Opposition political parties on Wednesday expressed shocked at the reaction of local African National Congress (ANC) leaders on the ruling of the Pretoria High Court preventing the name Pretoria being replaced with Tshwane on road signs. On Tuesday the court granted an urgent interim interdict to the Freedom Front Plus and AfriForum.
Verification of the large ”diamond” claimed to have been found in the North West this week could take few weeks, a shareholder of the company laying claim to it was reported as saying on Wednesday. Brett Jolly told the Associated Press: ”It’s totally unbelievable. You just don’t expect this kind of thing to happen.”
Want to know when you can play the Lotto again? Don’t ask Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa — apparently you are not allowed to. A senior government communications official on Wednesday told reporters they could not ask any questions about the suspended National Lottery when Mpahlwa appeared at a briefing.
Piracy and lack of airtime for his records on radio and television are some of the reasons the ‘people’s poet’, Mzwakhe Mbuli, has decided to stop recording in South Africa. On Wednesday he announced his ”retirement” from the local industry, saying he was forced to look for other avenues for his talent.
Controversial Cape Town councillor Badih Chaaban offered the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Western Cape leader Theuns Botha R200 000 in cash and a woman in a floor-crossing bribe, Botha said on Wednesday. However, Chaaban has denied the claim, saying it was in fact Botha who proposed the payment.
Some of Johannesburg’s metro police ”don’t know how to do the job properly” and need the training they are getting from United States experts, says the city’s police chief. Some officers in the Johannesburg Metro Police Department were lazy and corrupt, Chief Superintendent Chris Ngcobo said on Wednesday.
South Africa star striker Benni McCarthy will end a 19-month international exile when he plays against Zambia in Cape Town next weekend. The Blackburn Rovers striker, second highest English Premiership scorer last year, was included on Wednesday in a 22-man squad for an African Nations Cup Group 11 qualifier on September 9 at Newlands Stadium.
Keeping the environment clean and green is everyone’s responsibility, but for the residents of Alexandra extension 7, north of Johannesburg, it comes with a reward: a government initiative is not only bringing trees and flowers to the dusty streets, but also offering monthly prizes for residents who try out their gardening skills.
A director of French arms company Thint always cooperated with investigators probing alleged corruption and fraud in South Africa’s multibillion-rand arms deal, the Supreme Court of Appeal heard on Wednesday. ”Mr [Pierre] Moynot has at all times offered the investigating team his kind and affable cooperation,” said Thint lawyer Peter Hodes.
The United States Africa Command (Africom) should stay out of the African continent, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said on Wednesday. Africom was not really a new development, as the US has always had some kind of focus on the African continent, he told a media briefing in Cape Town.
Embattled Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang was accused by Aids activists on Wednesday of fuelling the country’s HIV crisis by obstructing efforts to combat the disease. A raft of NGOs, including the leading Aids lobby, said the recent sacking of the deputy health minister had raised fears that a widely praised Aids programme was being undermined.
The South African Council of Churches (SACC) expressed its ”grave concern” on Wednesday at the tendency of politicians to shame and humiliate colleagues with whom they disagree. ”An increasing number of our political leaders and political parties appear to be going about their business by publicly disgracing one another,” it said.
The Johannesburg High Court granted an interdict to the Gauteng education department on Wednesday forbidding the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) from intimidating pupils, the department confirmed. Spokesperson Kate Bapela said that under the interdict the organisation may not threaten, disrupt or frustrate teaching or learning.
South Africa is at the forefront of research into so-called clean-coal technology, aimed at reducing the huge volumes of greenhouse gases emitted by its power stations, MPs heard on Wednesday. The country’s high-quality coal was mined out, leaving more environmentally harmful, lower-grade coal for use in the country’s power plants, MPs were told.
While core inflation moderated a tad in July, indicating a slight softening in broader-based inflation, headline numbers remain the key bugbears driving CPIX (consumer inflation less mortgage costs) to its highest level in close to four years and sealing the fate for another increase in interest rates in October.
