Weather Service has warned of more rain for the flood-hit provinces of Gauteng and Free State. This came as traffic chaos and reports of cars and people being swept away in Gauteng dominated news reports on Thursday. In the Free State, reports indicated that homes had been flooded, and bridges were under water.
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/ 9 February 2006
One of the 11 men accused of hijacking cigarette trucks became ”very religious” after a shooting incident that turned him into a paraplegic, a former member of the hijacking gang told the Cape High Court on Wednesday. Vernon Aspeling, who has turned state witness, gave the court a detailed account of the alleged hijackings.
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/ 8 February 2006
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South Africans have been called on to join a picket in support of axed deputy president Jacob Zuma at the start of his rape trial in Johannesburg on Monday. The Friends of Jacob Zuma Trust said about 5 000 people are expected to attend the picket outside the Johannesburg High Court.
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/ 8 February 2006
Bloemfontein Celtic will be hoping to add to their silverware garnered this season when they line-up for the Chailanse Cup in Katlehong this weekend, hot on the heels of their Free State International Cup victory. Celtic overcame the challenge of AG Faarhus of Denmark 3-1 in the first game in Bloemfontein and then defeated Pirates 2-1 in the final.
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/ 8 February 2006
British Prime Minister Tony Blair was "very welcome" at this weekend’s progressive governance summit, South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad said on Wednesday. "It is very important for Mr Blair to be here as leader of the British Labour Party … [although] we may disagree with him on some of his policies," said Pahad.