South African President Thabo Mbeki, the main mediator in Côte d’Ivoire’s peace process, said on Sunday that Pretoria is heightening its intervention in the West African nation to pave the way for elections later this year. Côte d’Ivoire’s President Laurent Gbagbo promulgated new election laws on July 14.
The Cabinet has agreed to the creation of a risk-equalisation fund to ensure access to health care for all South Africans, President Thabo Mbeki said on Sunday. While only a minority has access to private medical aid, larger amounts of money are spent in the private sector than in the public sector, he said.
Superintendent Piet Byleveldt confirmed that Donovan Moodley, alleged kidnapper and killer of Leigh Matthews, had arrived at the Johannesburg High Court for his trial on Monday morning. Moodley faces charges of kidnapping, extortion and the murder of fellow student Matthews (21) in July last year.
Six people died and 42 were injured when two trucks collided in thick fog along the N7 near Malmesbury on Monday, emergency services said. A doctor at the scene said an articulated truck collided at about 7am with a smaller seven-tonne truck, which rescuers believe was carrying farm labourers.
A trade union has rejected a revised salary offer from South African Airways (SAA) as ground and cabin staff strike for a fourth day, South African Broadcasting Corporation news reported on Monday. The United Association of SA (Uasa) rejected an offer of a five percent increase and a once-off payment of R1 600.
From Tuesday, train commuters in the Western Cape can breathe a little easier — it will be the first day on the job for 400 railway police constables whose duty it will be to reduce crime on trains. ”We are saying that we are serious about rooting out crime committed on trains,” said Western Cape provincial commissioner Mzwandile Petros.
With no end in sight to wage disputes, strikes at South African Airways (SAA) and Pick ‘n Pay were due to enter their fourth day on Monday. SAA said it expected the SA Transport and Allied Workers Association and the United Association of SA to respond to its final offer by Monday.
The South African President, Thabo Mbeki, gave his clearest indication on Sunday that his government will give financial assistance to Zimbabwe. ”We engage them because we don’t want Zimbabwe collapsing next door. South Africa would inherit all the consequences of Zimbabwe collapsing,” he said.
It was sweet and emphatic revenge for Orlando Pirates as they beat Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 in the Vodacom Challenge Final at Absa Stadium on Sunday and dominated the team who had edged in front of them at the last hurdle in last season’s Premier League title race.
While South African Airways faced what could be the most crippling strike in its history, the Sunday Times has reported that the airline’s chief executive Khaya Ngqula on Friday ”abandoned” his post to attend a ”junket” at a luxurious Mpumalanga hotel.
The Springboks produced a dazzling display of all-round rugby at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon as they thumped Australia 33-20 to retain the Mandela Challenge Plate. Following the ignominy of losing 30-12 to Australia two weeks ago, the Boks returned the compliment with a committed team effort.
South Africa has made a good start in its preparation to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup, a Fifa spokesperson said on Friday. Marcus Ziegler was part of a delegation from the world football governing body who visited eight of South Africa’s 13 cities bidding to host games in 2010.
South African Airways passengers left stranded in Durban following a workers’ strike were being accommodated on flights by other airlines, an Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) spokesperson for the region said on Saturday. The airlines were giving their own passengers priority, then making available to SAA passengers any seats still empty, said Collen Naidoo.
The selection of nine black players in the 22-man Springbok rugby squad and six in the starting line-up shows South Africa is moving towards ”normal sport in a normal society”, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. Mbeki wished the Springbok team success in their clash against the Australian Wallabies at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Police were on Friday questioning the wife of slain Free State official Noby Ngombane. Police spokesperson Superintendent Annelie Wrensch confirmed that Nokwanda Ngombane and two other women — believed to be her relatives — were taken in for questioning.
Recently-appointed Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka needs to ”come clean” about her role in the Oilgate scandal, Strategic Fuel Fund tenders and related matters, says Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon.
