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.
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.
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.
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.
The NPA is appointing 18 dedicated advocates and prosecutors to focus exclusively on organised crime in the Western Cape.
South Africa’s demand for fresh water will exceed its supply by 2025, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned on Tuesday. Urgent and immediate action must be taken to stave off massive social, economic and environmental damage, the conservation organisation said in a statement, released at the launch of the WWF Sanlam Living Water Partnership in Cape Town.
Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi has rejected suggestions the government is seeking to create one public-service administration for all tiers of government. ”What the initiative seeks to do is to harmonise the conditions of service across government, so that government is able to work better,” she said on Tuesday.
Small businesses that have applied for tax amnesty must submit the required documents by Friday, the South African Revenue Service (Sars) said on Tuesday. ”After the deadline Sars will commence with enforcement actions against taxpayers who have either not applied for amnesty or submitted an incomplete application,” a Sars spokesperson said on Tuesday.
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The trial of Schabir Shaik had not yielded enough evidence to prosecute Jacob Zuma, the state contended in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein on Tuesday. ”A more comprehensive investigation was called for,” said Wim Trengove, counsel for the state. Hence it had been necessary for the Scorpions to raid four of Zuma’s homes and his attorney Michael Hulley’s office.
The South African Constitution allows for the freedom of expression and for ordinary citizens’ participation in government by raising concerns in the form of petitions and protest marches. However, protests are being "censored" by government authorities, says the Freedom of Expression Network.
The Johannesburg municipality’s evictions of people from derelict buildings should be declared in breach of the law, the Constitutional Court was told on Tuesday. The municipality should also be told to fix up its problems, submitted lawyer Geoff Budlender for the Centre for Housing Rights and Evictions, a Swiss-based NGO.
The Tshwane metro council has been forbidden to replace the name Pretoria with Tshwane on route and guidance signs pending the outcome of an application to stop the name change. Pretoria High Court Judge Bill Prinsloo on Tuesday granted an urgent interim interdict to the Freedom Front Plus and AfriForum.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) failed to pose critical questions when reporting on the South African Communist Party ‘s (SACP) R500 000 missing donation saga, MPs heard on Tuesday. SACP member Sizwe Shezi told the National Assembly’s communication committee that the public broadcaster’s current reporting style left much to be desired.
South Africa’s Health Department said on Tuesday it has recalled 20-million potentially defective condoms approved by an official accused of taking bribes from a manufacturer. Unsafe sex is especially risky in South Africa, which has one of the world’s highest HIV infection rates with an estimated 12% of its 47-million people infected with the virus.