Two plane crashes were averted on New Year’s Day as pilots made emergency landings at Wonderboom Airport, Pretoria authorities said on Wednesday. In the first incident, at about 11am, the pilot of a light aircraft had to crash land when one of the plane’s wheels could not unfold.
The Tanzanian high commissioner to South Africa — who was beaten unconscious last week by robbers — remained sedated and breathing with the help of a ventilator in the Pretoria East Hospital’s intensive-care unit (ICU), doctors said on Wednesday.
More than 100 backyard dwellers from Delft and other areas of Cape Town will return to the Cape High Court on Thursday to contest their eviction from a government housing scheme. They occupied the N2 Gateway houses before Christmas and were granted a stay of eviction by the court.
Power capacity will be strained in 2008 but gas-turbine stations and the reopening of old stations will help to deal with the load, Eskom said on Wednesday. Sipho Neke from the Eskom media desk said the maintenance of Eskom’s generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure would continue until the end of summer.
The South African government has joined the international community in expressing concern at the high level of violence, death and destruction of property that has occurred since the outcome of the election in Kenya was announced, Ronnie Mamoepa of the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
Graham Briggs has been appointed CEO of Harmony Gold Mining with effect from January 1 2008, the company said on Wednesday. Harmony — the world’s fifth biggest gold producer — appointed a selection panel at the end of October 2007, made up of four non-executive board members, to oversee the selection process for the position of CEO.
The public were on Wednesday still being kept in the dark over the fate of South Africa’s police National Commissioner, Jackie Selebi. The National Prosecuting Authority said it had made a decision on whether or not Selebi ”had a case to answer”. However, the decision would not be made public until it was studied by the minister of justice and constitutional development.
South African stocks were sharply higher at noon on the first trading day of 2008, but volumes remained low as most traders are still on their festive-season break. By noon on the JSE, the all-share index was 1,05% higher. Resources added 1,24%, the platinum-mining index was up 1,88% but the gold-mining index was flat.
Grade 12 pupils from at least four schools in Mpumalanga are caught up in confusion as to whether or not they have passed their matric exams, the Sowetan reported on Wednesday. Instead of joining the throng of those who passed, Thokozani Hlatshwayo and several of his classmates were left ”confused and traumatised”.
The West Indies have put their celebrations behind them and are focusing on cricket. That was the message from West Indies captain Chris Gayle on Tuesday on the eve of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands on Wednesday. The West Indies go into the Test with a 1-0 lead after beating South Africa by 128 runs in the first Test.
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The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on Tuesday denied that the decision to prosecute African National Congress president Jacob Zuma had been forced upon it by Zuma’s opponents. ”The decision has been made by the NPA and the NPA alone,” said NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali in a statement.
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Fraud convict Schabir Shaik is alleged to have spent in excess of R800Â 000 on Jacob Zuma’s children — footing an education bill of close to R500Â 000. Not only is he alleged to have paid the education fees of the African National Congress president’s children, but he and his companies allegedly forked out more than R200Â 000.
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When the African National Congress (ANC) presents its traditional ”January 8” statement on its 96th birthday at a gathering in Pretoria next week, it will have to contend with the new charges its newly elected president faces — and reported threats against the authority of his predecessor, President Thabo Mbeki.
Strict security measures will remain in force as South Africans celebrate New Year’s Day on Tuesday, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported. Police and traffic officials were out in force on Monday night as people saw in 2008 with carnivals, concerts and private parties.
A man was arrested in Rosebank, Johannesburg, on Monday after spreading petrol in his room in a building inhabited by squatters and setting it alight. The fire in the abandoned building along Jellico Road in Rosebank was being extinguished by fire-fighters on Monday evening.
There is no need to panic, insisted Proteas cricket coach Mickey Arthur after South Africa’s humiliating 128-run defeat by the West Indies on Saturday afternoon. ”We’ve won four Test series in a row,” said Arthur after the team practice at Newlands on Monday. ”We intend to win this one too.”
Levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality remained the biggest problems in 2007, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said in its New Year message on Monday. ”The number, and quality, of new jobs being created are nowhere near enough to meet the Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa,” said Cosatu.
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/ 31 December 2007
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The state has identified a list of 218 witnesses it intends calling to testify in its case against African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma. Attached to the indictment, filed in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, the list of witnesses includes Independent Democrat party leader Patricia de Lille and former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein.
