The Eagles virtually made sure of a Supersport Series semifinal place as they nearly beat the Lions in three days at Sedgars Park on Saturday. With a day to go, the Lions — after being forced to follow-on — trail by six runs with three second innings wickets in hand. Starting day three at 104 for three, the Lions squandered the good start.
Mamelodi Sundowns proceeded to the quarterfinals of the Absa Cup competition after their 2-1 win in extra time over Jomo Cosmos at the HM Pitje Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday. Paul Masehe fired a powerful shot across Cosmos goalkeeper Avril Phadi, who got a hand to the ball but failed to stop it going inside the net.
Twenty-seven-year-old Western Province-Border captain Ashwell Prince saw an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands on Saturday, on the second day of the second Castle Lager/MTN Test between South Africa and Zimbabwe at Supersport Park on Saturday. Prince scored an undefeated maiden Test century.
The Cats slumped to a second straight Vodacom Super 12 defeat when the Waratahs from New South Wales put them to the sword to the tune of 40-19 at Ellis Park on Saturday evening. The loss means South Africa’s performance over the weekend had a familiar feel about it with all four teams losing.
Supersport United overwhelmed Tornado with skill and experience in their 8-0 drubbing and booked a place in the quarterfinals of the Absa Cup at Caledonian Stadium on Saturday. United were in control throughout the first stanza and led 4-0. The hosts opened the floodgates as early as the eighth minute through Lungisani Ndlela.
The housing subsidy for the poorest of the poor — including the indigent, disabled and the elderly — has been raised from R28 279 to R31 900, starting in April this year. Minister of Housing Lindiwe Sisulu made the announcement in Pretoria — beamed by satellite to Cape Town — on Monday morning.
This past weekend saw a new military operation underway in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reports from the central African country say about 800 United Nations troops have been deployed in the north-eastern Ituri region to disarm local militias held responsible for the death of nine peacekeepers last month. The militias have also attacked local Congolese, prompting 70Â 000 to flee their homes.
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The prosecution in the Schabir Shaik fraud and corruption trial has asked the state to change Shaik’s bail conditions after he launched a verbal attack on advocate Anton Steynberg before the start of proceedings in courtroom A on Friday. ”I’m not scared of you, I’ll sort you out after the trial,” Shaik shouted at the prosecutor.
A determined 85 by former captain Heath Streak saw Zimbabwe make 289 in their first innings on the first day of the second Castle Lager/MTN cricket Test against South Africa at Supersport Park on Friday. Injuries to three of his main bowlers meant problems for Graeme Smith, who had to make do with ”bits-and-pieces” bowlers like AB de Villiers.
The Department of Education and teacher unions reached an agreement on Friday to increase teachers’ salaries and bonuses by more than R500-million. They reached an agreement on the outstanding matter of salary progression for teachers for the period 1996 to 2002. The agreement provides for salary increases of up to 3% for some teachers.
About 200 members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) who picketed at the Beit Bridge post near Musina on the border with Zimbabwe dispersed peacefully on Friday afternoon. ”The situation at the border was very tense and there was a strong police presence, but it was a peaceful demonstration,” said Cosatu’s Limpopo provincial secretary.
President Thabo Mbeki’s 12-car cavalcade has evoked the ire of official opposition leader Tony Leon. The Democratic Alliance leader said in his weekly internet column, South Africa Today, that the ”classic sign of an over-centralised government is the tendency of its leaders to spend lavishly on their own comfort”.
The trade union Solidarity said on Friday that it is undertaking a full investigation into accidents at Harmony Gold’s mining operations in the Free State, which it said have claimed 13 lives over the past six months. The union had what it called "incisive" talks with the principal inspector of mines for the Free State in Welkom earlier on Friday.
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A French arms-company executive told the Durban High Court on Friday it is usual to have high-level political contacts when trying to sell arms abroad. The executive is the first representative of the company to testify in the Schabir Shaik fraud and corruption trial.
The African National Congress will review the progress the country has made ”in the pursuit of the goal of the emancipation of women” at its national general council meeting in June, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. An immediate issue is parity of representation of women in the upcoming local government elections.
