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/ 29 January 2008
Charges have been laid against the owners of an historical church in KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Ixopo area after it was demolished over the festive season, the province’s heritage body said on Tuesday. mafa/Heritage KwaZulu-Natal CEO Barry Marshall said the church dated back to the closing years of the 19th century.
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/ 29 January 2008
The world’s third-biggest gold producer said on Tuesday it had restarted production at one of its mines, although a power shortage that has curbed output from South Africa’s mining sector remained largely unresolved. AngloGold Ashanti said it had diverted its power-supply allocation to resume full production at one of its seven South African mines.
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/ 29 January 2008
The Independent Democrats (ID) said on Monday it would bring a motion of no confidence against President Thabo Mbeki and his Cabinet for failing to avert power cuts that have forced some industries to shut down. ID leader Patricia de Lille accused Mbeki of having ignored warnings about the crunch in electricity supplies.
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/ 29 January 2008
South Africa’s critical electricity crunch has raised doubts over whether infrastructure can keep pace with an economic boom while the country prepares to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup tournament. South Africa is gripped by traumatic power cuts that have brought the mining industry, mainstay of the economy, to a halt.
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/ 28 January 2008
President Thabo Mbeki has taken opposition leader Helen Zille into his confidence on the case of police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi and on other contentious issues, she said on Monday. She met Mbeki at the Union Buildings in Pretoria for talks that lasted for longer than two hours.
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/ 28 January 2008
The Public Protector, Lawrence Mushwana, has written to the Democratic Alliance to explain that he will not release a report on the merits of the case for reopening the Oilgate investigation because it is still the subject of a court case. Last week, DA spokesperson Motlatjo Thetjeng said it had been nine months since the DA first wrote to Mushwana about the issue.
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/ 28 January 2008
A protest held by the Biafra National Congress outside the Nigerian high commission in Pretoria on Monday called for the for ”immediate and unconditional” release of Ralph Uwazuruike, leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra. This was in addition to a call for recognition of the independent state of Biafra.
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/ 28 January 2008
Private hospitals have disputed claims that they make exorbitant profits. ”The private hospital sector … offers the lowest returns on invested capital in the healthcare chain system,” the Hospital Association of South Africa said on Monday. Chief executive Kurt Worrall-Clare said the profitability of a business could not be evaluated by looking at its income alone.
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/ 28 January 2008
Private hospitals are committed to making their facilities accessible and affordable to the public at large, the Hospital Association of South Africa (Hasa) said on Monday. ”The assumption that only medical-aid beneficiaries consult in the private sector is inaccurate,” said Kurt Worrall-Clare, Hasa CEO.
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/ 28 January 2008
South Africa’s mining industry could lose up to R9,2-billion in revenue and the country’s GDP could take a knock of up to R5,6-billion as a result of the power restrictions imposed on mines by Eskom last week. T-Sec economist Mike Schussler estimates that the mining industry is losing about R330-million in revenues a day.
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/ 28 January 2008
Eskom’s monopoly was the main cause of South Africa’s electricity problems and the solution lay in independent power producers (IPP), the DA said on Monday. While provision was made for IPPs to generate up to 30% of South Africa’s total electricity output, it had to be sold to Eskom and not to other users, party MP Hendrik Schmidt told journalists.
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/ 28 January 2008
Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille arrived for a meeting with President Thabo Mbeki at the Union Buildings just before 2pm on Monday. The electricity supply crisis, the indictment of African National Congress president Jacob Zuma and the prosecution of police National Commissioner Jackie Selebi were some of the agenda points for the talks.
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/ 28 January 2008
There is a mismatch in South Africa’s economy between the structural direction in which it is headed and its current skills profile, says Dr Azar Jammine, director and chief economist of Econometrix. While the economy is creating 194 000 jobs, according to formal-sector statistics, 368 000 students passed matric last year.
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/ 28 January 2008
The trial of three people accused of the murder of Avhatakali Netshisaulu, son of City Press editor Mathatha Tsedu, was postponed to July 28 at the Johannesburg High Court on Monday. Initially six people faced charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping and malicious damage to property.
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/ 28 January 2008
James Kamte raised his hands in praise after scoring a breakthrough victory with an explosive five-birdie back nine to overhaul his rivals and win the R1,8-million Dimension Data Pro-Am at the Gary Player Country Club on Sunday. In doing so, Kamte also became the first black South African to win on the tough summer swing of the Sunshine Tour.
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/ 28 January 2008
Director and chief economist of Econometrix Dr Azar Jammine said on Monday that he was becoming a little nervous about the implications of the political environment — particularly views that economic policy will not be changed — on the ability of South Africa to keep attracting capital flows.
