Threats of retaliation against South Africans in other countries for the recent spate of xenophobic attacks have been overplayed, the Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Aziz Pahad, said on Monday. Speaking ahead of the state visit by Nigeria’s President Umaru Yar’Adua, he said the attacks on foreigners would be on the agenda.
Nominal and real house-price growth slowed further in the first quarter of 2008, according to the latest Absa housing review. The slowdown in growth was largely as a result of the tightening of monetary policy, stricter requirements for credit extension, and less affordable housing.
Multinational media company Naspers announced on Monday that, following approaches for the sale of its internet service provider business MWeb, it is initiating an auction process. MWeb is one of the largest residential internet service providers in South Africa and also owns the largest VSAT corporate internet base in sub-Saharan Africa.
Telecommunications heavyweight Telkom remained the talk of the town during the morning session on Monday as news of a potential buyout and negotiations with the UK’s Vodafone set pulses racing. However, the market as a whole was mixed as resources generally gained some ground, but banks felt the heat from a struggling
sector in the United Kingdom.
Telkom has had an offer from a Vodafone unit for its half of mobile operator Vodacom, while Mvelaphanda may lead a bid for the whole group minus the Vodacom stake, Telkom said on Monday. Shares in Telkom jumped over 15% to R158, the highest level in six months and valuing the company at R82,28-billion.
The bodies of seven people, six of whom were farm workers, were recovered from a river near Fouriesburg. Their vehicle had earlier been found in the river by a passer=by. Police spokesperson Sergeant Mmako Mophiringsaid it was not known what had happened but the road they travelled had dangerous curves.
Mbulaeni Mulaudzi started his international campaign on a high note at the IAAF Golden league meeting in Berlin on Sunday when he clocked a fast time of 1:44,68 in the 800m. Mulaudzi was narrowly beaten by Kenya’s Abraham Chepkirwok who won the race in 1:44,53 but his performance will give his confidence a major boost for the rest of his European campaign.
Former politician turned businessman Tokyo Sexwale’s company has launched a R90-billion conditional bid for fixed-line operator Telkom, a newspaper reported on Sunday. Sexwale, an ally of ruling African National Congress president Jacob Zuma, turned down a nomination to be part of the ruling party’s top six officials but remains a supporter.
Cape Town Judge President John Hlophe must step down, political parties said on Sunday. Hlophe is accused of attempting to influence the Constitutional Court’s decision over search-and-seizure raids carried out by the Scorpions on properties of Jacob Zuma and French arms manufacturing giant Thint.
South African authorities on Sunday began transferring busloads of immigrants who have been sheltering in police stations from a wave of xenophobic attacks to organised tent camps, officials said. A total of 10 camps are due to be built in the next few weeks to house up to 10Â 000 foreign nationals who have been forced out of their homes.
The Zimbabwean opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has told President Thabo Mbeki that he is no longer fit to serve as the region’s mediator in Zimbabwe’s political crisis owing to a ”lack of neutrality”, and that ”there will be no country left” if Mbeki continues to side with President Robert Mugabe.
New Bafana Bafana coach Joel Santana now knows how hard he will have to work to earn his massive R1,5-million monthly salary and build a competitive team for the 2010 World Cup finals after his first game in charge ended in disappointing 2-0 defeat by Nigeria in the opening 2010 African Nations Cup Group Four qualifier on Sunday.
President Thabo Mbeki has failed to provide leadership and should be recalled from the presidency to make way for early elections, the South African Communist Party (SACP) said on Sunday. The SACP blamed Mbeki for a recent wave of violence against foreigners in which 62 people have been killed.
African superstar Samuel Eto’o overcame an assault claim to score as Cameroon opened their challenge for a record sixth World Cup appearance with a 2-0 win over Cape Verde Islands on Saturday. Barcelona striker Eto’o converted a penalty 10 minutes into the second half in Yaoundé to complete a comfortable triumph set up by an early goal from veteran defender Rigobert Song.
South Africa’s highest-rated boxer, Silence Mabuza, silenced raging Argentinean tornado Damien Marchiano to retain his IBO world bantamweight title with a rousing fifth-round TKO win on Saturday night. Although relatively slightly built, even for the bantamweight division, Marchiano performed more like a raging bull from the Pampas at the opening bell.
