A memorandum of understanding outlining cooperation around black economic empowerment and unity among the business community was signed between Eskom and the National Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industries (Nafcoc) in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
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Prisoners sentenced without the option of a fine will also be allowed to vote in the general election in April, the Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday. The court heard last month that an amendment to the Electoral Act promulgated in 2003 violated two constitutional rights of prisoners: the right to vote and the right to equality.
Special Report: Elections 2004
Sanlam, South Africa’s second-largest financial services group, is expected to report basically unchanged pro-forma headline earnings per share based on a long-term rate of return when the company announces its results for the year to the end of December 2003 on Thursday.
The plight of white South Africans feeling the pressure of affirmative action was taken up on Tuesday by a seemingly unlikely benefactor in the form of the Inkatha Freedom Party. IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi signed an accord with labour union Solidarity on non-discriminatory affirmative action.
About 11 000 members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) will stage a sympathy demonstration against a Germiston electrical manufacturing plant next week, the union said on Tuesday. The protest will be carried out against the planned retrenchment of 100 workers from Alstom.
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/41909/10-X-Logo.gif" align=left>A thunderstorm interrupted President Thabo Mbeki’s canvassing for votes in Botshabelo, east of Bloemfontein, on Tuesday afternoon. Mbeki visited Botshabelo, a Bloemfontein suburb with about one million people, in order to canvass for votes for the African National Congress in the upcoming general election.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3_fl2.asp?o=40922">Special Report: Elections 2004</a>
The South African Revenue Service (Sars) has lowered the "official rate of interest" used to determine fringe benefits taxes to 9% from 9,5%, effective from March 1. In a statement on Tuesday, Sars said the move follows the 50 basis point decrease in the repurchase (repo) rate by the South African Reserve Bank in December 2003.
<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/41909/10-X-Logo.gif" align=left>The Western Cape leader of the Freedom Front Plus, Dr Corne Mulder, faces a criminal investigation after he was allegedly seen removing Democratic Alliance posters at the weekend. However, Mulder, who is also the brother of FF+ leader Pieter Mulder, on Tuesday angrily denied a DA claim that he broke the law.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3_fl2.asp?o=40922">Special Report: Elections 2004</a>
A project to establish an initiation village for urban Xhosa was launched by the Western Cape provincial government on the Cape Flats on Tuesday. The initiative, the first in the country, seeks to provide space for what is essentially a rural custom in a city setting.
South African and Zimbabwean church leaders agreed at a meeting on Monday to create a task team to promote talks between Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. The agreement, however, is in principle, said Russel Botman, the president of the South African Council of Churches.
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People are growing weary of violence and do not wish to die for someone else seeking a seat in Parliament, Independent Electoral Commission chairperson Brigalia Bam said on Monday. She added that in the past three weeks there had been 18 political rallies and only three incidents of violence, all in KwaZulu-Natal.
Special Report: Elections 2004
Charges against the man accused of murdering Johannesburg socialite Hazel Crane and her estranged husband Shai Avissar were withdrawn on Monday after the investigation officer died of a heart attack. The accused, Lior Saat, an alleged member of the Israeli mafia, was arrested in April 2001 and has been in custody ever since.
South Africa would "have no problem" with granting asylum to ousted Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, but no formal request has been received, the government said on Monday. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said a final decision, based on a formal request, would be made by the Cabinet.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?ao=31998">Martyr in search of asylum</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?ao=31962">SA ‘unaware’ of Aristide asylum</a>
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/pd.asp?ao=31953">US goes in as Aristide flees Haiti</a>
The City of Cape Town has concluded a major black economic empowerment (BEE) transaction for the sale of the Epping Fresh Produce Market, the largest by a South African municipality to date. The transaction also includes an important and historic agreement with the South African Municipal Workers Union’s Cape Metro branch.
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/ 27 February 2004
A delegation from Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change is in South Africa to draw attention to the plight of Zimbabwe. They are, yet again, calling for pressure to be brought on the government of President Robert Mugabe, which has presided over a political and economic crisis in the country.
