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.
No date has yet been fixed for the Judicial Services Commission’s (JSC) meeting to consider new allegations against Cape Judge President John Hlophe, the JSC’s secretary said late on Monday. ”Right now they are still trying to find a date,” said commission secretary Vuyelwa Masangwana.
South Africa’s key CPIX (consumer inflation less mortgage costs) is unlikely to return to within the 3% to 6% target band before 2010, a senior South African Reserve Bank official said on Monday. The targeted gauge jumped unexpectedly to a near five-and-a-half-year high of 10,4% year-on-year in April.
The Johannesburg High Court has granted an urgent interdict preventing the relocation of foreigners displaced by xenophobic attacks who are being accommodated at the city’s Cleveland and Jeppe police stations, Lawyers for Human Rights said on Monday.
A Cape High Court judge on Monday dismissed an application to force Finance Minister Trevor Manuel to hand over arms-deal documents, activist Terry Crawford-Browne said. He said Judge Daniel Dlodlo ruled in essence ”that I had waited too long in asserting my rights to discovery of the documents”.
Springbok captain John Smit achieves a remarkable feat on Saturday against Wales in Bloemfontein. He will lead his side into a Test match for the 50th time, the first time a Bok captain has ever reached the half-century mark. Springbok coach Peter de Villiers confirmed Smit’s selection on Monday.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) group executive on Monday called on the board of the national broadcaster to step down immediately.
Two striking municipal workers were wounded when security guards fired shots in Kempton Park on Monday, Ekurhuleni metro police said. Inspector Veli Nhlapo said the two were wounded when the Red Ants (a private security firm) opened fire on the striking workers. ”One was shot in the stomach and the other one in the hand. A case of attempted murder has been opened,” he said.
The Competition Tribunal on Monday confirmed the consent order agreement between the Competition Commission and respondents Adcock Ingram Critical Care, Dismed Criticare, Thusanong Healthcare and Tiger Brands. Last month Adcock Ingram admitted liability for colluding on prices and agreed to pay an administrative penalty of R53,5-million.
The Cape High Court on Monday declared valid a warrant for the re-arrest of Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown on alleged embezzlement charges involving the Antheru Trust. It dismissed with costs Brown’s urgent application for his immediate release from custody. Brown was recently arrested after his wife, Susan, secretly left the country for Australia.
The Democratic Alliance’s Tony Leon on Monday accused President Thabo Mbeki, African National Congress president Jacob Zuma and Cape Judge President John Hlophe of ”constitutional vandalism”. Addressing the Mizrachi Organisation in Cape Town, the former DA leader called for a government inclusive of ”all talent” available.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has not given up on the parliamentary process dealing with the Expropriation Bill, party leader Helen Zille said on Monday. She said the fact that DA MP Sydney Opperman last week staged a walkout during public hearings on the measure does not mean that the party will no longer participate in further parliamentary processes.
The relocation process of displaced foreign nationals to temporary shelters around Johannesburg will continue, despite complaints by some residents, a government official said on Monday. ”This is a temporary measure that will not impact negatively on the areas where foreign nationals are staying,” spokesperson for the Gauteng government Thabo Masebe said.
There were a few tense moments on Monday when a crowd of several hundred refugees marched to Parliament to air their grievances over the recent xenophobic violence. After being addressed by, among others, Zackie Achmat of the Treatment Action Campaign, sections of the crowd surged towards a small line of police officers outside the main gates of Parliament.
South Africa’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) dropped to 49,1 in May on a seasonally adjusted basis from 54,1 in April, pressured by weak new sales orders and higher production costs. The index, a measure of underlying manufacturing activity, was below the key 50 level that signals expansion.
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.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation board failed in a court bid on Monday to appeal against the reinstatement of chief executive Dali Mpofu. The Johannesburg High Court dismissed an application for leave to appeal against an earlier ruling that the suspension of Mpofu was unlawful.
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.
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.
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.
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.