The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday accused Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang of keeping Aids statistics low after an official report was released by the Development Bank of South Africa. ”The minister of health must explain why official statistics are so low,” said DA spokesperson and MP Sandy Kalyan.
The existence of the Scorpions is ”as valid today as it was at conception”, says the Khampepe report released on Monday. ”Despite indications that crime levels are dropping, it is my considered view that organised crime still presents a threat that needs to be addressed through an effective comprehensive strategy,” states the report.
Municipal workers in Pretoria began an indefinite strike on Monday to press for better pay and working conditions, their leader said. Hundreds of members of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union marked the start of the stoppage with a march through the streets of the capital before handing in a petition demanding pay increases.
The case involving former Bafana Bafana player Doctor Khumalo — who faces charges of drunken, reckless and negligent driving — is still being investigated. Police spokesperson Govidsamy Mariemuthoo said Khumalo’s accident report and blood samples were still being analysed and investigated.
Motorists and petrol-pump attendants will have to use mental arithmetic to calculate how much they owe for fuel when the price goes up on Wednesday as some pumps are not able to handle more than three digits, the South African Petrol Retailers’ Association (Sapra) said on Monday.
Gold Fields’ South Deep mine remained closed on Monday ahead of a meeting between the company and the Gauteng mines safety inspector to determine whether conditions were safe enough for operations to continue. Nine people died at the company’s South Deep mine last Thursday.
South African stocks were sharply higher at noon on Monday, led by miners on stronger metal prices, while easing United States economic concerns added to the upbeat mood. Local cellphone firm MTN Group was in focus again on ongoing speculation that an Indian firm might launch a takeover bid for the company, traders said.
As Zimbabwe’s opposition mulls its options over whether to contest a run-off election against President Robert Mugabe, refugees in South Africa continue to suffer at the hands of the South African police. On April 25, policemen raided a block of flats in Pageview, west of the city-centre, which is home to 15 Zimbabwean refugees.
Former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Doctor Khumalo was admitted to hospital after he was involved in an accident on the N1 in Johannesburg on Sunday, Kaizer Chiefs confirmed. The accident, involving a black BMW — driven by Khumalo — and a minibus taxi, occurred on the N1 between Maraisburg and Soweto at about 5am,
Mamelodi Sundowns created a South African soccer record when they reached their fourth successive cup final on Sunday after beating AmaZulu 1-0 at Potchefstroom’s Olen Park in the semifinal of the Nedbank Cup. Downs were runners up in last season’s Absa Cup — the Nedbank Cup’s predecessor.
South African Broadcasting Corporation CEO Dali Mpofu on Sunday rejected the ”insinuations” that there was a Cabinet plot against him. This followed newspaper reports that he accused Thabo Mbeki’s Cabinet of plotting to oust him. Mpofu told Parliament he had received information that someone ”from high up” had given instructions that he be fired.
When was the last time you heard from Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa, Free State Premier Beatrice Marshoff, Northern Cape’s Dipuo Peters or even KwaZulu-Natal’s S’bu Ndebele? I reckon not lately. It may be true that some, such as Marshoff and Peters, have always had a low public profile anyway. But Shilowa and Ndebele?
The South African Local Government Association (Salga) came out against the proposed increase of 53% in electricity prices during a meeting in Kimberly. Chairperson Amos Masondo said: ”The proposed hike will have a debilitating effect on not only the planning processes of municipalities but also on the quality of life of our people, particularly the poor.”
Two people have died after a church group spent a night in freeezing weather at the top of the Mount-Aux-Sources peak in the Drakensberg near Witsieshoed in Qwaqwa, Free State police said on Saturday. Sergeant Mmako Mophiring said the group left for Mount-Aux-Sources on May 1 for a prayer session on the mountain.
African National Congress president Jacob Zuma on Sunday urged communities to take more responsibility for education, health, and fighting crime. ”This is not the time to rest. This is the time to intensify the fight for a truly united, non-racial, non-sexist, and democratic South Africa,” he said in a speech prepared for delivery in Khayelitsha.
