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/ 27 September 2007
The state would try to admit cellphone audio and video recordings in the drunk-driving trial of Pretoria High Court judge Nkola Motata being heard in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. The recordings were made by Richard James Baird, into whose wall Motata allegedly crashed in Hurlingham, Johannesburg, on January 6.
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/ 27 September 2007
African National Congress funder Sandi Majali — known for his role in the Oilgate scandal — is to sue the Sunday Times for defamation following its story implicating him in the disappearance of money meant for an Eastern Cape school feeding scheme.
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/ 27 September 2007
Suspect on the bigger stage in Africa, but continuing to reign supreme in South Africa, current Premier Soccer League (PSL) and Supa8 champions Mamelodi Sundowns sauntered to a 3-0 victory over Golden Arrows in the opening game of the lucrative Telkom Knockout Cup at Loftus on Wednesday night.
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/ 27 September 2007
President Thabo Mbeki has responded for the first time on his decision to suspend the National Director of Public Prosecutions, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported on Thursday. Mbeki was speaking to the broadcaster on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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/ 27 September 2007
South Africa’s Merafe Resources said on Thursday it had agreed to take a stake in a plant producing chrome pellets with partner Xstrata Plc and issued 40-million shares to help pay for it. Merafe, which already has a chrome joint venture with Xstrata, said it would have a 20,5% stake in the Bokamoso plant.
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/ 26 September 2007
The businessman who complained about an alleged cash donation to the South African Communist Party that went missing appeared in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. Charles Modise’s court appearance relates to charges of alleged fraud, forgery and defeating the ends of justice in relation to tenders awarded to him.
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/ 26 September 2007
An urgent court interdict ordering workers on the Gautrain rapid rail link back to work was granted on Wednesday, Bombela Civils Joint Venture said. Bombela has issued a number of ultimatums to workers to cease the unprotected strike action and return to work or face dismissal.
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/ 26 September 2007
The recently launched pension fund and funeral cover for domestic workers should not be confused with the benefits offered by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), the Department of Labour said on Wednesday. Spokesperson Kgomotso Sebetso stressed that the pension fund is a private initiative.
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/ 26 September 2007
Work on Cape Town’s 2010 soccer stadium in Green Point looks set to start again on Thursday, says project director Andrew Fanton. All work stopped at the site last Wednesday when about 1 200 workers employed by contractors Murray & Roberts and WBHO went on strike over a travel allowance.
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/ 26 September 2007
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has welcomed a statement made by Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin that Richards Bay could soon replace Durban as the country’s busiest multipurpose harbour, and potentially become one of the largest ports in the world if a planned expansion strategy is adopted.
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/ 26 September 2007
Alec Erwin, the Minister of Public Enterprises, on Wednesday defended the performance bonus of the chief executive of the state-owned arms manufacturer Denel. Manie van Dyk of the Democratic Alliance asked in a parliamentary question on what basis Shaun Liebenberg received a R3,25-million bonus as part of his total package.
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/ 26 September 2007
The controversial documentary <i>Unauthorised: Thabo Mbeki</i> will be screened on SABC3 next Wednesday, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) said. "We’ve got the tape, the final copy, and it will be shown on October 3 at 9.30pm," said spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago.
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/ 26 September 2007
South African petrochemical giant Sasol has opened an office in Shanghai to market its range of chemical solvents in China. Sasol Chemicals Shanghai will initially market products from the global Sasol Solvents business, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
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/ 26 September 2007
South African Under-19 stars Francois Hougaard and Stephan Dippenaar have signed a three-year contract with the Blue Bulls. Hougaard is a strong scrumhalf who attended Paul Roos Gymnasium and, according to his agent, ”a very aggressive number nine with an excellent pass and outstanding defensive capabilities”.
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/ 26 September 2007
The rising stars of international table tennis will converge on Cape Town’s Good Hope Centre from October 19 to 29 when the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Cadet Challenge and the ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals are hosted in South Africa for the first time.
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/ 26 September 2007
South African banking giant Absa is the title sponsor of the Premier Soccer League (PSL). This was announced on Wednesday at South African Breweries’ World of Beer offices in Newtown, Johannesburg. The five-year deal, worth R500-million, was concluded on Tuesday night.