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/ 27 February 2004
South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel tore into opposition parties on Friday — particularly the official opposition Democratic Alliance — for promoting populist economics that would not be sustainable in the country. Manuel argued that two million jobs have been created in the past 10 years and that is where the debate should begin.
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/ 27 February 2004
Ekurhuleni metro police chief Robert McBride said on Friday the objections to his appointment last year were unfair. McBride, a former political activist and former death-row inmate, was appointed to the position by the Ekurhuleni metropolitian council despite objections by the Democratic Alliance.
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/ 27 February 2004
The Scorpions conducted raids at 11 residents and business premises of employees of South African Airways (SAA) Technical in a bid to root out alleged corruption at the unit on Friday, the airline said. Some of the raids were conducted at the purchasing department of SAA Technical at the request of SAA, the airliner said.
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/ 27 February 2004
The South African government donated a total of R45-million to the Office of the Facilitator of the inter-Congolese dialogue, Sir Ketumile Masire, says South African President Thabo Mbeki. The presidency said that the Office of the Facilitator received money "from many donors in the international community".
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/ 26 February 2004
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Deputy President Jacob Zuma on Thursday declined to be drawn on whether Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi would play a role in the post-April-election national Cabinet. Buthelezi has recently hinted that his term of office as minister may be coming to an end.
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/ 26 February 2004
The South African government would like to see Zimbabwe enjoy the same press freedom that existed in this country, Deputy President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday. He was addressing the Cape Town Press Club. ”We believe in press freedom,” Zuma said in a reply to a questioner.
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/ 26 February 2004
Homeless Talk, most often seen on the dashboards of the well-heeled from Johannesburg’s northern suburbs, is now going online. News provider I-Net Bridge said this week that it will be bringing the popular community newspaper to its subscribers at a cost of R500 a month.
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/ 26 February 2004
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has prepared a series of protest actions to support baggage handlers who have been on strike over a wage dispute for the past two months, Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said on Thursday.
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/ 26 February 2004
A pause for rest during a traverse in the Hex River Mountains led to the serendipitous discovery of a new species of Disa flower, a nursery manager at the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens said on Thursday. The new flower is related to the red Disa, which is unique to the Western Cape.
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/ 26 February 2004
The Democratic Alliance has again hit out at the African National Congress’s apparent ”inability” to provide answers on allegations that the ruling party may have benefited from a private oil deal with the government of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
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/ 26 February 2004
Year-on-year producer price inflation for all commodities for South African consumption (PPI) came in higher at -1,4% last month compared with -1.8% in December 2003, Statistics SA reported on Thursday. This could be explained by increases in the annual rates of change of several production price indices.
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/ 26 February 2004
The Anglican church on Thursday sought to smooth the ruffled feathers of its Catholic brethren in the wake of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s criticism of the Catholic stand on condoms. Tutu earlier this week spoke out against Catholic disapproval of condoms as a way of preventing the spread of Aids.
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/ 26 February 2004
The PSG Group announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a partnership with a new black empowerment company, Arch Equity, which will acquire for cash 10-million shares in the PSG Group as its first transaction. Desmond Lockey is the controlling shareholder of Arch Equity and will serve as CEO of the new company.
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/ 26 February 2004
With the rand continuing to maintain its strength against major international currencies, local prices of bottled wines should fall in line with decreasing input costs, and those wine producers who opt to hike the prices of their brands are liable to lose market share to other wines, an industry expert warned on Thursday.
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/ 25 February 2004
A new low-cost local airline known as 1time was launched on Wednesday, with an inaugural flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Aimed at the low-income market, the airline is to have three flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town daily, one each in the morning, afternoon and evening.
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/ 25 February 2004
The African Christian Democratic Party has demanded an urgent inquiry following the discovery of ”bugging equipment” in its City of Cape Town caucus room on Wednesday. The bugging equipment was linked to high-frequency transmitter/receiver devices and video cabling, the party said in a statement.