Injuries to three of South Africa’s main bowlers caused headaches for South African skipper Graeme Smith after lunch on the first day of the second Castle Lager/MTN Test against Zimbabwe at Supersport Park on Friday, in a session that saw three wickets fall in three overs without any addition to the score. Zimbabwe went to tea on 189 for seven.
It was quite a week for Justin Nurse. The 27-year-old ”David” and his company, Laugh It Off, appeared in the Constitutional Court.
The first constitutional challenge to new health laws left dispensing doctors and the Department of Health each notching up a partial victory on Friday. The Constitutional Court said regulations that force doctors to get licences to dispense drugs are not unconstitutional, but sections that tried to limit the number of pharmacies in an area were declared ultra vires and invalid.
An agreement was reached between the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the Musina local municipality in the Pretoria High Court on Friday for Cosatu to increase the number of picketers on the Zimbabwe border to 500. The other limitations imposed by the municipality still stand, the court ruled.
Attorneys representing ousted Independent Democrats Western Cape leader Lennit Max have queried the independence of the Scorpions in the latest development surrounding his disciplinary hearing. ID leader Patricia de Lille has testified that she became aware from a source in the Scorpions that criminal charges were being investigated against her.
South Africans feel less likely to see corruption in government today than they were during the 1990s, says the Afrobarometer survey released on Thursday by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa). This response was noted ”despite recent controversies over the so-called Travelgate scandal”, said the survey report.
Although mining-related earthquakes are an ”industry exclusion”, one insurer has said it will pay claims from Wednesday’s Klerksdorp earthquake because of the ”emotional content” of the event. The ombudsman for short-term insurance, Helem van Zyjl, advised people to lodge their claims as soon as possible to see whether they are covered.
Crime cost South Africa’s 46 000-odd commercial farmers about R1,2-billion in the financial year ending February 2002 — more than a quarter of their total losses, Statistics South Africa revealed on Thursday. Stock theft accounted for about R484-million of farmers’ total R4,4-billion losses for the year.
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Deputy President Jacob Zuma’s legal adviser Julie Mahomed went into the witness box at the Schabir Shaik fraud and corruption trial in the Durban High Court on Thursday. She has testified about a loan agreement that she drew up between Zuma and Shaik in May 1999.
Listed plastic and packaging producer Transpaco has finalised negotiations to purchase printed cartons producer Britepak Trading for R18,5-million, payable out of Transpaco’s resources, the group announced on Thursday. The acquisition provides a vehicle for Transpaco to lessen its dependence on plastic-based materials.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has moved to bury the hatchet with President Thabo Mbeki after Tutu’s criticism of the government last year, South African Broadcasting Corporation radio news reported on Thursday. Tutu said the row was part of pain of South Africa’s new democracy, the station said.
Heated exchanges marked the South African Human Rights Commission’s announcement on Thursday that boom gates are constitutional. The commission found that the Constitution lets local authorities apply legislation that allows the closures, but it is concerned that there is no adequate monitoring of the closures.
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The second witness for the defence in the Schabir Shaik fraud and corruption trial, Zandile Mdhladhla, told the Durban High Court on Thursday that the Jacob Zuma Education Trust Fund did not qualify for funding from the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. However, ”we received money from Mr Mandela as a person”, said Mdhladhla.
One injured gold miner, his skull fractured in Wednesday’s earthquake at Stilfontein, has been transferred to the intensive-care unit at West Vaal hospital in nearby Orkney. David Griffiths, chief medical officer at Duffscott, a mine facility at Stilfontein, told reporters on Thursday that the other 21 patients had only minor injuries.
SA Rugby has the full backing of the government for its 2011 Rugby World Cup bid, Francois Pienaar, bid committee chief executive, said on Wednesday. A sports ministry spokesperson recently said the government will withdraw its backing should SA Rugby fail to transform. However, Pienaar said the government’s backing is not in doubt.
Namibian-listed brewer Namibian Breweries, one of the country’s largest private-sector employers, has reported a fall in its headline earnings per share for the six months to the end of December 2004 to 18,4 cents, from 19,4 cents in the year-earlier period. The group declared an interim dividend of 5,5 cents per share.
South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers on Wednesday in a statement accused the South African mining industry and the government of not paying enough attention to safety. The statement followed Wednesday’s earthquake at DRDGold’s Hartebeestfontein gold mine in the North West province.