President Thabo Mbeki must be relieved of his duties as mediator in the current impasse in Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said in Johannesburg on Thursday. ”We want to thank President Mbeki for all of his efforts, but President Mbeki needs to be relieved of his duties,” he told reporters.
Opposition to a shipment of arms being offloaded in Durban and transported to Zimbabwe increased on Thursday when South Africa’s largest transport workers’ union announced that its members would not unload the ship. A government spokesperson said the country could not stop the shipment from getting to its destination.
The Norwegian government will help South Africa and the City of Johannesburg ensure it has a ”green 2010 Soccer World Cup”. This was announced on Thursday by Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg at Soccer City in Johannesburg, the venue for both the opening ceremony and the final match of the 2010 tournament.
No HIV infections through blood transfusions have been recorded since 2005, the South African National Blood Service said on Thursday. Chief executive Loyiso Mpuntsha said the use of nucleic acid amplification technology has successfully reduced to five days the window period during which infections cannot be detected.
A police officer demanding R5 000 to make a copper-cable theft docket disappear was arrested at a Wimpy restaurant in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga, on Thursday, police said. The 35-year-old constable was assigned to the case last week after a 42-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stealing cables from his employer.
The KwaZulu-Natal health department has lodged a complaint against the Scorpions following search-and-seizure raids and alleged leaks to local media, a departmental spokesperson said on Thursday. Scorpions spokesperson Tlali Tlali said he was not immediately aware of the complaint.
Transport workers in pay negotiations with South African Airways (SAA) said on Wednesday their 4 000 members would not take the decision to strike lightly. ”We are not strike hungry here. We have made the sacrifice in terms of wage freezes,” said the secretary general of the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union.
Awards will be bestowed on a musician, a judge and a former chief of state of protocol, Billy Modise, during next week’s 11th national orders ceremony. Modise, United States musician and singer Harry Belafonte and Chief Justice Pius Langa are just some of those who will be recognised at the ceremony.
Free State Stars coach Kinnah Phiri is hoping that lightning will strike twice in the same place in one season when they host Santos in the quarterfinals of the Nedbank Cup at Goble Park on Sunday at 3pm. Stars are the only side to have beaten high-riding Santos in the Absa Premiership this year.
Thousands of members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) took to the streets of Johannesburg to protest against the rising prices of food, fuel and electricity. The march proceeded to the offices of Eskom and supermarket chain Pick n Pay, where memorandums of understanding were delivered.
The situation in Zimbabwe is dire and further talks are needed, government communications head Themba Maseko said in Cape Town on Thursday. He said it was ”not helpful” to discuss whether President Thabo Mbeki had said there was ”no crisis” in Zimbabwe, or whether he had been misquoted.
A 68-year-old blind man was killed when he fell six floors down an elevator shaft in Bloemfontein a day before an operation to repair his sight, the Volksblad newspaper reported on Thursday. Giel van Heerden was apparently on his way to drop his keys at the caretaker before going to the airport to fly to Cape Town for the operation.
Government departments have generally continued to underspend on their budgets since 2004, the Public Service Commission said on Thursday. Meanwhile, a national government team is to be deployed to help the embattled Eastern Cape housing department fulfil its mandate.
South Africa will not interfere with a shipment of weapons aboard a Chinese ship that is destined for Zimbabwe, government communications head Themba Maseko said on Thursday. All South African authorities can do is to make sure that ”all proper administrative processes” are followed.
KwaZulu-Natal residential property values are feeling the corrosive effects of rising interest rates and the nine-month-old National Credit Act, though certain areas are thriving, according to data released on Thursday. Figures for the first quarter of the year confirm a slowdown in actual sales and a marked decrease in house-price growth.
The Cabinet has approved the cancellation of a R926,8-million debt owed by Cuba to South Africa, government communications head Themba Maseko said on Thursday. The debt arose out of insurance cover provided to Cuba by the Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa.
The Cabinet is concerned about ”collusive behaviour” in the food industry, leading to higher prices, government communications head Themba Maseko said on Thursday. Meanwhile, thousands of people were expected to take part in a protest against high food prices in Johannesburg on Thursday afternoon.
