One of President Thabo Mbeki’s VIP protection unit bodyguards will appear in court on Thursday after allegedly shooting a man dead at a shebeen in June. Timothy Sabata (35), a police sergeant, is to appear in the Blue Downs Magistrate’s Court in Cape Town on charges of murder and attempted murder.
The John Vorster Avenue offramp from the N1 south highway in Centurion will be closed to traffic for the greater part of Wednesday after a toxic spill, Tshwane metro police said. Spokesperson Louise Britz said the highway remained closed after about 10Â 000 litres of sulphuric acid spilled on to the offramp when a truck overturned on Tuesday afternoon.
Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira has told the United Kingdom media that he expects an exciting clash when South Africa takes on Scotland in the Tennent’s International Challenge match at Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen on Wednesday. ”I think this will be a game of contrasting styles, which I think will make the whole affair exciting,” said Parreira.
Neither food nor food supplements are alternatives to drug therapy in treating people with HIV/Aids, South Africa’s top scientific advisory panel said on Tuesday, amid a controversy over the nation’s Aids policies. The report by the Academy of Science of South Africa was issued as President Thabo Mbeki faced new criticism over support for his health minister.
Seeing buses full of tourists looking for a glimpse of South African poverty, squatter camp resident Lawrence Rolomana decided to try to earn a share of the cash they were spending. Bored and jobless, the 22-year-old approached the tour guides and asked: ”Can you please share your guests with us?”
Publishing allegations of alcohol and power abuses by Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang formed part of a national debate, the Sunday Times contended on Tuesday. ”There is a debate in South Africa … as to whether or not the first applicant is a fit occupant of the high office she holds,” the paper says in an affidavit.
The African National Congress (ANC) parliamentary caucus has expressed concern over the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) stance in the saga between the Sunday Times and Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
Murder accused Florence Lukhele will remain behind bars until her case is finalised, the South African Broadcasting Corporation reported on Tuesday. The Evander Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga refused Lukhele bail for allegedly masterminding the murder of Govan Mbeki deputy mayor Thandi Mtsweni.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel on Tuesday defended South Africa’s quiet diplomacy toward Zimbabwe, saying that foreign intervention to bring about a regime change risked unleashing turmoil like in Iraq. He told lawmakers that South Africa — the top regional powerbroker — was not in a position to dictate political and economic policy to Zimbabwe.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday proposed a motion of no confidence in Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and called for her dismissal. It said the existence of a conviction against her was never disclosed to the South African public, despite the position of trust she was placed in as minister of health.
A parliamentary committee, in a report tabled on Tuesday, has proposed sweeping and controversial changes to the structure and functioning of institutions such as the Human Rights Commission (HRC), the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) and other constitutional bodies.
General price pressures are evident in the South African economy, which is growing above its potential, Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni said on Tuesday. Mboweni also told students in the northern city of Polokwane that interest rates were the only tool to tame generalised inflation, raising the possibility that rates may have to rise further this year.
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Jacob Zuma will apply to court on Thursday to stop the national director of public prosecutions (NDPP) from extending an investigation to the United Kingdom. At the end of March, the NDPP brought an ex-parte application for permission to approach banks in Britain with a view to the possible reinstating of fraud and corruption charges against Zuma
Southern African leaders meeting in Lusaka last week should have been more vociferous against human rights violations taking place in Zimbabwe, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday. The London-based group accused Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders of wasting a crucial opportunity.
Municipal workers will embark on an indefinite strike in Cape Town next week, the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) said on Tuesday. Samwu said the strike was a protest against the city’s unilateral implementation of new conditions of service. The city had also relocated staff without any agreement with the union. However, the city rejected the union’s allegations.
Railway safety in South Africa requires urgent and sustained intervention, the Railway Safety Regulator said on Tuesday. The Regulator released its State of Railway Safety in South Africa report, which showed a high number of incidents including collisions, derailments and security-related issues.
South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Tuesday that 26Â 000 of its members at Lonmin Platinum mines were on strike over a pay dispute. Union spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka said the strike began on Sunday night over a new pay system that he said cheated workers.
South Africa will become the first World Cup hosts in more than 70 years to participate in their own qualifying competition, although they will play in the finals regardless of their performance, officials confirmed on Tuesday. The African qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup are to be combined with the preliminaries for the African Nations Cup finals earlier the same year.
Claims by the Democratic Alliance (DA) that President Thabo Mbeki intervened in Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang’s liver-transplant process are intended to injure Mbeki’s reputation, the Presidency said on Tuesday. ”The Presidency would like to inform the nation that the allegations made by the DA are without foundation,” a statement read.
The number of foreign tourists visiting South Africa has grown by 10% ahead of Tourism Month in September, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said on Tuesday. ”South Africa is following the global trend with a rise in travel and tourism to our country. Overall foreign arrivals grew by 10% from January to May 2007,” he said.
In a little more than two weeks’ time, the Springboks will set out to win back the World Cup they won in 1995. It was a wonderful day for the new South African rainbow nation, just a year after the country’s first democratic elections and just three years after the mighty Springbok rugby team was allowed back into international sport.
Reigning champions Western Province (WP) and co-favourites Southern Gauteng both won their opening games at the Spar Women’s Interprovincial Tournament being played at the Hartleyvale Astro in Cape Town on Monday. WP showed their pedigree with a 3-1 win over Northerns, while Southerns beat KwaZulu-Natal 3-0.
It was indeed a surprise when Bafana Bafana arrived in Aberdeen on Monday for their friendly international against Scotland without crafty Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Surprise Moriri, who had reported to the team camp in Johannesburg shortly before the squad’s departure with an injury.
Two of the three apartheid police officers convicted last week of an attempt on Frank Chikane’s life 18 years ago visited him on Monday to ask him personally for forgiveness. Apartheid-era police head Johan van der Merwe, who with Adriaan Vlok received a suspended sentence of 10 years in jail, confirmed the meeting.
Four national government departments owe the Gauteng health department more than R43-million for patients treated at hospitals, the department said on Monday. Spokesperson Zanele Mngadi said the provincial department is in talks with the affected national departments for payment.
Congress of South African Trade Unions president Willie Madisha has agreed to meet the South African Communist Party (SACP) to discuss issues around missing donations. This was confirmed by SACP treasurer Phumulo Masualle, who will lead the investigation into the R500 000 donation saga.
The South African National Editors’ Forum on Monday issued a statement on the reporting by the Sunday Times of allegations against Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, saying it believes that the newspaper would have taken sufficient steps to ensure that the information was true and in the public interest.
Taxpayers have coughed up about R2,6-million for security at the private residences of four Free State ministers, the Democratic Alliance said on Monday. The party’s Free State leader, Roy Jankielsohn, said the African National Congress provincial ministers must explain who they were afraid of.
Political parties and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) have called for a probe into new claims against Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, but the Presidency says it will not act unless evidence is produced.
Suspected sex blogger Juan Duval Uys of Kroonstad on Monday made his second appearance in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court, where he faces a charge of crimen injuria reportedly relating to an allegation that he had stated on a blog that a City of Cape Town mayoral committee member had used Uys’s services as a male prostitute.
Drug laws considered outdated are being reviewed in order to improve the state’s response to drug and substance abuse, Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya said on Monday. The Prevention of and Treatment of Substance Abuse Bill will replace the Prevention and Treatment of Drug Dependency Act of 1992.
South Africa is an over-advantaged partner in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aziz Pahad said on Monday. He was speaking in Sandton at a conference of business leaders from the SADC region, where a survey was also released on obstacles when doing business in the region.