The Scorpions had spoken to the attorney acting for former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown about a plea agreement, it emerged in the Cape High Court on Wednesday. The revelation came in an application by Brown and his wife, Susan, to have warrants for their arrest obtained by the Scorpions on April 3 declared invalid.
The government has denied deciding to set up refugee camps for foreigners displaced by xenophobic violence. Reports suggesting such a move were ”baseless and therefore not true”, it said on Wednesday. ”The government has noted with concern media reports that the Cabinet has taken a decision to establish refugee camps,” a statement said.
New Bafana Bafana coach Joel Santana passed his first test in charge of the national squad when he put his foot down and decided to withdraw troublesome striker Benni McCarthy from next month’s four 2010 African Nations Cup qualifying matches. Santana and his technical team met with the temperamental Blackburn Rovers striker on Wednesday afternoon.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the South African Police Service are hard at work repairing their relationship ahead of a planned merger with the Scorpions, NPA acting head Mokotedi Mpshe said on Wednesday. ”We’re focusing primarily on salvaging whatever relations there are,” Mpshe told reporters in Johannesburg.
Kumba’s chief executive officer Ras Myburgh will resign from his position to begin a secondment with Eskom for two years. ”He will be assuming the important responsibility of advising the utility on its long-term coal sourcing strategy, and its implementation for all of Eskom’s power stations, ” Kumba said in a statement.
Johannesburg businessman Hugh Glenister has instructed his legal team to apply to the Constitutional Court for an order to prevent the government from disbanding the Scorpions. This was after the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday struck his application from the roll, saying it did not have the jurisdiction to decide on the matter.
The Department of Home Affairs said on Wednesday it planned to establish shelters for foreigners who have fled xenophobic attacks over the last two weeks. The BBC reported on Wednesday that seven ”refugee camps” would be set up. By Monday night there were an estimated 17Â 000 displaced foreigners left in Johannesburg.
Murder accused Andrew Jordaan on Wednesday closed his case without calling any further witnesses to support his claims of innocence in the murder of seven-year-old Sheldean Human. This was after the defence counsel earlier indicated that Jordaan wanted to call a further witness, but closed his case without further explanation.
The Pretoria High Court on Wednesday turned down the so-called Waterkloof Four’s application for leave to appeal their convictions. The court earlier refused to overturn the conviction and sentence of the four, who were found guilty of murder and assault and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
South Africa’s targeted CPIX (consumer inflation less mortgage costs) rate quickened unexpectedly to a near five-and-a-half year high of 10,4% year-on-year in April from 10,1% in March, official data showed on Wednesday. Mike Schussler, economist at T-Sec, said: ”That seals the case for interest-rate hikes. Inflation continues to shock.”
South Africa’s swim stars are set to gather in Cape Town this weekend for the final national swimming camp in home waters before they take up the challenge in a series of international galas prior to competing at the Beijing Olympic Games in August.
Veteran Bafana Bafana midfield hard man Macbeth Sibaya has a simple plan for beating Nigeria when the two enemies meet in a crunch 2010 African Nations Cup group four qualifier in Abuja on Sunday. The Russia-based midfield destroyer says the formula for victory over the Super Eagles is to stick to new coach Joel Santana’s game plan.
Seven refugee camps are to be set up around the country for foreigners who have fled xenophobic attacks in South Africa, the BBC reported on Wednesday. The holding camps will take up to 70Â 000 people from increasingly unsanitary conditions at temporary shelters put up around state and municipal buildings and police stations.
South African stocks were sharply lower at noon on Wednesday, weighed by miners on falling metal prices and banks after worse-than-expected inflation data.
At noon, the all-share index tumbled 1,26%. Resources fell 2,14%, the gold and platinum mining indices gave up 2,42% and 2,78% respectively.
Johannesburg businessman Hugh Glenister’s bid to stop the government from disbanding the Scorpions has failed. The Pretoria High Court on Wednesday struck his application from the roll, saying it was not in its jurisdiction to rule on the matter.
