Pretoria

The government will not impose an immediate moratorium on the purchase and sale of land to foreigners, the minister of agriculture and land affairs said on Friday — this after a panel of experts looking into the ownership of South African land by foreigners suggested a moratorium be imposed while the minister studied its interim report.

An increased budget for land restitution and distribution could be used to finalise land claims at market-related prices, the Transvaal Agricultural Union of South Africa said on Thursday. Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on Wednesday tabled an estimated R3-billion increase in the land reform Budget over the next three years.

Brake failure was a major factor in the recent spate of bus accidents, Transport Minister Jeff Radebe said on Thursday. ”Buses involved in these accidents are clearly old and not roadworthy.” He said operators whose buses were involved in accidents due to negligence would be held responsible.

Voter turnout could be as high as 60% in the March 1 local government elections, a Human Sciences Research Council study has found. There was a 49% poll turnout in the 1995/96 local government election, and a 48% turnout in the 2000 local government election.

The man who slammed into a police vehicle on Monday and was initially believed to be a Blue Bulls player said he does not know where police got the idea that he was a professional rugby player. He was arrested early on Monday morning after the crash at the Petroport, north of Pretoria.

Police have made no breakthroughs yet in the murder of a Pretoria woman found in the boot of her boyfriend’s car over the weekend. Marlene Mauer (20), of Erasmia, east of Pretoria, appeared to have been killed by several blows to her head with a blunt object, said Inspector Lucas Sithole.

A 35-year-old Blue Bulls rugby player was arrested early on Monday morning when he drove into a police vehicle near the Petroport, north of Pretoria, police said on Monday. ”He was so drunk he could not even stand properly,” police spokesperson Inspector Paul Ramatoko said.

The Cape Cobras eliminated defending champions the Titans at the semifinal stage when they won their Standard Bank Pro20 match at SuperSport Park by 22 runs on Saturday. Australian Ian Harvey, who had scored just 52 runs in five innings in the competition, finally pitched up at the crease — and in a big way.

Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota must hand over certain documents about the multibillion-rand arms deal to Richard Young, whose company CCII Systems was one of the losing bidders, the Pretoria High Court decided on Friday. Judge Brian Southwood turned down Lekota’s application for leave to appeal against a judgement given last year.

During a protest outside the Danish embassy in Pretoria on Friday, South African Muslims have demanded an apology from the Danish government for the publication in one of its newspapers of 12 cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

The government is to reach out to South Africans living in New Zealand to improve links between the two countries, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. Mbeki met New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Helen Clark, who paid him a courtesy call in Pretoria ahead of the Progressive Governance Summit that both will be attending over the weekend.

A continent away from the millions of Haitians voting on Tuesday, deposed president Jean-Bertrand Aristide is settling into quiet exile in South Africa, keeping mum about the elections in his troubled Caribbean country. Aristide is still lobbying African governments for support for his claim that he was driven from office under United States and French pressure.

The ministers responsible for the criminal justice sector are discussing who is responsible for the witness-protection programme, Minister of Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said on Monday. He was reacting to newspaper reports that all 85 operational staff of the witness-protection unit had been ordered to vacate their posts.

Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula on Monday criticised the way in which the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD) records incidents where police use force against suspected criminals. The minister opened a two-day ICD workshop in Pretoria on improving relations between the directorate, police and civil society.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) disqualified 932 people from standing as candidates in 129 positions in the March 1 municipal elections, it said on Wednesday. IEC chairperson Brigalia Bam said one of the biggest reasons for the disqualification was that they had not registered as voters for the municipal elections.

About 3 000 members of the South African Police Service who could previously not read and write have completed literacy training. Ben Smit, managing director of Secudac, a private company which provided the training, said on Monday that the officers also acquired life skills during the six months Adult-Based Education and Training programme.

”I thought the president was a bit taller,” one of the 18 recipients of a university scholarship from President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. This was Akwaowo Akpabio’s only disappointment on a day where he received a laptop and a full scholarship covering the cost of his tuition, books and accommodation for the year.

South Africa should use its position on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board to persuade Iran to stop its nuclear programme, the United States ambassador to the IAEA, Gregory Schulte, said on Wednesday. South Africa has a vote on the 35-member IAEA board.

A state-of-the-art convention centre and adjacent development precinct are to be built in Centurion, south of Pretoria, by June 2008 at an estimated cost of R1,5-billion. ”This project is of strategic importance to position the City of Tshwane as the African capital city,” project leader Jacob Ngakane said at the launch on Wednesday.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will consider the personal circumstances of individuals it plans to prosecute for not applying for, or being refused, amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). NPA spokesperson Makhosini Nkosi said this is normal procedure when prosecutions are taking place.

Prosecutions arising from Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) cases will start soon, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Monday. ”We do have five cases that are prosecutable. There are also cases which require further investigation,” Vusi Pikoli, National Director of Public Prosecutions, said.

Smaller municipalities instead of metro and district councils are needed to bring the government closer to the people, says the Freedom Front Plus. Speaking in Pretoria on Monday at the launch of the party’s election manifesto for the local government election, FF+ leader Pieter Mulder said South Africa is increasingly centralising its government functions.