It was going to take something special to win this tight Nedbank Cup semifinal between favourites Mamelodi Sundowns and AmaZulu at Potchefstroom’s Olen Park on Sunday. The piece of individual magic came from Downs Zimbabwean international midfielder whose stunning 66th minute goal earned the Brazilians their place in the final.
President Thabo Mbeki’s government has approved the disbanding of the elite Scorpions crime-fighting unit, bowing to pressure from supporters of rival Jacob Zuma who accused it of political abuse. Mbeki’s Cabinet adopted two Bills last week paving the way for the end of the Directorate of Special Operations.
South African athletes continued to dominate the 16th African Athletics Championships on another windy day in Addis Ababa on Saturday. Three more gold medals by Chris Harmse, Hennie Kotze and Sunette Viljoen, in the hammer throw, 110m hurdles and javelin respectively, brought the team’s golden haul to nine.
The establishment of a media tribunal in South Africa should not be viewed as interfering with press freedom, the African National Congress (ANC) on Saturday. Spokesperson Jessie Duarte said the ANC was only making a proposal and that it was open to public debate.
The Ginwala commission set up to inquire into the suspension of National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head Vusi Pikoli said on Saturday it was aware that Pikoli is allegedly being blackmailed by a hacker. Commission spokesperson Lawson Naidoo said the commission had been notified by Pikoli’s lawyers.
With what constituted a classic Roy Of the Rovers underdog success, lower division MP Black Aces qualified for the lucrative Nedbank Cup final at Atteridgeville’s Super Stadium on Saturday afternoon after gaining a 1-0 victory over Free State Stars.
The Stormers climbed to fourth in the Super 14 with a 20-10 victory over the ACT Brumbies on Saturday. The South Africans scored all their points in a 15-minute purple patch in the first half before holding on as the Brumbies hit back with two tries in the second period
Champions Bulls beat the second-placed New South Wales Waratahs 16-13 in a Super 14 match on Saturday. The result helped the struggling Bulls to move up a slot into 10th place, while the Waratahs retained their position in the standings. They lie 10 points behind the Canterbury Crusaders courtesy of a losing bonus point.
Mining operations at Gold Fields’ South Deep mine will resume on Monday, the company said on Saturday, two days after nine workers were killed in an accident. Gold Fields said no mining would take place at South Deep until after a meeting Monday morning between management, unions and a provincial mining inspector.
South Africans cannot wait for the government to rescue them from crime, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said on Saturday. ”It is up to us to take our communities back. This is going to take the commitment and drive of every person … who values the ideal of a crime-free South Africa,” she said.
The Otago Highlanders recovered from 14-11 behind at halftime to beat South Africa’s Cheetahs for only their second win this season. It was another close defeat in a frustrating season for captain Juan Smith and his Bloemfontein men who themselves have won just once this season and are second-bottom of the table.
A hacker has allegedly gained access to suspended National Prosecuting Authority head Vusi Pikoli’s computer and is attempting to blackmail him, his attorney said on Friday. ”An individual is claiming to have hacked Mr Pikoli’s system. The hacker is threatening to release Mr Pikoli’s documents to the press, if he is not paid,” said his attorney Aslam Moosajee.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) voiced concern at the African National Congress’s proposed media tribunal, on the eve on World Press Freedom Day. It believed self-regulation was the best mechanism to ensure a free and open press, Sanef said. It supported the existing institutions charged with self-regulation of the media.
South African double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius will learn in two weeks whether a ban on him competing at the Beijing Olympics will be overturned, his manager said on Friday. Pistorius (21), who runs with carbon-fibre blades attached to both legs below the knees, took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport this week.
President Thabo Mbeki was to brief a group of African religious leaders on the situation in Zimbabwe on Friday, his spokesperson said. The briefing would focus on his mediation efforts, but it ”may touch on current issues”, said Mukoni Ratshitanga.
Disk jockey Heinrich Van Rooyen was found guilty of double murder in the Circuit High Court in Knysna in the Southern Cape, South African Broadcasting Corporation radio news reported on Friday. The 25-year-old van Rooyen murdered 19-year-old Jessica Wheeler and 20-year-old Victoria Stadler three years ago.
Kwanele Sosibo laments that the South African Music Awards lack innovation.