Oregan Hoskins was re-elected on Friday to a further two-year term as president of the South African Rugby Union (Saru), narrowly beating his deputy, Mike Stofile, at Saru’s annual general meeting. Saru did not issue an official confirmation of the voting tally, but it is understood that the closeness of the vote saw auditors call for a recount.
South African rugby bosses have given new Springbok coach Peter de Villiers the final say on selection matters. The move required a change in the South African Rugby Union’s constitution, which specified that selections were decided by a majority of a three-man selection committee, including the national coach.
A Hillbrow police captain on Friday flatly denied that he had at any stage tortured or coached Andrew Jordaan to tell police where the body of seven-year-old Sheldean Human could be found. Captain Ignatius van Aardt testified in a trial within a trial in the Pretoria High Court to determine the admissibility of a confession and pointing-out by Jordaan.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) on Friday threatened to "take to the streets" in protest against South African power utility Eskom’s proposed electricity hikes. "We will announce in due course a rolling mass-action programme to stop this neo-liberal attack on the quality of life of South Africans," the SACP said in a statement.
Mining group BHP Billiton will phase out annual business with Standard Bank in the first corporate spat brought on by the power crisis. Business Day reported that the business may be worth R2,4-billion and the decision came after a bank executive suggested that one of the mining group’s aluminium smelters be shut down to save electricity.
First National Bank’s (FNB) ”million-a-month account” competition is an illegal lottery, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruled on Friday. The SCA dismissed the bank’s appeal against a Pretoria High Court declaratory order, according to which the bank’s competition was a lottery prohibited by the Lotteries Act.
Housing Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on Friday lambasted United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa for ”exploiting” the concerns of Joe Slovo residents. The residents are facing eviction to make way for the flagship N2 Gateway housing project. ”It is unfortunate that far from offering sound advice, he sought to exploit the people’s concerns,” she said.
A recovery in the platinum price triggered improvements in the platinum-mining and resources indices, which helped reverse the JSE’s morning losses and lift it into the black by midday on Friday. By 12.03pm, the JSE’s broader all-share index was up 0,35%. The platinum-mining index collected 1,57% and resources gained 1%.
The retail price of petrol will increase by between 66 cents and 68 cents a litre (c/l) on Wednesday April 2, the Department of Minerals and Energy announced on Friday. This follows an increase of 61c/l last month, and 17c/l the month before. The retail price of a litre of 95 octane unleaded petrol in Gauteng increases to R8,91 and to R8,67 at the coast — new highs.
Metro police chief Robert McBride has signed official documents but is not working, Ekurhuleni mayoral spokesperson Prince Hamnca said on Friday. ”Robert was never suspended but was put on special leave, that means that if we want to consult with him we can — because he is the chief of police,” Hamnca said.
A programme to trace people who default on their tuberculosis (TB) treatment was officially launched in the Northern Cape on Friday by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. All provinces have established TB tracer teams of nurses and community health workers who visit homes to find defaulters and return them to their treatment regime.
Proteas batsman Herschelle Gibbs has been released on R500 bail after he was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol in Sea Point, Cape Town, Western Cape police said on Friday. Superintendent Billy Jones said the 34-year-old cricketer was released at 8am on Friday after he was detained at 3.35am.
An Eskom appeal board has rejected an application for bulk electricity to a new mixed housing development on the West Rand, a media report said on Friday. It said the flagship public-private partnership near Kagiso in Mogale City was to provide 9 315 residential units.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Thursday added his voice to calls for a judicial inquiry into the multibillion-rand arms deal. In the text of his speech for the Dullah Omar memorial lecture at the University of the Western Cape, he said South Africans could not pretend corruption was no longer a serious problem.
AfriForum on Thursday slammed a guilty verdict against the principal of the Hoërskool Ermelo, who has been at the centre of a language row. AfriForum’s deputy chief executive officer Alana Bailey said the Mpumalanga education department’s verdict against principal Koos Kruger was a disgrace.
Final regulations for the banning of asbestos will come into effect on Friday, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said on Thursday. Van Schalkwyk said the regulations would prohibit the use, processing, manufacturing, and import and export of any asbestos.
