The city of Cape Town says it is to strengthen oversight of its metro police, following reports of indiscipline and alleged brutality. A task team, chaired by city manager Achmat Ebrahim, would be set up to perform this oversight, the city said in a statement on Thursday.
South African helicopter pilot Brent Smyth was acquitted of immigration transgressions in a Harare court on Thursday and was flying back to South Africa, his fiancée, Drieksie Janse van Rensburg, said. Van Rensburg said she received an SMS from Smyth saying: ”I’m a free man, spread the word, I’m coming home.”
Hundreds of delegates arrived at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein on Thursday for the national conference of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL). Although the programme for the day had not started by 11am, delegates already inside and outside the Callie Human Centre were dancing and singing songs, waiting for proceedings to start.
Free State Agriculture had to take the government to court to ensure the safety of farmers and farm workers because the government had failed them, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) said on Thursday. ”Safety is a constitutional right. A Constitution not being applied is not worth the paper it is written on,” said the ACDP.
The death toll in a bus accident near the Lebombo border post has risen to 17, with 24 injuries reported, Komatipoort police said on Thursday. Constable Richard Khumalo said seventeen bodies had been pulled from the wreckage and emergency services were still searching for more. Of the 24 people taken to hospital, 14 have been discharged.
The case against five men — aged between 18 and 20 — accused of gang-raping a 21-year-old Durban woman was postponed in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) on Thursday. The men allegedly raped the woman in a sugar-cane plantation in Hillcrest on March 2 while they took turns at holding her father at gunpoint nearby.
The JSE remained firm by midday on Thursday, but with very light volumes being traded as investors remained edgy ahead of the rates announcement next week, a dealer said. By midday, the JSE’s broader all-share index had gained 0,53%. Resources were up 1,08%, the platinum-mining index lifted 1% and the gold-mining index added 0,92%.
The Minerals and Energy Department has terminated a R5-billion contract with a consortium led by United States power producer AES to build two open-cycle turbine gas stations, Business Day reported on Thursday. The contract was announced with much fanfare by Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica last August.
Wage talks between Telkom and the South African Communications Union (Sacu) have deadlocked, the union said on Wednesday. This was after the company proposed a 7,7% average increase to all operational employees on Friday during wage talks, Sacu said in a statement.
The <i>Mail & Guardian Online</i>’s <i>Thought Leader</i> </a>, where some of South Africa’s finest minds stir up debate every day, on Wednesday evening scooped South African web log of the year at the 2008 SA Blog Awards, beating formidable competition.
Northern Tigers swim star Kerri-Leigh Shaw has been provisionally suspended from competition effective from Tuesday April 1 following a positive drugs test during the Fina Swimming World Cup in Belo Horizonte in Brazil on November 25 last year.
The Department of Transport has put aside R55-billion as part of the government’s plan to improve traffic flow on Gauteng highways, it said on Wednesday. Department spokesperson Collen Msibi said the Highway Improvement Scheme would take effect in phases to expand the carrying capacity of existing roads.
A new Zimbabwean government should be able to stabilise the ruined economy quickly, but would face a much bigger task in returning it to sustained prosperity, analysts say. With President Robert Mugabe in the worst trouble of his 28-year rule, attention is turning to how quickly the economy could be restored.
Test cricketer Herschelle Gibbs was on Wednesday found guilty of breaching Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) code of conduct and was severely reprimanded for his behaviour. Gibbs, opening batsman for the Nashua Cape Cobras, was found to have contravened clause 1.4 regulating players’ on-field conduct, the CSA said in a statement.
The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has adopted a ”wait-and-see” approach towards the taxi-recapitalisation programme pending the outcome of ongoing talks with the government. ”Once that is done we will be going back to management to decide on how to move forward,” said Santaco on Wednesday.
Authorities at Lanseria Airport said on Wednesday that their air traffic control (ATC) room was not aware of an emergency that led to a crash in which a pilot, Trevor Emmanuel, died. An airport official who asked not to be named said that ATC was expecting the flight on Tuesday but asked the pilot to wait before landing as the runway was busy.
Six additional Gauteng highways will become toll roads. The cost to motorists for using the roll roads would be about 50c per kilometre.