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union warned on Wednesday that a strike by
about 8 000 workers on the East Rand was set to continue. This comes after Ekurhuleni mayor Duma Nkosi refused to accept a memorandum from protesters outside his office in Germiston on Tuesday, saying their strike action was illegal.
Africa’s future economic growth should happen through trade and not aid, said President Thabo Mbeki in Japan on Wednesday. ”Without discounting the importance of aid, improved terms of trade for Africa is critical to ensure its full integration into the global economy,” said Mbeki at the international conference on African development summit at Yokohama.
Jimmy Malish huddles under a blanket, looks at the darkening sky and prays that it doesn’t rain again on him and the hundreds of other African migrants camped in the courtyard of a Johannesburg police station. Although President Thabo Mbeki has condemned the violence, on the ground there are few signs the government has stepped in with significant aid for victims.
At least 24 people were killed and scores more injured in the Eastern Cape when a bus careened down a 200m embankment into a river near the town of Cedarville. Police spokesperson Superintendent Zandra Wiid said it was not known how many people were in the bus. Unconfirmed reports said there were as many as 80.
The seven students expelled from the Mafikeng Campus of the North-West University (NWU) have been granted permission to continue with studies and examinations. Spokesperson Lester Mpolokeng said the seven students either expelled or suspended from the university would remain provisionally suspended.
Foreign children have the same right as their South African counterparts to be protected, Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya said on Tuesday. He said it was sad that children were once again bearing the brunt of xenophobic violence, losing parents and loved ones, as well as their homes.
Sports and Recreation Minister Makhenkesi Stofile on Tuesday voiced his concern over the slow pace of transformation in South African rugby. Stofile said appeals to officials to use the recent success of the Springboks in France as a catalyst for transformation had fallen on deaf ears.
Several institutions, including the Development Bank of Southern Africa, and national carrier South African Airways, offered funding totalling more than R20-million to xenophobia victims on Tuesday. SAA chief executive Khaya Ngqula said the airline would donate about R750Â 000 to the Red Cross.
Former Fidentia boss J Arthur Brown is suffering from acute stress and deep depression, according to his psychiatrist. This emerged on Tuesday when Brown appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court in a bid to secure bail after his latest arrest. The application was postponed to Thursday.
Opening South Africa’s borders to facilitate the entrance and exit of Southern African Development Community residents would be disastrous, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said on Tuesday. ”This ‘come one, come all’ approach is likely to dramatically increase the number of people entering our borders and exacerbate existing tensions,” she said.
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota on Tuesday rejected claims that the South African Navy only had enough qualified crew to operate one of its new state-of-the-art submarines. ”I don’t know what the source of the information is that we can only operate one submarine … that is absolutely fallacious,” he told a media briefing at Parliament.
Murder accused Andrew Jordaan told the Pretoria High Court on Tuesday that he wept at the manhole near which the body of seven-year-old Sheldean Human was found because he ”felt sorry” for her. Jordaan again insisted he was innocent and knew nothing about the little blonde girl’s murder at Pretoria Gardens in February last year.
Labour and business agreed on Tuesday that Eskom’s proposed 53% tariff increase would have a severe impact on the economy. ”Pricing is not the only solution; effective leadership and strategic appropriation of management is important,” said Business Unity South Africa.
Japanese engineering and heavy machinery maker Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is reportedly considering a ¥10-billion (R746,5-million) investment in South Africa’s Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR). The investment would buy the Japanese company a stake of about 10% in PBMR.
At least 30 people are believed to have died when their bus left the road and went over a cliff into a river near Cedarville in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday. Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said paramedics had told him that the bus went off an 80m embankment and landed upside-down in the river.
An agency that sold tickets for a Celine Dion concert in March and a cancelled Josh Grobin concert in April was on Tuesday placed under final liquidation. An application for the liquidation of Ticket Connection was brought before Judge P Burton-Fourie by the agency itself, which said it was unable to pay debts.
South Africa’s economic growth rate slowed to 2,1% in the first quarter of 2008 on a seasonally adjusted and annualised basis, official data showed on Tuesday, citing a sharp drop in mining due to a power crisis. Statistics South Africa said Q1 GDP slowed from 5,3% in the fourth quarter of 2007.