The South African government was again left red-faced when its indifference regarding a Chinese arms shipment for Zimbabwe resulted in a public outcry and court action, here and abroad.
Taliep Petersen’s sister gave up on the 10111 emergency number on the night her brother was killed, driving to a police station instead to get help, the Cape High Court heard on Thursday. Ma’atoema Groenmeyer told the court she believed her abortive 10111 call was the first attempt that anyone made to summon police.
Authorities are boosting security at Table Mountain to fight crime, which has caused a drop in tourist numbers, a Cape Town city official said on Thursday. Councillor Simon Grindrod said the mountain’s Signal Hill area — popular with lovers seeking a secluded spot or tourists wanting unparalleled views across Table Bay — will have 24-hour security.
The South African Reserve Bank warned on Thursday that high household debt was a potential source of vulnerability and the growth in non-performing loans must be closely monitored. Elevated and volatile oil prices could also impact on economic and financial stability through higher inflation, interest rates and on an already large current-account deficit, it said.
The government’s decision to reopen teacher training colleges — announced this week by Education Minister Naledi Pandor — indicates that despite programmes to increase the number of teachers trained, there is still a shortage in key areas, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Thursday.
The provinces of Mpumalanga in South Africa and Maputo in Mozambique provinces signed a cooperation agreement on Thursday relating to economy, health and agriculture, the office of Premier Thabang Makwetla said. This forms part of continued efforts to strengthen bilateral relationships.
The Pretoria Regional Court on Thursday turned down a new application by the defence team of Ekurhuleni metro chief Robert McBride to force the state to hand over all statements made by three state witnesses, even those not relating to his drunken-driving case.
Platinum Stars face the biggest match of their short history when they host the African club of the century, Al Ahly, in an African Champions League showdown at Atteridgeville’s Super Stadium on Saturday. Facing the holders of the Champions League title — arguably the best and most successful club side in Africa — does not scare Stars.
The JSE was sharply weaker at noon on Thursday, led by banks after worse-than-expected factory-gate price inflation data pretty much sealed the case for another interest-rate hike in June, traders said. By 11.54am the JSE’s broader all-share index was down 0,96%, weighed by a 1,99% drop in banks.
An Absa ATM situated inside a Newcastle pub was blown up, police said on Thursday. Captain Shooz Magudulela said the incident took place in Newcastle’s industrial area late on Wednesday night. ”A security guard was found tied up this morning [Thursday] and he had been like that since 9pm last night,” he said.
South Africa’s producer price index (PPI) rose by 11,8% year-on-year in March from 11,2% in February, Statistics South Africa data on Thursday showed. Dawie Roodt, economist at Efficient Group, commented: "I am afraid all these price increases from producers will start filtering to consumers."
South African drugs and cosmetics retailer New Clicks said on Thursday first-half diluted headline earnings per share (EPS) rose 25,8% helped by health and beauty sales despite a tightening economy. The company said headline EPS, the main profit gauge in South Africa, which strips out non-trading, capital and certain extraordinary items, was 67,8 cents.
A mountain fire burning at Sir Lowry’s Pass, near Somerset West, had been brought under control by Thursday morning, said the Cape Town disaster risk-management centre. Spokesperson Charlotte Powell said the tract of veld caught fire at 9.50pm on Wednesday. It was not known what caused the blaze.
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) chief executive Dali Mpofu has conceded that the public broadcaster is under political pressure, but said it was resisting this pressure, Business Day reported on Thursday. ”The test is if you can withstand political pressure,” he said at a conference on media and electoral democracy held in Pretoria on Wednesday.
Ajax Cape Town’s brave 2-0 win over Orlando Pirates at the Athlone Stadium saw them reclaim their position at the top of the Absa Premiership standings. There was action from the outset as Ajax started the game at a cracking pace, with Nhlanhla Shabalala and Nathan Paulse bringing out saves from Bucs keeper Senzo Meyiwa within the opening six minutes.
A crisis in Zimbabwe? What crisis? This question was debated by three high-ranking Zimbabwean opposition politicians at the <i>Mail & Guardian</i>’s Critical Thinking Forum in Johannesburg on Wednesday evening. "We expect too much of South Africa," said one panellist. "There is a limit to what South Africa can do."