Authorities began setting up tents at displacement sites in Johannesburg on Saturday to shelter some of the thousands of foreigners who fled a recent wave of xenophobic attacks. The death toll from the attacks across South Africa has risen to 62, with 670 injured, said national police spokesperson Sally de Beer.
Kevin Davie recalls the warm hospitality of the people of Lesotho and the variable weather conditions in which they live. The village of Ha Sepechela is pretty remote, comprising about 30 chimneyless huts. Here residents leave the top half of their stable-type doors open to allow smoke to escape.
The chairperson of the Pretoria branch of the Red Cross has resigned in "disgust" at the branch’s failure to respond to the humanitarian crisis sparked by attacks on foreigners. Gillian Elson, who quit last Friday, has claimed ineptitude is rife at the Red Cross and has made claims of corruption and theft.
A South African Broadcasting Corporation promotional helicopter transporting cast and crew members from the local soapie 7de Laan crashed into a bakkie in Kroonstad on Saturday, Free State police said. Spokesperson Superintendent Sam Makhele said the helicopter was transporting cast and crew to a stadium for a show.
The African National Congress (ANC) said on Saturday that its president, Jacob Zuma, had nothing to do with a judge accused of trying to influence members of the Constitutional Court in cases involving him. Media reported on Friday that the court said Cape Judge President John Hlophe had approached several members of its bench to influence them.
Anti-immigrant violence in South Africa has killed 62 people and wounded 670 this month, police said on Saturday, raising an earlier toll of 56 dead after several victims died in hospital. ”In total, at 6am on Thursday morning, we had 62 dead people and 670 injured,” national police spokesperson Sally de Beer said after the violence that started two weeks ago subsided.
Articulate, incisive boxer Silence Mabuza is rated fifth best in his division in the world by the authoritative Ring magazine. And, taking this assessment at face value, the versatile bantamweight champion should have little trouble in accounting for little-known Argentinean journeyman Damien Marchiano on Saturday night.
Six Nations champions Wales will be looking to match everything the Springboks throw at them in the next fortnight when the teams meet in a two-Test series. But coach Warren Gatland said he was expecting no miracles from his injury-depleted squad that arrived in South Africa on Friday morning.
Primrose, a middle-class suburb in the east of Johannesburg, was one of the areas hardest hit by the xenophobic attacks that began three weeks ago. The neighbourhood’s Primula Street — usually quiet and calm — was packed with thousands of refugees seeking shelter from the violence. Some of them slept on the streets.
Stalwarts of South Africa’s struggle for freedom from apartheid are angered and saddened at the xenophobic violence sweeping the country. ”We did not struggle to find ourselves in this present situation,” Rivonia trialist Andrew Mlangeni said at the opening of the Liliesleaf Farm museum on Friday.
Poor hygiene may have caused the diarrhoea outbreaks that killed nine babies in the Ndlambe municipal area in the Eastern Cape over the past three months, government departments said on Friday. The Water Affairs Department said although there had been poor water quality, this was neither ”excessive” nor ”severe enough” to cause diarrhoea outbreaks.
Their pictures tell this story far better than I could ever write it. The man in flames keels over from the waist, calling for help as a figure with a flaming torch stands over him. A man lies in a pool of blood. The speech bubble coming out of his mouth says: ”Please give my legs back.” A woman, with tears streaming down her face cries: ”My son, my son.”
"I don’t have a big problem with kwerekweres. I broke [into] their homes and stole their stuff because they have so much more than me. But they’re okay, some of them are friendly. They can come back — we wouldn’t do it again and the police took back the fridge and TV I took".
Cape Judge President John Hlophe has been accused of attempting to influence the Constitutional Court’s decision over search-and-seizure raids carried out by the Scorpions on properties of African National Congress president Jacob Zuma and French arms manufacturing giant Thint.
In the past three weeks, a small society has emerged in the garden of Johannesburg’s Jeppe police station where about 1Â 400 refugees are living. And, as in a normal society, crime has also blossomed. A team of ”peace marshals” has been appointed to try to bring law and order to the camp community.
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) and other youth bodies on Friday launched a campaign against xenophobia following the recent attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa. Briefing the media in Johannesburg, ANCYL president Julius Malema extended his apology and assured foreigners they were welcome in the country.
A planned lodge development at the settlement of Molapo in Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve has become a source of controversy. Tourists who frequent the 40-room lodge’s luxury accommodation will enjoy the sights of the Kalahari. The outlook for indigenous Bushmen from the reserve is less positive, however.