It is ”distasteful” to tell students that toyi-toying does nothing to improve the country, the Young Communist League (YCL) said on Thursday. It rejected as unfortunate recent remarks to this effect by Education Minister Naledi Pandor. ”The YCL views these remarks as nonsensical and distasteful,” the league said in a statement.
The body of seven-year-old Sheldean Human was found as a direct result of a statement to top cop Director Piet Byleveld, the Pretoria High Court heard on Thursday. Byleveld questioned murder accused Andrew Jordaan (25) after being asked to help with the investigation into the girl’s disappearance.
Releasing the Khampepe commission’s report on the Scorpions at this juncture will ”cause prejudice” to South Africa’s national security, says President Thabo Mbeki. In a letter faxed to the Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday night, Mbeki’s office refused the DA’s request in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act for access to the report.
African businesses and consumers are increasingly adopting broadband for basic internet access and voice services, adding momentum to the move from dial-up to ADSL, a study by BMI-TechKnowledge has revealed. Access to international capacity remains an inhibiting factor to the development of broadband services on the continent, with the notable exception of North Africa.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) needs to urgently tackle land issues to foster regional stability and promote sustainable economic growth, Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana said on Thursday. ”For us to achieve the goal of land reform, we will require a major new effort to build capacity, both at national and regional levels,” she said.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Lawyers’ Association has effectively been barred from observing Saturday’s Zimbabwean elections. The association filed an application to the Zimbabwean embassy in Botswana at the beginning of March, but has not received any formal response.
Cape Town is holding fire on a decision on the renaming of streets and public places, mayor Helen Zille announced on Thursday. A list of proposed changes that would see apartheid-era names such as Hendrik Verwoerd Drive replaced by those of struggle heroes, was on the agenda for approval at Thursday’s council meeting.
Due to South Africa’s sustained economic growth the country was in good shape to deal with the electricity crisis, according to a ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) report released on Thursday. The Treasury had estimated that the power constraints would knock 0,6% off the country’s growth in 2008, a figure S&P said was ”plausible”.
The provincial government’s claims that the City of Cape Town was underspending on its budget were ”outright lies”, mayor Helen Zille said on Thursday. ”I am deeply concerned at this pattern of dishonesty coming from the provincial government,” she told a city council meeting.
The number of fatal crashes on South African roads over the Easter period has decreased in 2008 compared with last year, Transport Minister Jeff Radebe said on Thursday. ”We are encouraged that the number of fatal crashes over Easter decreased by 55 from 250 in 2007 to 195 in 2008,” Radebe told reporters in Pretoria.
The arrest of 12 people for the brutal killings of two foreigners in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, was welcomed by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on Thursday. Two foreign nationals were killed on Tuesday when a crowd of people assaulted them and set their shacks alight in the Brazzaville informal settlement.
Zambia has ended negotiations with Standard Bank, Africa’s largest bank by assets, to finance a $1,2-billion (R9,7-billion) oil-import deal after the two parties failed to reach agreement. Talks between the Zambian government and Stanbic Bank Zambia, a unit of Standard Bank, were initially expected to be concluded by mid-January.
Commodity counters and positive Dow futures kept the JSE firm by midday on Thursday, with platinum counters leading the gains, traders said. At noon, the JSE’s broader all-share index was up 1%. The platinum mining index advanced 2,89%, resources climbed 1,89% and the gold mining index was up 1,59%.
South African electricity utility Eskom has received more than 100 bids for future electricity cogeneration projects, the company said on Wednesday. The company hopes that cogeneration — which captures wasted heat, power or resources to generate electricity — could potentially add between 1 000MW and 3 500MW to its national grid.
Pretoria police investigating the murder of Pretoria dancer Estee van Rensburg asked the public on Thursday to help them find the silver Toyota Tazz that was stolen from her home. The 19-year-old ballet dancer was found dead in her home when her domestic worker reported for work on Wednesday morning.
A South African has been killed in unclear circumstances in Iraq, in a week of violent clashes which has claimed the lives of more than 100 people, the Foreign Affairs Department said Thursday. Spokesperson Manusha Pillai said the department had no details on the circumstances of the man’s death.