Building activity in South Africa continues to be negatively affected by the rising level of interest rates, high input costs and the slowdown in consumer demand. This trend will probably continue, as further monetary policy tightening is very likely, given that consumer inflation is expected to remain elevated for the rest of this year.
Harmony Gold Mining will receive a foreign-capital injection equivalent to R1,9-billion once all the conditions precedent in the $420-million transaction with the Pamodzi Resources Fund have been fulfilled, Harmony CEO Graham Briggs said on Thursday. A new uranium player, Rand Uranium, will be established.
The JSE was trading just off its new record high by midday on Thursday as world markets and resources continued to add support. In the morning session, the bourse broke through Wednesday’s record and hit a fresh high of 32 127.051 points. By midday, the all-share index had gained 0,8% to 32,112,15 points.
The South African Human Rights Commission is conducting an internal investigation into an incorrect media statement that said it would not pursue a complaint of racism against columnist David Bullard. ”The official position of the commission has never been that we are not taking up the matter,” said CEO Tseliso Thipanyane.
BHP Billiton has suspended all underground operations at its Khuthala Colliery following the death of one of its workers earlier this week, the company said on Thursday. South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers said on Tuesday that a worker had died at the world’s biggest miner’s Khuthala Colliery, near Witbank, east of Johannesburg, after a fall of ground.
Two ATMs, one in Boksburg North and one in Brakpan, were bombed early on Thursday morning by gangs of about 20 people, Gauteng police said. Brakpan police spokesperson Captain Petros Mabuza said an ATM at the Dalview Shell garage was blown up after about 20 people held up garage staff at about 1.30am on Thursday.
The belated resurrection of Mamelodi Sundowns continued at Loftus Stadium on Wednesday night as the defending Absa Premiership champions sauntered to a comfortable 2-0 victory over never-say-die, relegation-threatened Thanda Royal Zulu. The opening goal in the 31st minute was the result of a dazzling solo effort by the unpredictable Lerato Chabangu.
Two well taken second-half goals by Tsepo Ramokala earned Platinum Stars a hard-fought 2-1 win over a lethargic Wits in a disappointing Absa Premiership showdown played at Milpark on Wednesday night. Wits led 1-0 at half-time. The win boosted Stars’ hopes of qualifying for the top eight at the end of the season.
South African President Thabo Mbeki’s refusal to take a tougher line on neighbouring Zimbabwe has further damaged his credibility and handed rival Jacob Zuma another opening to improve his image. Regional leaders last year mandated Mbeki to lead mediation between President Robert Mugabe and the opposition.
South Africa has made no progress in reducing its under-five child mortality rate, a report published on Wednesday showed. Countdown to 2015 MNCH: The 2008 Report was published by the partnership for maternal, new-born and child health (MNCH), an umbrella organisation comprising about 240 members.
A fourth-minute strike by Jimmy Kauleza seemed to have paved the way for a Free State Stars victory, but a 69th-minute piledriver by Nhlanhla Shabalala got a much-needed point for league championship contenders Ajax Cape Town in an entertaining Absa Premiership match at the Welkom Rugby Stadium on Wednesday.
Arms manufacturer Denel still needs R1,7-billion promised by the government to complete its turnaround, outgoing CEO Shaun Liebenberg said on Wednesday. ”When Denel reached technical insolvency in June 2005, the shareholder faced three options: to close Denel; to retain it on a subsidy basis; or to turn it into a commercially viable business,” Liebenberg said.
Thousands of people are expected to take part in a protest against high food prices in Johannesburg on Thursday, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Wednesday. ”We expect more than 5 000 people from trade unions, non-government bodies and community organisations to turn up,” the Cosatu Gauteng secretary said.
Documents relating to Robert McBride were among those stolen recently from the Johannesburg High Court, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Wednesday. But these papers were not directly linked to the drunken-driving case of the Ekurhuleni metro police chief, the NPA said in a statement.
The Erasmus commission’s sittings have been suspended pending the City of Cape Town’s application to the Cape High Court challenging the commission’s legality. This emerged after a day of behind-the-scenes negotiations on Wednesday between the legal representatives of the various parties involved.