The African National Congress has engaged in a series of "winks and nudges" in dealing with the human rights abuses and autocratic behaviour of President Robert Mugabe, says Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon. "Mugabe’s ‘cocking a snook’ or giving a ‘two’s-up’ to whiteys and the West seems to appeal to a sizeable constituency in the ANC," he said.
Blackman Ngoro, who was ousted this week as media adviser to the mayor of Cape Town, has bounced back with a new approach to race relations. He has offered space on his website for ”Khoisan intellectuals” to write about their history, and urged that the term ”coloured” should be buried ”once and for all”.
The number of hungry children in Africa will increase by more than three million by 2025 if current policy and investment trends continue, according to a new report that predicts the continent will fail to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halving child malnutrition by 2015 unless more aggressive measures are taken now.
A whale-watching boat braved rough seas and a strong wind on Thursday to tow back a snoek boat that capsized off Onrus near Hermanus in the Western Cape on Wednesday. ”All four of [the boat’s crew members] were rescued by the fishing craft Rosemary,” a National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson said.
Phalaborwa Circuit Court state prosecutor Ivy Thenga will give reasons on Friday why the killers of Nelson Chisale, who was fed to lions, deserve heavy sentences. This follows two days of evidence in mitigation of sentence by the defence for Mark Scott-Crossley and Simon Mathebula.
Two missing Mthatha boys were found sodomised and murdered at a disused bus depot on Friday, Eastern Cape police said. The boys — aged six and 12 — disappeared late on Thursday afternoon. ”I have just come from the scene. It is terrible, terrible,” said police spokesperson Superintendent Nondumiso Jafta
Nowhere else in the world do national teams play two games in the space of 24 hours. But that is what is expected of the winning semifinalists in the Confederations of Southern African Football Association (Cosafa) Cup. Defending champions Angola take on Zimbabwe in the first match on Saturday in Mmabatho.
The risk of ever-higher fuel prices should be negated by the South African National Treasury, as one of the functions of the Treasury is to provide macro-economic stability, but currently the volatile and rising international oil price is creating instability.
Former Sharks rugby coach Kevin Putt has backtracked over his remarks that Springbok rugby player Victor Matfield wears a secret steel plate during matches, media reports said on Friday. Earlier in the week, he said on New Zealand television that Matfield wore a steel guard under an arm bandage.
President Thabo Mbeki and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe are locked in a high-stakes poker game over the conditions attached to a South African plan to stave off the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy.
The nationwide strike at South African gold mines is over, the Chamber of Mines said on Thursday. A spokesperson said the National Union of Mineworkers and Solidarity trade union have accepted an offer of a pay increase of between 6% and 7%. The agreement covers two years and the minimum increase for the second year must be 5,5%.
The body that was exhumed earlier this week in Umlazi, south of Durban, is not that of missing police Constable Frances Rasuge, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Thursday. ”Our pathologist says it is the body of a 60-year-old woman,” police spokesperson Director Bala Naidoo said.
Inkatha Freedom Party senior MP Gavin Woods has accused the media of selectively reporting only ”dramatic” sections of a leaked document penned by himself. The Mail & Guardian reported that the discussion document pulls no punches and calls for the ”infusion of new thinking and new minds”.
Ignorance was behind South African Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni’s complaints over Pretoria’s apparent decline, the Tshwane metropolitan municipality said on Thursday. Mboweni earlier this week complained about public parks being used as sports facilities, crime in the city centre and inefficient officials.
Striking South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) workers on Thursday refused to accept a proposal to alter their pay demands. Workers also refused to hand over their memorandum of grievances to Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo’s legal representative Thajedi Masikela.
The Democratic Alliance has formally requested a debate in Parliament on the government’s proposed loan package to Zimbabwe, saying South African taxpayers need to be told why money may be made available for that country. ”Parliament must approve any financial agreement of this nature,” the DA said.
