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/ 4 January 2008

Zuma to wed on Saturday

Jacob Zuma’s homestead at Nkandla in KwaZulu-Natal is said to be bracing for another festivity, with the new African National Congress (ANC) president reportedly planning to marry Nompumelelo Ntuli — the mother of two of his children — on Saturday, the Mercury newspaper reported on Friday.

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/ 4 January 2008

ANC saddened by Sisulu death

The African National Congress (ANC) was saddened by the ”untimely death” of Mlungisi Sisulu, the son of Max and Elinor Sisulu, it said on Friday. ”The ANC extends its heartfelt condolences to the Sisulu family, his colleagues at the Department of Foreign Affairs and friends,” ANC head of the Presidency Smuts Ngonyama said in a statement.

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/ 2 January 2008

Still no word on whether Selebi has case to answer

The public were on Wednesday still being kept in the dark over the fate of South Africa’s police National Commissioner, Jackie Selebi. The National Prosecuting Authority said it had made a decision on whether or not Selebi ”had a case to answer”. However, the decision would not be made public until it was studied by the minister of justice and constitutional development.

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/ 31 December 2007

Zuma charges: State intends calling 218 witnesses

The state has identified a list of 218 witnesses it intends calling to testify in its case against African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma. Attached to the indictment, filed in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, the list of witnesses includes Independent Democrat party leader Patricia de Lille and former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein.

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/ 31 December 2007

Mbeki: 2008 will bring new challenges

The year ahead will present South Africa with new tasks and challenges arising from decisions adopted at the recent national conference of the African National Congress, President Thabo Mbeki said in his New Year’s message on Monday. South Africans should respond to the challenges ”bearing in mind the national goal our country has set itself”.

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/ 31 December 2007

Zuma takes time out ahead of crunch meeting

As tensions between the camps of former African National Congress (ANC) president Thabo Mbeki and his successor, Jacob Zuma, reach boiling point over the decision to charge Zuma, the newly elected ANC president has retreated to his Nkandla homestead ahead of the party’s January national executive committee meeting.

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/ 31 December 2007

SA editor’s escape from apartheid, 30 years on

Disguised as an Irish priest and taking advantage of the New Year festivities, Donald Woods launched a dramatic escape 30 years ago to expose one of South Africa’s most notorious apartheid crimes. As the country prepared to ring in the new year, the white liberal editor managed to evade house arrest and cross over into the tiny kingdom of Lesotho.

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/ 30 December 2007

NPA: Mbeki not behind Zuma charges

South Africa’s prosecuting chief on Sunday denied claims that President Thabo Mbeki was behind the filing of a string of charges against Jacob Zuma, the new leader of the African National Congress. Mokeketedi Mpshe, acting National Prosecuting Authority head, told a newspaper that the decision to formally charge Zuma was made independently.

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/ 29 December 2007

Zuma supporters decry new charges

Supporters of Jacob Zuma, the new leader of the African National Congress, protested on Saturday that new corruption charges against him were part of a politically inspired vendetta. Zuma’s supporters have cried foul over the timing of the charges, a little over a week since he was elected leader of the ANC.

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/ 29 December 2007

Cosatu condemns Zuma indictment

An indictment served on African National Congress president Jacob Zuma was a continued violation of his human rights, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Saturday. The timing of the indictment had the ”hallmarks of vengeance, deep-seated anger and frustration by the National Prosecuting Authority and whoever else is behind this”.

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/ 28 December 2007

Zuma charged with corruption, fraud

Jacob Zuma, the new leader of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress, was on Friday served with papers to appear in court to face corruption charges, his lawyer said. ”Today, December 28 2007, the Directorate of Special Operations [Scorpions] served on Mr Jacob Zuma an indictment to stand trial in the high court.”

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/ 28 December 2007

Matric pass rate has minister concerned

The decline in the matric pass rate is worrying, Minister of Education Naledi Pandor said in Pretoria on Friday. The country needed to increase the number of candidates for entry to higher education levels, she said. Pandor said several reasons were responsible for the decline in the matric pass rate.

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/ 27 December 2007

Prosecutors hold off on Zuma, Selebi

South African prosecutors are likely to wait at least two weeks before deciding whether to file charges against the new African National Congress president and the country’s police chief, a newspaper said on Thursday. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) recently said it had enough evidence to re-charge ANC president Jacob Zuma.

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/ 24 December 2007

Mpofu not quitting, says incensed SABC

Reports that South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) chief executive Dali Mpofu was going to resign were dismissed by the broadcaster on Monday. According to a report in the Sunday Times, Mpofu was heard saying at the African National Congress’s 52nd national conference in Polokwane that he would resign.

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/ 24 December 2007

Mbeki says ANC is not at war with itself

The conduct of some African National Congress delegates at its conference in Polokwane last week showed they did not understand what the party stood for, President Thabo Mbeki has told the South African Broadcasting Corporation. He was disappointed at how little some people understood of the ANC’s political workings and policy implementation.

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/ 24 December 2007

Zuma to look into inflation targeting

Jacob Zuma, the new leader of the African National Congress said on Sunday that he would look at inflation targeting, a key monetary policy tool used by the Reserve Bank to reign in inflation. The country adopted the policy in 2000 as a framework through which the central bank estimates a ”target” inflation rate.

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/ 23 December 2007

New SABC chairperson rolls up her sleeves

The new chairperson of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Khanyisiwe Mkhonza, paid tribute to the outgoing board in a statement to the media on Sunday. Mkhonza, who is the current chairperson of the public broadcasting services board sub-committee, also acknowledged challenges facing the new board.

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/ 23 December 2007

Mandela says Zuma can heal the ANC

Former president Nelson Mandela has praised Jacob Zuma, the new leader of the African National Congress (ANC), as a man who could unify the divided party. In a message of congratulations, Mandela said: ”Our experience of Comrade Zuma is of a person and leader who is inclusive in his approach, a unifier and one who values reconciliation and collective leadership.”

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/ 23 December 2007

Van Schalkwyk hails climate-change resolution

The resolution on climate change adopted in Polokwane by the African National Congress (ANC) is a critical milestone that should be applauded, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, said on Sunday. He said the resolution strengthened the mandate of the government to ”take the tough decisions that will be required”.

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/ 21 December 2007

ANC still mulling media tribunal

The African National Congress (ANC) plans to examine further a proposal to set up a media tribunal, the party said on Friday. The notion was discussed and adopted at the ANC national conference this week, said ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama. A task team will now be set up to investigate ”the necessity or otherwise” of a media tribunal.

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/ 21 December 2007

No early elections, says Mbeki

The present South African government will serve out its term, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. He was speaking at his official residence in Pretoria a day after the closing of the African National Congress’s national conference in Polokwane that saw Jacob Zuma toppling him as party president.