Western Province’s Koos Basson has become the fourth South African Rugby Union management committee member to resign on Wednesday. This follows the resignations of fellow members Andre Markgraaff, Mike Stofile and Theunie Lategan.
The Bafana Bafana squad for their crucial 2006 World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifier match against the Cape Verde Islands was announced on Wednesday. Bafana, who top the group-two log table, will be hoping to maintain their number-one spot against the second-placed Cape Verde Islands.
A surfer has received 100 stitches after being attacked by a shark at the mouth of the Kei River in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday. National Sea Rescue Institute spokesperson Craig Lambinon said Jay Catarall (32) was surfing with two other people when the shark bit him on both buttocks and the back of both legs.
The bodies of all four workers trapped under a tonne of sand in a foundation trench outside a water-sport shop in Randburg were excavated on Wednesday. Emergency personnel were at the site early on Wednesday, trying to locate the workers who had been trapped under the sand since Tuesday.
Cigarette breaks at the office could be a thing of the past with the introduction of a new smokeless tobacco product — a discreet, miniature ”tea bag”. An alternative to cigarettes, Snus is a small bag placed under the user’s upper lip, said British American Tobacco South Africa MD David Crow.
The Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that the 62 prisoners still on death row should have their death sentences set aside and replaced as soon as possible. There is no need for another trial, as the prisoners were already tried and sentenced in an open court. The death sentence was declared unconstitutional in 1995.
Limited access to health care, violence against women, and deaths in police custody in South Africa are among issues highlighted in an Amnesty International report on human rights abuses released on Wednesday. ”One of the issues that bugs us is limited access to health care,” said Amnesty International South Africa’s chairperson.
Hundreds of disabled, destitute and elderly people, children and volunteer welfare workers marched through the streets of Pretoria on Wednesday to press for increased government subsidies. Chanting ”Welfare is bleeding, the nation is dying”, the protesters made their way along a few blocks to Strijdom Square in the city centre.
While the rugby bosses have put the game in a state of turmoil, Springbok coach Jake White and his squad went about business as usual. The Bok squad had their first two field training sessions at Shimla Park at the University of Free State on Tuesday, and White said he was satisfied with what he saw.
A 1-0 victory for Supersport United over Silver Stars at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Tuesday evening saw them end their Castle Premier Soccer League campaign in fourth place. Their victory saw United leapfrog Moroka Swallows on the table to end off in fourth position behind Kaizer Chiefs, Pirates and Sundowns.
Andre Markgraaff, Mike Stofile and Theunie Lategan have resigned from the South African Rugby Union’s (Saru) management committee, media reports said on Wednesday. This follows the request on Tuesday by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee that the whole committee step down.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) says junior miner Simmer & Jack Mines is "ready" and has resources and skills to take over DRDGold’s mining operations in the North West province. An NUM spokesperson said labour is convinced that thousands of mineworkers left without jobs in the North West might soon be redeployed.
Rescuers searched on Tuesday night for the bodies of four construction workers buried when an excavation trench collapsed outside a water-sports shop in Randburg earlier that day. At about 7.30pm, a man was rescued after being wedged for four hours under a boulder lying diagonally over the trench.
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unior Spoornet employees are to receive a 4,5% salary increase, backdated to April 1, Transnet announced on Tuesday. The transport utility said the agreement follows weeks of tough negotiations with Spoornet’s recognised unions. An additional 1% has been reserved for performance-related adjustments.
The Department of Health has approached the International Organisation for Migration as part of moves to bring nurses back to South Africa, Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Tuesday. South Africa is not the only country battling with the departure of health professionals, she said.
Unbearable smells and huge rats raiding their houses will soon be history for a community living near an illegal waste site in Alexandra, which was closed down on Tuesday. Gauteng environment minister Khabisi Mosunkutu visited the site to issue a final warning to SA Waste company management for operating an illegal waste site.
South African Rugby Union president Brian van Rooyen expressed regret on Tuesday that the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee has called on the top leadership structure of his organisation to step down. ”We can’t arbitrarily dismiss elected officials,” he said.
The price of petrol will drop to below R5 a litre from Wednesday next week, the Department of Minerals and Energy said on Tuesday. The department said the price of petrol of all grades will decrease by 24c a litre. That means motorists in Gauteng using 93 octane petrol will pay R4,98 per litre, effective from June 1.
The future of South Africa’s energy lies not in oil or gas but in hydrogen and fuel cells, Minister of Science and Technology Mosibudi Mangena said on Tuesday. He said hydrogen and fuel cells are globally believed to be the energy solution for the 21st century by enabling clean, efficient production of power and heat.
Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile has thrown his weight behind a call by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee for South African Rugby Union president Brian van Rooyen and other senior figures in the union’s management committee to step down.
The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa reserved judgement on Monday on whether the South African Broadcasting Corporation was misleading the public by referring to Tshwane instead of Pretoria in radio and television broadcasts. The two-hour hearing followed complaints by viewers and political parties.
The Springbok squad gave the Bulls players a warm reception when the Pretoria-based players joined the national team at their pre-season training in Bloemfontein on Monday. Said Springbok captain John Smit: ”They really did us proud on Saturday and, with a bit of luck, could so easily have won the game.”
Jacques Kallis was voted the 2004 Sportsman of the Year for the Western Cape Sports Writers’ Association. Kallis was presented with the trophy by Nick Mallet at a function held at the Newlands cricket stadium on Monday evening. The woman’s award went to Natalie du Toit for her performance at the Paralympic Games held in Athens.
Beleaguered clothing manufacturer Rex Trueform said on Tuesday that a black economic empowerment (BEE) consortium has expressed a willingness to offer attractive terms to lease its Salt River factory, which faces closure. The company announced in March that the Salt River factory was no longer viable.
Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel has outlined a very favourable picture of South Africa’s economy for the year, pointing to the National Treasury’s expectations of rising gross domestic product growth, low inflation, a very low budget deficit and improving employment trends, as well as continuing strong capital inflows.
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Former Stander gang member Allan Heyl said on Monday that he symbolises the worst of what is happening in South Africa, and pleaded with the country to ”stop the violence”. Heyl, who was released from Krugersdorp prison last week, told a press conference in Johannesburg that he was a misfit in the past.
South African Rugby Union president Brian van Rooyen on Monday made overwhelming strides over his deputy, Andre Markgraaff, in the spiteful race for control of the sport in this country. Eleven of the 14 provincial union presidents — all those present at a hastily convened meeting — declared their support of the embattled rugby boss.
The impact of Aids in Southern Africa is considered so grave the United Nations is set to hold a special meeting in Johannesburg this week to examine ways to cope with the crisis. The meeting comes during a visit by UN special envoy James Morris, whose 11-day mission includes visits to Zambia, Malawi, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
South Africa’s Parliament has a strategic plan that includes the intention of turning the institution into "a beacon of good moral behaviour", according to its secretary, Zingile Dingani. On Monday, journalists asked why it is that parliamentarians are able to remain on as members after being convicted of Travelgate fraud charges.
Headman Nkonzo was clutching a hosepipe on level 32 of shaft four at East Driefontein gold mine on Monday when the earth began shaking violently. The 53-year-old mineworker said all he could think when the rocks began falling was that he was going to die. ”I was scared, it was all too much,” he said.