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/ 19 November 2004
President Thabo Mbeki renewed his call on Friday for the worldwide disarmament of nuclear weapons, saying the current slanted situation should not be allowed to continue. For many decades, from the 1950s, the ANC has been an active opponent of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, Mbeki said.
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/ 18 November 2004
Paul Thabang Khumalo (26) was convicted in the Johannesburg High Court on Thursday of murdering Diepkloof police station commissioner Superintendent Elias Mashau during an escape bid on May 11 2002. He was also convicted on five other charges, including two of attempted murder.
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/ 18 November 2004
The policy of black economic empowerment (BEE) should be better communicated, especially to foreign countries, an economics conference was told on Thursday. Professor Willie Esterhuyse, of the University of Stellenbosch, was addressing delegates on the political outlook for South Africa.
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/ 18 November 2004
A meeting to determine the fate of seven Eastern Cape Development Corporation directors — who were irregularly dismissed by the provincial minister for economic affairs, environment and tourism, Andre de Wet, in September — turned pear-shaped on Wednesday after De Wet effectively ruled against a High Court judgement instructing him to act "without capriciousness".
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/ 18 November 2004
Three police officers stationed at the Johannesburg serious and violent crime unit could be a danger to the community if released on bail, the Johannesburg Regional Court heard on Thursday. The court also heard that threats were made against a member of the investigating team.
Cops apply for bail
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/ 18 November 2004
”There can never be an end to the pain,” said Julia Ntsoane, whose sister Mampo was one of the 43 people killed in a stampede at Ellis Park on April 11 2001. Ntsoane was one of a small group of people gathered on Thursday for the winding-up of the Ellis Park Disaster Relief Fund, which was established immediately after the tragedy.
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/ 18 November 2004
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is likely to maintain its current monetary policy framework of inflation targeting for at least the next 10 years, despite temptations to focus more on promoting economic growth, according to Bernie de Jager, senior consultant at the SARB’s research department.
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/ 17 November 2004
The rand dipped below the R6 to the dollar level after noon on Wednesday, spelling more trouble for exporters while giving consumers cause to smile, economists said. While the stronger currency could bring interest-rate cuts, lower petrol prices and a reduction in the price of consumer goods, exporters will find it difficult to stay competitive.
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/ 17 November 2004
They call themselves Nelson Mandela Panel Beaters and Nelson Mandela Fine Art, but other than perhaps a shared admiration for South Africa’s greatest icon, the businesses have nothing to do with him. At 86, the world’s most respected statesman is fighting to keep his good name out of the shopping malls, advertising billboards and the world wide web without his specific approval.
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/ 17 November 2004
Arrests are expected in a case in which police investigating a shooting and robbery at a Midrand home were themselves hijacked. Police investigating the robbery were themselves hijacked and their service pistols and unmarked car stolen when they called at the house on Monday.
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/ 17 November 2004
Three men who broke the Foreign Military Assistance Act were fined a total of R350 000 or jail time by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. Harry Carlse, Lourens Horn and Crause Steyl pleaded guilty under a plea bargain between the defence and the state to involvement in a coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea.
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/ 16 November 2004
Protesters marching against the Johannesburg City Council’s installation of pre-paid water meters on Tuesday refused to hand over their memorandum of grievances and demands to anyone other than the mayor, Amos Masondo. It was the sixth time in a row that Masondo had failed to turn up, said organiser Trevor Ngwane.
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/ 16 November 2004
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The Durban High Court’s dismissal of an application by television and radio stations to broadcast from the Schabir Shaik trial was a blow for freedom of expression, the National Press Club said on Tuesday. The trial is an event of national importance, it said, as it involves the spending of taxpayers’ money.
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/ 16 November 2004
Sheila Weinberg, anti-apartheid activist and member of the Gauteng legislature, has died at the age of 56, the legislature announced on Tuesday. In 1964, Weinberg became the youngest detainee in South Africa when, at the age of 17, she was held at the Johannesburg Fort under the 90-day detention law.
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/ 16 November 2004
The Public Investment Commissioners have acquired a 15,1% stake in Telkom, which it is to warehouse for the Elephant Consortium, a black economic empowerment firm, for up to six months. The consortium’s bid for Telkom shares has been criticised by opposition parties, the media and trade unions.