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/ 31 December 2007
Communities should heed African National Congress president Jacob Zuma’s call to use 2008 as the year to intensify the fight against crime, the South African Communist Party (SACP) said on Monday. ”All South Africans, especially the working class, should use the year 2008 as a launching pad to reclaim our streets,” the party said.
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/ 31 December 2007
The year ahead will present South Africa with new tasks and challenges arising from decisions adopted at the recent national conference of the African National Congress, President Thabo Mbeki said in his New Year’s message on Monday. South Africans should respond to the challenges ”bearing in mind the national goal our country has set itself”.
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/ 31 December 2007
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As tensions between the camps of former African National Congress (ANC) president Thabo Mbeki and his successor, Jacob Zuma, reach boiling point over the decision to charge Zuma, the newly elected ANC president has retreated to his Nkandla homestead ahead of the party’s January national executive committee meeting.
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/ 31 December 2007
The Tanzanian high commissioner to South Africa — who was beaten unconscious on Friday evening by robbers — is sedated and breathing with the help of a ventilator in Pretoria East Hospital’s intensive-care unit, doctors said. Dr Linda Ezekiel said Emmanuel Mwambulukutu was in a stable but critical condition.
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/ 31 December 2007
The registrar of medical schemes, Patrick Masobe, has threatened to take private hospitals to the Competition Commission if they fail to justify their price increases planned for next year, Business Day reported on Monday. Private hospitals traditionally raise tariffs on January 1 after negotiations with medical schemes, whose members constitute the bulk of their patients.
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/ 31 December 2007
South Africa called up experienced batsman Neil McKenzie for the second Test against the West Indies starting at Newlands on Wednesday after their shock 128-run defeat in the first match in Port Elizabeth. McKenzie (32) is expected to end a three-and-a-half year exile from Test cricket and open the batting in place of out-of-form Herschelle Gibbs.
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/ 31 December 2007
Rescue services were on Monday still searching for the missing Cessna 210 light aircraft, six days after it disappeared in the Baviaanskloof area of the Eastern Cape, authorities said. ”There is still no success but we are following up new leads and will continue searching again today [Monday],” said South African Search and Rescue Organisation head Charles Norval.
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/ 31 December 2007
Disguised as an Irish priest and taking advantage of the New Year festivities, Donald Woods launched a dramatic escape 30 years ago to expose one of South Africa’s most notorious apartheid crimes. As the country prepared to ring in the new year, the white liberal editor managed to evade house arrest and cross over into the tiny kingdom of Lesotho.
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/ 30 December 2007
When South Africa went into the first Test match against the West Indies at St George’s Park on Wednesday, they were ranked second in the world. ”We don’t take much notice of rankings, but we want to keep on winning Tests and challenge for the top spot when we tour Australia at the end of next year,” said Proteas captain Graeme Smith.
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/ 30 December 2007
An Eastern Cape woman who burnt her daughter with hot water after disappointing matric results has been arrested, Port Elizabeth police said on Sunday. Captain Verna Brink said the woman was in police custody and due to appear in the Gelvandale Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
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/ 30 December 2007
South African actor Antonio Summerton was killed in a motorcycle accident in Roodepoort on Saturday night, metro police said on Sunday. Chief Superintendent Wayne Minaar said Summerton, who played a role in popular Afrikaans soap opera 7de Laan, was killed in an accident in Constantia Road in Roodepoort.
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/ 30 December 2007
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South Africa’s prosecuting chief on Sunday denied claims that President Thabo Mbeki was behind the filing of a string of charges against Jacob Zuma, the new leader of the African National Congress. Mokeketedi Mpshe, acting National Prosecuting Authority head, told a newspaper that the decision to formally charge Zuma was made independently.
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/ 30 December 2007
Eighty people were arrested for drunken driving and other criminal offences at a roadblock in East London, Eastern Cape police said on Sunday. Superintendent Mtati Tana said the arrests were made in a joint operation between police and traffic officers as part of the festive season crackdown on serious crimes and drunken driving.
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/ 29 December 2007
The West Indies made history at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Saturday when they beat South Africa in the first Test by 128 runs with a day to spare. It was their first Test victory in South Africa, and their first away win against a team ranked above them since they beat England in 2000. They outplayed the home side in all departments.