The drunken-driving charge against former African National Congress chief whip Tony Yengeni has not been dropped, a prosecutor at the Parow Regional Court in the Western Cape confirmed on Wednesday. The prosecutor said earlier reports indicating that charges against Yengeni had been dropped were incorrect.
South African athletes will not be given specific targets for Beijing, but will aim to better previous records and enjoy the challenging experience of the Olympic Games. The first batch of names of athletes and officials who will form part of Team SA were announced at Olympic House in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
The South African Football Association (Safa) has finally confirmed the appointment of Joel Santana as coach of Bafana Bafana, following the resignation of Carlos Alberto Parreira on Monday. The worst-kept secret in local soccer was confirmed in a press release from the body on Wednesday.
Three men have been arrested in connection with an Absa ATM bombing at Phagameng township in Modimolle on Wednesday, Limpopo police said. Spokesperson Superintendent Malesela Ledwaba said the men were caught after a massive search. ”We are still searching for two more men involved in the bombing.”
About 400 marchers under the banner of the Anti-Privatisation Forum handed over a memorandum to City Power and Eskom in Johannesburg on Wednesday in protest against a proposed 53% hike in electricity tariffs. The protesters called for the immediate resignation of Eskom managers, among other demands.
A Grahamstown High Court judge on Wednesday sentenced a 24-year-old man to two terms of life imprisonment for the rape of two young girls. The man was convicted last November of raping a three-year-old girl at his house on February 4 2004. Then, while on bail of R500, he raped a 13-year-old girl.
In the agony of remorse, one of the men arrested for Taliep Petersen’s murder painstakingly wrote out a 15-page confession detailing his role in the murder. But it was Taliep’s wife, Najwa, who actually pulled the trigger after giving her husband a last embrace, Waheed Hassen said.
South Africa’s skills problem remains massive, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said on Wednesday. ”The scale of the problem has become bigger in the interim. There’s a need for us to up our game,” she told a media briefing on the 2007 report of the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition.
The Education Department is considering reopening teacher training colleges, says Education Minister Naledi Pandor. In a written reply to a question in Parliament by Desiree van der Walt of the Democratic Alliance, Pandor said the department is investigating options for expanding the provision of teacher education.
A disabled man was jailed for 20 years by the Grahamstown High Court on Wednesday for raping his 13-year-old niece. The 55-year-old man — who cannot be named in order to protect the girl’s identity — appeared before Judge Jeremy Pickering after pleading guilty on Tuesday.
Gauteng has allocated more than R640-million for the upgrading and development of roads in terms of the ”Twenty Prioritised Townships Programme” since 2006. The provincial government said on Wednesday the programme seeks to ensure the tarring of all roads in historically disadvantaged areas
Fraud convict Schabir Shaik is still a patient at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal’s health department said on Wednesday. Spokesperson Sibonela Msomi said that media reports stating Shaik was back in prison were incorrect. ”He is still being treated at hospital and we don’t know when he will be discharged,” said Msomi.
Cellphone operator MTN Group said on Wednesday subscribers rose 11% to 68,2-million in the first quarter from the fourth quarter, lifted by its Iran operation. MTN Group, which anticipates adding 16-million subscribers by the end of 2008, said its Iran subscribers soared 50% to 9,02-million customers.
There has been a clear increase in the number of Zimbabweans trying to cross the border illegally into South Africa since the March 29 election, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said on Wednesday. The SANDF has three companies, which total more than 500 soldiers, patrolling the border in support of police border operations.
Trustees of the insolvent estate of slain mining magnate Brett Kebble want more than R25-million back from beneficiaries of Kebble’s largesse, Business Day reported on Wednesday. Alleged beneficiaries ranged from senior African National Congress members to a prominent business journalist.
Power cuts are hitting Transnet’s service, its chief executive, Maria Ramos, announced in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The power cuts are a problem, particularly as far as the company’s expansion projects are concerned, she said. ”We were affected and we are from time to time affected by the power issues — like everybody else.”