South Africa’s commitment to the rule of law faces a critical test in the coming months, former president FW de Klerk told the British South African Law Association.
Recent reports that President Thabo Mbeki had received a scathing letter from the Zimbabwe opposition leader could be part of a disinformation campaign, the Presidency said on Wednesday.
Unplanned power cuts at very short notice may be a possibility this winter, Eskom said on Wednesday.
Tensions that triggered a backlash against foreigners last month are likely to simmer for years as South Africa’s poor domestic skills base forces it to rely on migrant labour.
Bafana Bafana coach Joel Santana is set to ring the changes when he names his side to play Equatorial Guinea in a vital 2010 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Saturday.
Johannesburg’s Gold Reef City theme park on Wednesday relaunched its heart-stopping Tower of Terror after spending more than R10-million.
South Africa’s highest court on Wednesday recognised the right of a 66-year-old woman to become chief of her tribe, a position held only by men in the past.
India’s Reliance Communications and South Africa’s MTN have begun due diligence as they inch closer to creating a global top-10 telecoms firm, a source close to the development said.
The Judicial Services Commission (JSC) will meet on Friday to discuss the latest allegations against Cape Judge President John Hlophe, a JSC spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Although now is not the right time to meddle with the inflation-targeting framework, an assessment will be appropriate once the dust has settled, said an economist on Wednesday.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board on Tuesday condemned seven members of the broadcaster’s executive for signing a petition calling for it to resign. Board chairperson Khanyisile Mkhonza said they considered the petition mischievous and divisive.
President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday denied reports that the South African government had been warned of the prospect of xenophobic attacks by the National Intelligence Agency. ”There was no such intelligence reports — they certainly did not come to me,” he said.
The Pretoria High Court on Tuesday reserved judgement in an application by Judge Nkola John Motata to stop the state from playing five potentially incriminating video and audio recordings made at the scene of his car accident. Motata was charged with drunk driving and defeating the ends of justice after smashing his Jaguar.
Sunburned expedition leaders fresh from a journey down the Zambezi River to call attention to malaria said on Tuesday that countries must work together to eliminate the disease. The Roll Back Malaria expedition followed the river through six countries in Southern Africa, delivering insecticide-treated nets and medication.
Civil and human rights groups predicted more chaos after Zimbabwe’s presidential run-off takes place, saying on Tuesday they do not believe President Robert Mugabe will step down if he loses. However, it is ”critical” for the election to go ahead so a winner can emerge, said Gorden Moyo, from Bulawayo Agenda.
Wales coach Warren Gatland said that the physical conditioning of South African players could give the world champion Springboks an edge in the first Test in Bloemfontein on Saturday. ”That’s one of the biggest fears we’ve got — how physical and fit these South African players are from the Super 14,” said Gatland.
About 142 court cases linked to xenophobic violence have been opened countrywide, the National Prosecuting Authority said on Tuesday. Spokesperson Tlali Tlali said 102 of these were in Gauteng. Provincial police liaison officers approached said none of the 142 cases had reached the conviction stage yet.
The General Council of the Bar, representing most of the country’s advocates, on Tuesday added its voice to calls for Cape Judge President John Hlophe to step down. Chairperson Jannie Eksteen said if Hlophe did not voluntarily go on leave, the minister of justice or the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) ”must see how that can be facilitated as a matter of urgency”.
Two striking municipal workers were wounded when Ekurhuleni metro police fired shots in Boksburg and four others were shot in clashes with security guards in Kempton Park on Tuesday. Police Captain Mack Mngomezulu said about 300 workers had been picketing outside the Boksburg municipality when police opened fire.
Andrew Jordaan took seven-year-old Sheldean Human to isolated bushes 500m from his home in a ”premeditated manner” to sexually assault and murder her, the Pretoria High Court found on Tuesday. Acting Judge Chris Eksteen rejected Jordaan’s version of what happened on February 18 2007 when Sheldean disappeared, calling him ”a blatant liar”.
Australian businessman John Stratton is fighting South Africa’s plans to have him extradited in connection with the murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble. Currently living in Perth, Stratton is wanted by the Scorpions as an alleged co-conspirator in the brutal murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble in September 2005.
The procedures of appointing the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) board are to be reviewed, Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said on Tuesday. Speaking in the National Assembly she said there had been a national debate about the SABC as a result of views that emerged out of the assembly’s communications committee hearings.
Ernie Els says he needs to work on his mental game ahead of the United States Open which tees off on June 12 at Torrey Pines in California. After missing consecutive cuts in his last two outings, Els has opted not to play in this week’s Stanford St Jude Championship in Memphis to concentrate on his preparation.
South Africa’s targeted inflation is not expected back in the 3% to 6% band before the end of 2009, and there are significant upside risks to this forecast, South African Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni said on Tuesday. The Reserve Bank has raised its repo rate by 450 basis points to 11,5% since June 2006 to try to tame inflation.
Lawyers for Human Rights, the organisation opposing the relocation of foreigners displaced by Xenophobic violence to City Deep in Johannesburg, will return to court on Friday. The Johannesburg High Court granted an urgent interdict on Monday preventing the relocation of the foreigners to City Deep for security reasons.
Cape Judge President John Hlophe should step down from his post until the latest complaint against him has been resolved, according to the Cape Bar Council. ”It would be untenable for Judge Hlophe to continue in office pending the determination of the complaint by the Judicial Services Commission,” the council said on Tuesday.
New vehicle sales dropped 23,4% in May, the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa said on Tuesday. ”Domestic new car, light and medium commercial vehicle sales reflected severe weakness during May 2008,” the association said.
Former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown was still too ill to appear in court, his attorney told a Cape Town magistrate on Tuesday. The magistrate, Justhree Steyn, was expected to hear a bail application by Brown, recently re-arrested on fresh fraud and theft charges.
Stocks were slightly lower at noon on Tuesday with banks dominating the loser board on inflation worries, but miners capped losses on a weaker rand and firm metal prices, traders said. At 11.56am, the all-share index was down 0,23%, weighed by a 1,70% drop in banks.
A Limpopo couple has been convicted of hiding two suspected Boeremag members on their farm, Beeld reported on Tuesday.
The Correctional Services Ministry is investigating reports of drunken behaviour by its national commissioner, spokesperson Manelisi Wolela said on Tuesday. Commissioner Vernon Petersen reportedly misbehaved at a dinner attended by Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour and several of his African counterparts at Kievietskroon, outside Pretoria, on Thursday.
Immigrant leaders in South Africa said on Monday that thousands of refugees frustrated at miserable living conditions were on the point of retaliating against a wave of xenophobic attacks. Tens of thousands of immigrants have been forced to take refuge at temporary shelters around the country after mobs began attacking foreigners.