At least 3Â 900 state officials in KwaZulu-Natal face arrest for social grant fraud, the Scorpions said on Friday. Spokesperson Makhosini Nkosi said the arrests will be conducted over various phases. People expected to be apprehended include nurses, teachers, police officers and clerks.
Canadian mining group Thistle Mining on Friday confirmed that it has issued a Section 189A notice of restructuring, at its President Steyn operation in the Free State, to the registered unions at the mine. The Section 189A notice also includes a notice to defer wage negotiations.
About 50 Pick ‘n Pay employees at one of the retailer’s flagship stores on the V&A Waterfront were arrested and later released for riotous behaviour and trespassing on Friday, Western Cape police said. At a Johannesburg store, customers complained about being kicked and strikers barricading the store entrance.
The Department of Labour has intervened in Friday’s crippling South African Airways (SAA) strike, the United Association of SA trade union said. General manager Andre Venter said this followed a request to Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana to put pressure on SAA management to resume wage talks.
Llewellyn Herbert and Surita Febbraio, two of South Africa’s leading athletes who will feature in the 400m hurdles at the forthcoming World Championships, recorded good victories at the annual Karelia Games in Lappeenranta, Finland, on Thursday night.
Four of eight South Africans suspected of involvement in a planned coup d’état in Equatorial Guinea appeared briefly in the Pretoria Regional Court on Friday. The men’s defence team received a copy of a draft charge sheet and an undertaking that the final one will be handed over by August 31.
A KwaZulu-Natal man committed suicide inside his home on Friday as police waited for him to open the door to arrest him for allegedly attempting to kill his wife. According to police spokesperson Captain Tienkie van Vuuren, Lucky Mthethwa (50) was wanted for the attempted murder of his wife.
Retailer Pick ‘n Pay is seeking an interdict to stop striking workers from shutting stores down and preventing people from entering them, its chief executive said on Friday. ”They clearly have a right to withhold their labour, but this is patently illegal,” chief executive Sean Summers said.
Picketing and toyi-toying Pick ‘n Pay workers at the retailer’s high-profile store at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, as well as at its main Claremont headquarters, are disrupting shopping at the venues, reports said on Friday. South Africa’s largest food retailer confirmed earlier that the strike is affecting 150 stores countrywide.
”Australian rugby people can’t understand why South Africa ever plays home Test matches away from Ellis Park. The Wallabies have built a castle in the rarefied Highveld air at the venue where they have not won a Test match since the Ken Catchpole-inspired Wallabies of 1963,” writes Andy Capostagno.
Two United States filmmakers wounded by robbers in Muldersdrift earlier this week were ”stable and recovering” in Milpark Hospital on Friday. Hospital spokesperson Monique Lanz said the men had asked that no other details about them or the nature of their injuries be released.
It was too early to tell how widely supported a strike by Pick ‘n Pay employees was or how many stores were affected, the retailer said on Friday morning. ”It will be about lunchtime when we get a clearer idea,” Pick ‘n Pay chief executive Sean Summers said.
South Africa has already signed a provisional memorandum of understanding with Zimbabwe for a R6,5-billion credit facility, Business Day reported on Friday. It said officials from the South African Reserve Bank and their Zimbabwean counterparts had agreed on a draft deal last week.
All South African Airways (SAA) flights leaving from Johannesburg and Cape Town International airports were grounded on Friday morning as the airline’s employees embarked on a nationwide strike, the United Association of South Africa (Uasa) said.
A Limpopo smallholding owner was ordered by the Pretoria High Court on Thursday to allow the re-erection of a school that burnt down on his property earlier this month. The judgement followed smallholding-owner Johan Pienaar’s refusal to allow the units on to his land.
Thousands of South African Airways (SAA) employees will participate in a nationwide strike starting on Friday, the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) said on Thursday. A Satawu spokesperson said the union will pursue every avenue and make every effort to engage with SAA.