A man was wounded and a woman and two good Samaritans robbed of their vehicles amid a high-speed chase on the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) North Coast, police said on Wednesday. Superintendent Vincent Mdunge said a woman was hijacked and robbed of her Nissan Almera in Mandini, near the Tugela River, on Tuesday night.
The inflation rate targeted by South Africa’s central bank quickened to 6,5% year-on-year in July, coming in above market expectations due to higher food prices. Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday that CPIX (consumer inflation less mortgage costs) accelerated from 6,4% in June, beating the consensus forecast of a 6,1% rate.
The JSE was off its earlier lows by midday on Wednesday as investors looked for value after the recent sharp sell-off. After starting weaker on the back of a sharp fall on Wall Street overnight, the JSE was looking a little better late morning. The Dow shed 2% on Tuesday and Tokyo shares ended down 1,7%, but London shares have turned around.
A group Johannesburg metro police and South African Police Service officers were receiving specialised training from the United States’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The course on detecting and preventing money laundering forms part of a continuing skills transfer from the US law enforcement authorities.
Durban Premier Soccer League club Amazulu have been fined R125 000 by the league’s disciplinary committee after arriving at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria for their recent game against Mamelodi Sundowns with socks that clashed with those of the home-based champions.
Former South African World Cup-winning flyhalf Joel Stransky is backing the three southern-hemisphere powers as well as hosts France to have the biggest impact at this year’s Rugby World Cup, which kicks off on September 7. ”If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on South Africa,” he said.
South African transportation and mobility group Imperial Holdings on Wednesday reported a 17% rise in headline earnings per share to 1 434 cents for the year ended June from 1 222 cents a year ago. Diluted headline earnings per share were up 16% to 1 330 cents from a previous 1 148 cents.
A Uitenhage school is losing the fight against teenage pregnancy, with 11 pupils pregnant and 15 already having given birth this year, the Herald Online reported on Wednesday. The baby boom has resulted in high absenteeism and failure rates at Nkululeko High School.
The Boland Cavaliers suffered a major setback on Tuesday when seasoned flanker Henley du Plessis was ruled out of Saturday’s Currie Cup match against Western Province at Newlands with a neck injury. Du Plessis is one of the stars of the team so far, and his absence will be sorely missed.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is in possession of information that could lead to a swoop on organised dog-fighting rings across the country. The Cape Times reported on Wednesday that the people being targeted in the SPCA’s crackdown are professionals.
A woman was extracted from her car with the Jaws of Life after an accident involving five cars, a truck and a fuel tanker on the N3 highway in Bedfordview on Tuesday afternoon. The road was closed in both directions after the accident, leading to major traffic disruptions in the area.
The Constitutional Court on Tuesday reserved judgement in an application by residents of derelict inner-city buildings in Johannesburg against a Supreme Court of Appeal order in favour of their eviction. Deputy Chief Justice Moseneke urged the residents and the Johannesburg municipality to reach a settlement.
The government needs to adopt a new approach to deal with Zimbabwean citizens flocking into South Africa, Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said on Tuesday. The South African Broadcasting Corporation reported her as saying one solution could be to provide them with temporary residence permits.
South African supermarket group Shoprite Holdings on Wednesday reported a 33,3% increase in diluted headline earnings per share from continuing operations to 194,3 cents for the year ended June from 145,8 cents a year ago. The group’s total dividend is envisaged to increase by 38,4% to 101 cents per share.
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The Supreme Court of Appeal reserved judgement on Tuesday in the dispute between Jacob Zuma and the National Prosecuting Authority over warrants used to seize documents from the former deputy president. Zuma’s lawyer, Kemp J Kemp, said the search warrants were ”overbroad”.
President Thabo Mbeki and Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille met in Cape Town on Tuesday to discuss a range of current issues. These included crime, skills shortages, floor-crossing and the dismissal of former deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge.
Cape Town mayor Helen Zille and Independent Democrats (ID) leader Patricia de Lille put up a united front on Tuesday against the floor-crossing onslaught of controversial city councillor Badhi Chaaban. Chaaban is facing a disciplinary inquiry over claims that he offered ID and Democratic Alliance councillors cash and positions to join his yet-to-be-formed party.