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/ 28 January 2008
A pull back in global equity markets as well as local concerns about power-supply shortages continued to keep the JSE at weak levels by midday on Monday. By noon, the JSE’s broader all-share index was down 2,79%. Banks pulled back 3,89% and financials were off 2,55%. The platinum-mining index gave up 3,65% and the gold-mining index weakened 1,11%.
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/ 28 January 2008
South African mining companies hope to resume production later this week after being allowed to carry out underground maintenance work in mines across the country that have been crippled by a power crisis. Analysts estimated that hundreds of millions of rand had already been lost as the halt on mining entered its fourth day on Monday.
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/ 28 January 2008
After watching Bafana Bafana lose 3-1 to Tunisia in the Africa Cup of Nations group stage game on Sunday night, Mamelodi Sundowns coach Gordon Igesund says certain players are not being used in their best positions. ”I believe that a team has to be built around the strengths of its players,” he said.
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/ 28 January 2008
African National Congress (ANC) premiers and mayors who refuse to take instructions from the organisation will be removed from their position, ANC treasurer general Mathews Phosa said on Sunday. Phosa said there was no ANC leader who was above the organisation.
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/ 27 January 2008
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) said on Sunday that the death of Don Pasquallie (41), the union’s deputy general-secretary, was a ”profound loss” to the organisation. Pasquallie died in a car accident in Napier, near Bredasdorp in the Western Cape, at about 6am on Sunday morning.
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/ 27 January 2008
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) said on Sunday that the death of Don Pasquallie (41), the union’s deputy general-secretary, was a ”profound loss” to the organisation. Pasquallie died in a car accident in Napier, near Bredasdorp in the Western Cape, at about 6am on Sunday morning.
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/ 27 January 2008
Jacques Kallis scored a century to guide South Africa to a one-day series win over West Indies on Sunday. South Africa won by seven wickets with eight balls to spare to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. Kallis struck 121 not out in South Africa’s total of 256 for three after West Indies, who won the toss, made 252 for seven from 50 overs.
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/ 27 January 2008
A power shortage halted production in South Africa’s lucrative mining sector for a second day on Saturday, and mining company officials said they still did not know when they could resume operations. Power cuts described by President Thabo Mbeki’s government as a national emergency on Friday stopped production in the world’s biggest platinum and number one two gold producer.
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/ 27 January 2008
A guard in a surgical mask patrols a wire fence designed to keep dozens of patients with a lethal form of tuberculosis at Cape Town’s Brooklyn Chest hospital isolated from the rest of the world. Sufferers of extreme drug resistant tuberculosis, a near untreatable strain, battle boredom, depression and the side-effects of a daily palmful of pills.
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/ 26 January 2008
Residents of the impoverished Skielik community on Saturday buried three loved ones who were gunned down last week, allegedly by 18-year-old Johan Nel. Enoch Tshepo Motshelanoka (10), three-month-old Keditlhotse Elizabeth Moiphitlhi and her 31-year-old mother, Anna, were buried at the Swartruggens cemetery.
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/ 26 January 2008
Three people were injured after cash-in-transit security guards were robbed in a Manenberg mall, Western Cape police said on Saturday. Spokesperson Inspector Bernadine Steyn said on Friday morning that Coin security guards did a cash pick-up at a shop in the Nyanga Junction Mall in Manenberg.
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/ 26 January 2008
Fires in Scarborough which started on Friday evening were under control
on Saturday morning, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services said. Six shacks had burnt down in Oceanview and 70 people had been affected, however no injuries had been reported in the area.
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/ 26 January 2008
Racism was still a key issue in South Africa, political party representatives said as they addressed a gathering at Saturday’s funeral of the murdered Skielik victims. Congress of South African Trade Unions secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said alleged killer, Johan Nel (18) had ”no regard for human life”.
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/ 26 January 2008
Mourners streamed to marquees set up on a patch of land next to the highway past the informal settlement of Skielik on Saturday to bury three people killed there by a lone gunman last Monday. There was a heavy police presence at the marquees, where women stirred pots of food in readiness for the funerals.
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/ 26 January 2008
South Africa beat West Indies by 86 runs in the second one-day international on Friday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The home side totalled 255 for nine before bowling out West Indies for 169 in 48.2 overs. Captain Graeme Smith smashed 11 fours in his 86 while JP Duminy hit 68.
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/ 26 January 2008
The ”nightmare” of South Africa’s major gold, platinum and diamond mines shutting down because of power failures became a reality on Friday. ”Tens of millions of rands a day are being lost. It’s a nightmare,” said T-sec chief economist Mike Schussler. The JSE gold mining sub-sector closed almost 6% lower on Friday. The move contributed to the gold price rising.