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/ 8 February 2006
After the death of baby Jordan Leigh Norton, murder accused Dina Rodrigues told her boyfriend at the time that she paid R10 000 ”for all of it to go away”, the Cape High Court heard on Wednesday. Rodrigues is accused of hiring four men to slit the throat of the infant in June last year.
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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.
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/ 8 February 2006
A double-decker bus was wedged into a balcony in downtown Johannesburg’s Pan Africa House on Wednesday morning after a crash with a taxi that left 12 people injured, emergency services said. In a second accident on Wednesday morning, 31 people were injured in a bus crash to the east of the city.
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/ 8 February 2006
In 10 years of Super 12 rugby no South African team was able to capture the southern hemisphere’s most sought-after provincial trophy. Injuries to key players have already set the five sides back, while the increased workload on the Australasian leg of the tournament means home fixtures have become even more important than in the past.
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/ 8 February 2006
At least eleven people have been killed and several others were injured in a bus accident near Beaufort West in the Karoo on Wednesday morning, South African Broadcasting Corporation news reported. A Cape Town Metro Rescue official said the accident happened on the R-61 just outside Aberdeen in the Eastern Cape on the way to Beaufort West.
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/ 7 February 2006
Opposition political parties have questioned President Thabo Mbeki’s fleeting reference to HIV/Aids in his State of the Nation address on Friday. In mentioning HIV and Aids only once, the president had failed to deal with the pandemic as a national priority, said African Christian Democratic Party leader Kenneth Meshoe.
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/ 7 February 2006
Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi is being treated for concussion after his vehicle and a taxi collided in Midrand on Tuesday morning. Spokesperson Zandile Nkuta said the minister was on his way to Johannesburg International Airport where he was due to fly to Cape Town when the accident happened.
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/ 7 February 2006
Independent Newspapers has offered to publish an apology for any offence a weekend article caused to Muslims, already in uproar over a series of cartoons lampooning the prophet Muhammad. ”[The] decision to apologise by the Cape Argus was an acknowledgement of an error in judgement,” said Chris Whitfield, editor of the Cape Times.
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/ 7 February 2006
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has informed Cricket South Africa that the bowling action of Proteas and Warriors off-spinner Johan Botha has been found to be illegal. Botha’s action was biomechanically examined by Professor Bruce Elliott at the University of Western Australia in Perth last week after his action had been reported by match officials.
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/ 7 February 2006
The proposed all-weather stadium to be built at Green Point in Cape Town ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup will cost about R1,2-billion, a city official said on Tuesday. The City of Cape Town’s chief operating officer, Rushj Lehutso was speaking to reporters after the central government announced that five new stadiums would be built for the event.
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/ 7 February 2006
Chaos erupted outside the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning when six people accused of murdering three laundry workers were released on bail. Emotions ran high outside the courtroom, with black protesters dancing in the streets and throwing stones at the cars of family members of the white accused.
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/ 7 February 2006
South African farmers called for compromise on Tuesday after the lands commissioner said that large-scale expropriation of farms would start next month. ”It is in everyone’s interest that land claims be completed as soon as possible but it needs to take place in a fair manner,” said Annelize Crosby, land affairs adviser at Agri South Africa.
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/ 7 February 2006
The recurring spillage of sewage into the Vaal River is a result of the over-utilisation of outdated infrastructure, the Emfuleni municipality said on Tuesday. It was reacting to a report in a Johannesburg daily newspaper that three environmental organisations are threatening legal action.
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/ 7 February 2006
A government study of the health department has found that public hospitals are ”highly stressed institutions” owing to staff shortages, unmanageable workloads and management failures, says South African Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi.
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/ 7 February 2006
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.
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/ 7 February 2006
Gold-mining group Gold Fields is looking at acquisitions of international assets in much higher-risk areas than previously considered in order to meet its target of a 50/50 production split between South Africa and the rest of the world by 2009, according to CEO Ian Cockerill.
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/ 7 February 2006
South African Football Association (Safa) CEO Raymond Hack has ”set the record straight” over what he termed ”incorrect, distorted and misleading reports” regarding the ”hot potato” post of Bafana Bafana coach. The reports are attributed to Safa president Molefi Oliphant, who initially confirmed his comments and then seemed to back down.
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/ 7 February 2006
Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile has denied media reports that he supports the curbing of President Thabo Mbeki’s powers to hire and fire provincial premiers. ”The unscrupulous allegations quoted the minister as saying that ‘the appointment of premiers by the president should be changed’,” his office said on Monday.
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/ 7 February 2006
Mining magnate Roger Kebble has vowed to ”set the record straight” after reports that the taxman had seized a number of his assets, the Argus reported on Monday. According to its website, the father of recently assassinated mining tycoon Brett Kebble was tight-lipped about the reported raid.
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/ 7 February 2006
South Africa’s long-term initiatives to protect children and promote their well-being are rooted in a human rights approach to development, Minister of Social Development Zola Skweyiya said on Monday at the launch of the United Nations Children’s Fund State of the World’s Children Report for 2006 in Cape Town.
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/ 7 February 2006
South Africa will from next month start large-scale expropriations of land from white farmers after years of compensation negotiations proved unsuccessful, a top official said on Monday. South Africa’s chief land-claims commissioner said the willing-buyer, willing-seller model will no longer apply to land-restitution claims.
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/ 7 February 2006
Every South African has the right to be different, Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke told a South African Council of Churches seminar on same-sex marriages in Kempton Park on Monday. ”Everyone has the right to have a flat nose, to have curly hair, or to have straight hair. That’s beyond debate,” Moseneke said.
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/ 7 February 2006
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The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and South African Communist Party in KwaZulu-Natal have warned of mass action against the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in the next two weeks over its coverage of axed former deputy president Jacob Zuma, who goes on trial for rape on February 13.
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/ 7 February 2006
The number of insurance policies held by South Africans with a monthly household income of less than R3Â 000 should more than double over the next eight years, according to Metropolitan Life. Life insurers have been charged with the responsibility of bringing new products to the market that are more affordable, easier to access and understand.
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/ 6 February 2006
Local film Tsotsi has broken box-office records since opening at South African cinemas on Friday. In its opening weekend, Tsotsi — which has been nominated for an Academy Award — earned R526 676, Ster Kinekor said on Monday.
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/ 6 February 2006
Team South Africa travel to Jakarta, Indonesia, this weekend for the eighth round of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations in an upbeat mood. Official practice at the Sentul circuit is on Friday, qualifying on Saturday and racing on Sunday. The team are feeling confident and will be aiming for another good result.
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/ 6 February 2006
Student registration came to a halt on Monday when students’ and workers’ unions protested at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a union official said. The South African Students’ Congress joined forces with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union to present a list of demands to the university management.
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/ 6 February 2006
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.
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/ 6 February 2006
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.
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/ 6 February 2006
Eskom has confirmed that power was temporarily suspended to Zimbabwe due to planned maintenance power outages. ”We had a lot of maintenance outages that were planned, it is normal at this time of the year. ”Because most of the plants are going through midlife maintenance and refurbishments it took longer to bring the plants back into supply,” said spokesperson Fani Zulu.
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/ 6 February 2006
The Natref refinery was back in operation on Sunday after experiencing an unscheduled shutdown, Sasol spokesperson Johann van Rheede said. The South African Petroleum Industry Association reported earlier that temporary fuel shortages may be experienced after a disruption in production at the refinery.
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/ 6 February 2006
In recent times, the rand has strengthened to "way beyond desirable levels", according to South African Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Addressing the media in Parliament on Monday, Mlambo-Ngcuka said the country’s recent growth, although welcome, has been "unbalanced".