Sanlam Life, South Africa’s second-largest life assurer, will buy a 50% stake in niche life assurer Channel Life from its parent, PSG Group, for R116,5-million, the two companies said on Thursday. The purchase price represents 125 cents per share for Channel Life, valuing the company at approximately R230-million.
The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal said it will investigate who incited crowd members to shout pro-Jacob Zuma slogans while Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka tried to address them on Women’s Day. Mlambo-Ngcuka was booed as she tried to deliver her speech at Utrecht.
The media have concentrated on his bad deeds but ignored his good actions, convicted murderer Mark Scott-Crossley told the Phalaborwa Circuit Court on Thursday. Reporters at the court have seen a man ”who now and again reacted irresponsibly”, he said in evidence in mitigation of sentence.
More than 3Â 000 striking municipal workers made their way to the Braamfontein Civic Centre in Johannesburg on Thursday to hand over a memorandum of grievances to executive mayor Amos Masondo. There was no littering and no serious incidents of violence or confrontation with the police.
With indications that striking gold miners would accept their employers’ latest wage offer, union bosses awaited a final response on Thursday afternoon. ”It’s looking positive. I’m waiting for the final verdict from the chief negotiator,” Solidarity spokesperson Reint Dykema said on the fifth day of the strike.
Lawyers for six suspended United Democratic Movement (UDM) politicians will argue their case in the Cape High Court on August 29 — only three days before the opening of the September floor-crossing window. The six were suspended on August 5, apparently after rumours that they intended to defect to another party.
Two trucks carrying food earmarked for destitute Zimbabweans could leave for Harare within 24 hours, the South African Council of Churches (SACC) said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, South Africa is not insisting that Zimbabwe’s government speak to the opposition before it releases a -million loan, Zimbabwe’s state-controlled Herald said.
North Rand police on Thursday arrested a 49-year-old pastor and his wife after three malnourished foster children were found in their Watville home, police said. ”This is one of the worst cases of abuse we have come across in a long time,” police spokesperson Superintendent Eugene Opperman said.
Johannesburg braced itself on Thursday for the next in a series of South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) pay protests which have so far been characterised by clashes with the police. Metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar warned they would not tolerate unruly behaviour.
Sundowns left Cape Town with full points when they beat a plucky Ajax Cape Town 2-0 in a Castle Premier Soccer League game played at the Athlone Stadium on Wednesday night. Orlando Pirates thumped Bloemfontein Celtic 3-0 at Ellis Park and Silver Stars beat a 10-man Moroka Swallows 1-0 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium.
Action aplenty, goals in abundance and controversial incidents were the features of the 2-2 Premier League draw between Supersport United and Santos at the Loftus stadium in Pretoria on Wednesday night. It was ultimately a result that will provide new Santos coach Roger de Sa with a great deal more satisfaction than it will to a disappointed Supersport and their handful of supporters.
South Africa needs to achieve "significantly higher rates" of economic growth if it is to succeed in meeting the needs of the people, President Thabo Mbeki has told trade unionists. He said one of the issues being studied by his government was import parity pricing as it affected the chemical industry.
A settlement with unions involved in the nationwide gold miners’ strike was very close, the Chamber of Mines said on Thursday evening. Spokesperson Frans Baker said the chamber had offered an increase of between six and seven percent — and seven percent for lower paid workers — on behalf of all four major mining houses.
South Africa could learn about speedy land reform from its neighbour Zimbabwe, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said on Wednesday. ”We’ve got lessons to learn from Zimbabwe — how to do it fast,” she told an African distance-education conference in Pretoria.
Sasol’s future transformation and black economic empowerment (BEE) plans received approval from the minister of minerals and energy in Johannesburg on Wednesday. Company CEO Pat Davies met Minister Lindiwe Hendriks to discuss the company’s future role in BEE initiatives.
On the eve of the Springboks’ departure to Australia for the away leg of their Tri-Nations campaign, coach Jake White rejected allegations made by former Sharks coach Kevin Putt that lock Victor Matfield wears a metal plate under the bandage on his arm. White said these rumours are a malicious act because the Boks are doing well.