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/ 16 November 2004
A state witness told the Durban High Court that Schabir Shaik’s Nkobi Holdings regularly got calls from Wesbank about overdue vehicle payments owed by Deputy President Jacob Zuma. Celia Bester, who was an accountant with the group in 1998 and 1999, was testifying in Schabir Shaik’s fraud and corruption trial.
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/ 16 November 2004
Randburg Magistrate Deon Pool lashed out at nightclubs in the Rivonia area on Tuesday. As 29-year-old Ashley Ginder — accused of beating up a student at the Tiger Tiger club in Rivonia over the weekend — appeared in court, Pool said the frequency of cases involving Rivonia clubs is ”getting ridiculous”.
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/ 16 November 2004
A decade into democracy in South Africa, visitor figures for the country’s national parks still reflect a legacy of racial exclusion. Officials say up to 18 months ago, less than 4% of visitors were black. Although statistics for November show higher figures, perceptions remain of conservation as an elitist pastime confined to a white minority.
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/ 15 November 2004
The Free State High Court on Monday reserved judgement in an application by two senior officials to set aside a decision by Premier Beatrice Marshoff to redeploy them. Jerry Rakgoale, head of public works, roads and transport, and Makhosini Msibi, head of local government and housing, filed the urgent application.
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/ 15 November 2004
A clinical psychologist has described Pretoria’s high-security C-Max prison as ”inhumane, depressing, debilitating and destructive”. Dr Jurgens van Olselen on Monday testified in the Pretoria High Court trial of a convicted murderer who is claiming R500 000 in damages for allegedly being sent unlawfully to C-Max.
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/ 15 November 2004
Three police officers appeared in the Johannesburg Regional Court on Monday on charges of theft, defeating the ends of justice and assault — while a fourth was arrested on similar charges. The trio — a captain and two inspectors — were arrested on Friday after an investigation into the theft of stolen funds.
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/ 15 November 2004
Côte d’Ivoire rebel leader Guillame Soro will visit South Africa soon to discuss with President Thabo Mbeki solutions to the Ivorian civil war, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday. The United Nations Security Council is currently considering imposing financial and movement sanctions on Côte d’Ivoire.
Chirac vows to prevent ‘anarchy’
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/ 15 November 2004
Listed retailer Woolworths Holdings plans to repurchase R1-billion of its own shares using the proceeds from a securitisation of its in-store card book, the company revealed on Monday. The move could possibly be in preparation for a future black economic empowerment deal.
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/ 12 November 2004
A salvage team is removing all movable items, panelling and fittings from the wrecked ship BBC China, the ship’s joint response committee said on Friday. The team finished recovering all major pollutants from the wreck on Wednesday, and is now focused on stripping the accommodation section of the ship.
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/ 12 November 2004
The leaders and people of Israel and Palestine should honour the memories of Yasser Arafat and slain Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin by acting practically to achieve the ”peace of the brave”, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. He was paying tribute to the late Palestinian president in his weekly ANC Today newsletter.
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/ 12 November 2004
The African National Congress Youth League on Friday issued a statement in reaction to a Mail & Guardian report on Friday that listed ANCYL president Fikile Mbalula among African National Congress members with business interests. The league challenged the M&G to disclose Mbalula’s business interests.
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/ 12 November 2004
The Department of Home Affairs has again come under the spotlight with the arrest of an ”illegal agent” caught issuing legitimate documents, Pretoria police said on Friday. ”Top-level discussions will be held with the Department of Home Affairs to find what the problem is,” said police spokesperson Captain Piletji Sebola.
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/ 12 November 2004
Despite criticism he is beholden to the interests of big business, recently re-elected United States President George Bush appears to have driven a strong, principled and effective pro-Africa policy, says Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon. ”There are aspects of the Bush presidency that deserve a closer look,” Leon states in his weekly newsletter.
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/ 12 November 2004
The government is being misled into believing the minibus taxi recapitalisation programme will work before it is tested, the Top Six Taxi Management said on Friday. ”There is no doubt that the government is being misled into believing the project will be implemented without a pilot run,” said a Top Six spokesperson.
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/ 12 November 2004
Minister of Trade and Industry Mandisi Mpahlwa started the debate in the National Assembly on Friday morning on the National Small Business Amendment Bill, which he said is aimed at reducing duplication of institutions underpinning small-business development.