Consumers should carry the costs of fuel hikes and coal-price fluctuations rather than Eskom, the power utility said on Wednesday. Eskom CEO Jacob Maroga was arguing for regular electricity-price adjustments similar to those in the fuel sector. Eskom had suggested to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa a system, used worldwide, of ”pass-through costs”.
South Africa said on Wednesday it plans to use its presidency of the United Nations Security Council in April to enhance security cooperation between the world body and the African Union on the continent. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said that South Africa would call a summit this month at the UN to discuss conflict resolution in Africa.
The deadline for public comments on Eskom’s proposed massive tariff hike is April 29, and there will be a public hearing a month later, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa said on Wednesday. Eskom, which was granted a 14,2% increase at the end of last year, is now seeking a 53% hike.
South Africa needs to address the issue of xenophobia, President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday in the National House of Traditional Leaders in Pretoria. ”Much has been mentioned by yourself concerning foreigners in our areas. I’m very glad that this matter will be addressed naturally together with the relevant government departments.”
A 76-year-old man is fighting for his life in a Durban hospital after being stung more than 1 000 times by bees on Wednesday, paramedics said. Netcare 911 spokesperson Chris Botha said the man had left his house in KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Drummond area to go for a walk when he was attacked by the bees.
African National Congress (ANC) secretary general Gwede Mantashe has agreed to meet the Democratic Alliance (DA) to discuss the future of the Scorpions, DA leader Helen Zille said on Wednesday. ”Unfortunately, Mr Mantashe’s letter indicates that [ANC president] Jacob Zuma will not be attending the meeting, as I originally requested,” she said in a statement.
The building industry should not be excluded from discussions with the government and Eskom regarding the current electricity crisis, Master Builders South Africa (MBSA) said on Wednesday. MBSA met Eskom in Midrand on Wednesday and it was decided that a forum would be established to open the communication channels.
The rights of about 300 Free State farmers along the Lesotho border to a ”functional society” will be tested in court, Free State Agriculture said on Wednesday. Free State Agriculture’s president, Louw Steytler, said the organisation had given its lawyers the go-ahead to draw up legal papers to take nine government departments to court.
South Africa’s power crisis may last many years unless there is a drop in demand for electricity, utility Eskom said on Wednesday. A reduction in consumption should not damage the economy, it added. Eskom is rationing power to households and reduced supply to big industrial customers from January after the energy grid came close to collapse.
Should South African pilot Brent Smyth be convicted of immigration transgressions in Zimbabwe, he may have to pay a fine of only R53, his employer, Wessel van den Bergh, said on Wednesday. Briefing the media, ATS Helicopters CEO Van den Bergh said according to Smyth a fine of Z 000 — roughly R53 — was ”the worst-case scenario”.
A 44-year-old pilot who died in a light aircraft crash in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve on Tuesday had requested to make an emergency landing at Lanseria Airport, Gauteng police said on Wednesday. Captain Jacob Raboroko said that the pilot, Trevor Emmanuel, was flying from Durban to an unknown destination when his aircraft ran low on fuel.
Shortages of steel and massive price hikes mean that there will be a delay in moving thousands of Delft evictees to temporary homes, Cape Town mayoral committee member for housing Dan Plato said on Wednesday. He said the ”three- or four-week” time frame that the city originally set for the move had already lapsed, and that it could now take months.
Aggregate industry new vehicle sales totalled 47 778 units for March, the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa said on Wednesday. This was a decline of 10 103 units, or 17,5%, compared with the 57 881 vehicles sold during the corresponding month last year.
Police were searching for three men — one of whom raped a 35-year-old woman in front of her six-year-old child in their house in Leeufontein in the Roodeplaat area. Captain Jan Sepato said the woman and her husband were asleep on Monday night in their house in the Pebble Rock complex in Leeufontein when the gang struck.
About 74% of privately owned businesses in South Africa are more focused on attracting and retaining staff than a year ago, Grant Thornton’s International Business Report released on Wednesday showed. ”This places South Africa high out of the 34 countries participating in the survey and considerably higher than the global average of +59%,” the company said.