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/ 26 September 2007
South Africa gained almost 200 000 jobs between March 2006 and 2007, Statistics South Africa reported on Wednesday. Its Labour Force Survey said the number of people employed rose from 12 451 000 to 12 648 000.
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/ 26 September 2007
At least 40 people who were given land or who were compensated under government’s land restitution programme might have made fraudulent land claims. The rightful claimants were forcibly removed from the area by apartheid authorities in the 1950s and 1960s and relocated to the KwaThema township.
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/ 26 September 2007
The Cape High Court has given residents of Cape Town’s Joe Slovo informal settlement, who are opposing eviction, a week to appoint lawyers to represent them. Over a thousand residents packed the street outside the court on Wednesday morning under the watchful eye of police officers.
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/ 26 September 2007
A man staggering and groping like a blind man and swearing like a sailor. That was the picture painted of Pretoria High Court Judge Nkola Motata by the state’s first witness at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. The judge is charged with driving under the influence of liquor or drugs, among other charges.
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/ 26 September 2007
Police believe that a Canadian couple, found burnt beyond recognition in KwaZulu-Natal’s northern Drakensberg mountains on Wednesday, died in a veld fire. Spokesperson Superintendent Piet Scott said the couple went for a walk on Thursday and never returned.
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/ 26 September 2007
Media personality Stan Katz was not found guilty on two charges of assault against his ex-wife Philippa Sklaar at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. Magistrate Stanley Mkhari found that there was a lack of evidence regarding the assault against Sklaar in 2001, after the state chose to close its case.
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/ 26 September 2007
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it hopes the inquiry into its suspended head, Vusi Pikoli, will be held ”expeditiously and fairly”. In a statement on Wednesday, it called on its staff to remain calm and to continue carrying out their duties in the wake of the suspension.
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/ 26 September 2007
A witness in the drunk-driving trial of Pretoria High Court Judge Nkola Motata asked not be named or photographed before giving testimony in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. Earlier, Motata pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of liquor or drugs, among other charges.
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/ 26 September 2007
The case against two men and a woman accused of abducting and murdering five women whose bodies were found in sugar-cane fields on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast was on Wednesday remanded to October 10. The initial appearance of the three was heard in camera, on request from the state.
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/ 26 September 2007
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has threatened to take court action if lawyer Christine Qunta is reappointed to the board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). TAC leader Zachie Achmat said Qunta’s involvement in a company selling untested medicines purporting to cure HIV/Aids disqualified her from occupying public office.
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/ 26 September 2007
South Africa’s targeted CPIX inflation rate slowed to 6,3% in the year to August from 6,5% in July, data showed on Wednesday, slightly above forecasts. Statistics South Africa also said that the all-items consumer price index (CPI) increased by an annual rate of 6,8%, compared to 7% in July.
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/ 26 September 2007
Only four land claims in Gauteng and 81 in North West remain to be resolved before the March 2008 deadline for settling all restitution claims in the country, regional land claims commissioner for Gauteng and North West, Tumi Seboka, said on Wednesday.
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/ 26 September 2007
General Motors South Africa is "relieved" that the two-week-old strike in the motor-component industry has ended. Several South African motor manufacturers were badly affected by the strike, which forced them to shut down production facilities due to a lack of parts. The strike ended on Tuesday evening.
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/ 26 September 2007
The JSE was steady at midday on Wednesday, unmoved by the release of local CPI and CPIX data which was in line with market expectations. By noon, the JSE’s all-share index had collected 0,52% as the gold-mining index advanced 1,22%. The platinum-mining index added 0,95% and financials climbed 0,68%.
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/ 26 September 2007
The Premier Soccer League’s chaotically-arranged first round of the Telkom Knockout competition will be launched on Wednesday night when Mamelodi Sundowns will attempt to repair their dented image against Golden Arrows at Loftus.
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/ 26 September 2007
Massive resource transfers to poor countries from rich countries are needed if the world wants to attain its Millennium Developmental Goals, South African President Thabo Mbeki told the 62nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York late on Tuesday.