An Independent Democrats (ID) councillor in the City of Cape Town has sworn loyalty to the party after an anonymously sent fax suggested she was planning to defect in the coming floor-crossing window. ID caucus leader Simon Grindrod released copies of the fax at a media briefing on Thursday, saying he believed it was a tactic to influence other councillors.
Springbok centre Jean De Villiers will not be travelling with the team to Ireland and Scotland for pre-Rugby World Cup games due to an injury to his side. The injury sustained during the Namibia game in Cape Town means he will stay at home to recover under the supervision of the Springbok medical team.
A 15-year-old schoolboy and a security guard were crushed to death as hordes of shoppers tried to buy sugar in Zimbabwe’s second city of Bulawayo, reports said on Thursday. Several people were also injured on Wednesday at the Entumbane Shopping Complex, the Zimbabwe state-controlled Chronicle newspaper reported.
The injured Nasief Morris and Elrio van Heerden apart, Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira included all his tried-and-tested players in a 22-man squad to play 22nd-ranked Scotland in a friendly international at the Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen on Wednesday night.
Vlakplaas, the notorious farm used covertly by the apartheid state for murder and torture, will be turned into a national centre for healing, the Science and Technology Department said on Thursday. ”What is happening is that Vlakplaas … will be turned into a national centre for healing,” department spokesperson Nelvis Qekema said.
The Public Protector will launch an investigation into service-delivery protests, he announced on Thursday. Advocate Lawrence Mushwana said the investigation will focus on specific municipalities and will try to establish if public-service protesters have legitimate complaints.
The National Assembly’s communications committee has shortlisted 37 candidates it plans to interview for a position on the 12-member South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) board. The interviews are expected to be held next week, following which a final shortlist will be compiled.
The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) opted on Thursday to increase its key repo rate by 50 basis points to 10%, its monetary policy committee said. The repo is the rate at which the SARB lends to commercial banks, whose prime lending rate will rise — also by 0,5 percentage points — to 13,5%.
Eskom, the government and the electricity regulator are identifying weaknesses in power-supply systems in the nine 2010 Soccer World Cup host cities. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Joe Phaahla, director general of the 2010 unit, pointed out that the event would be held in winter when demand would be at its peak.
The Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) cannot replace its dismissed former president Motsoko Pheko until the outcome of the party’s internal appeal process, the Cape High Court ruled on Thursday. Delivering judgement, Judge Dennis Davis said there was no evidence that Pheko had waived his right to appeal.
The Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) posted an ”outstanding” set of results on Thursday, which were underpinned by strong economic growth. Passenger growth in 2007 at Acsa’s airports was 10,8% and was expected to average 8% in 2010, Transport Minister Jeff Radebe told the results presentation in Johannesburg.
A South African man shot three weeks ago was told to ”walk the pain off” and is still trying to persuade hospitals to remove the bullet lodged in his side, it was reported on Thursday. Three Johannesburg hospitals refused to remove the bullet for security guard Phillip Mashiane (38), who was shot during a burglary.
A total of 95 Cape Town metro police officers have been suspended in the wake of Wednesday’s protest, council spokesperson Pieter Cronje said on Thursday. The officers face disciplinary and criminal charges after they drove in a cavalcade to the civic centre, causing morning rush-hour traffic jams on the N2.
The City of Cape Town was on Wednesday evening ”in the process” of suspending 87 metro police officers who took part in a morning protest, spokesperson Pieter Cronje said. The officers blocked the N2 and delayed traffic as they ”drove very slowly” to the civic centre to hand over a petition, he said.
The Gauteng provincial government on Wednesday launched watchdog committees in a bid to ensure accountability from municipalities. The municipal public accounts committees, the equivalent of Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts, will examine the financial statements of municipalities and their entities.
Three men linked to the murder and rape of a four-year-old girl in Mhluzi near Middelburg appeared in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, Mpumalanga police said on Wednesday. The case of the three suspects aged 27, 20 and 17 was postponed to August 21 for a bail application.
Outspoken workers in the public health sector are being gagged by the government, the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) said on Wednesday. A spokesperson said suspensions within the sector and the dismissal of the deputy health minister suggest that free speech needs ”intensive care”.
Three men arrested for allegedly stoning an albino man to death will appear in the Mapulana Magistrate’s Court near Bushbuckridge on Friday, Mpumalanga police said. A police spokesperson said a group of about 50 people attacked the man at his home on Friday night.
Kaizer Chiefs shrugged off their pre-season form to beat Benoni United 2-0 convincingly in their first 2007/08 Premier Soccer League clash in Germiston on Wednesday. In other matches, champions Mamelodi Sundowns were beaten 2-1 by Amazulu, Black Leopards beat Supersport United and Santos drew with Free State Stars.
Springbok fullback Percy Montgomery claimed yet another points-scoring record as the Boks romped to a comprehensive 105-13 win over Namibia in a Rugby World Cup friendly at Newlands on Wednesday evening. Montgomery finished with a new individual haul of 35 points, slotting 12 conversions, two penalties and one try.
Wolfsburg of Germany. Hearts of Scotland. And now, on a frost-bitten Wednesday night at Ellis Park, Moroka Swallows added to their list of recently taken notable scalps by beating Orlando Pirates 1-0. A 72nd-minute goal by the enterprising Cecil Oerson made all the difference.
They brought the icy, tempestuous wind with them from Cape Town — but it only succeeded in blowing Ajax away as they tumbled to a 1-0 defeat against Bloemfontein Celtic at the Seisa Ramabodu Stadium when the new Premier Soccer League season got under way on Wednesday afternoon.
A renowned conservationist recounted on Wednesday how he and his friends narrowly escaped an attack by an enraged bull elephant. Lawrence Anthony and his two friends were on a night drive at Thula Thula Game Reserve near Empangeni in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday night when the animal attacked them.
A gang of thieves held up an entire hotel in northern KwaZulu-Natal, robbing the hotel, staff and guests of cash, cellphones and cars, police said on Wednesday. Superintendent Jay Naicker said the gang of nine entered the Ghost Mountain Inn in the town of Mkuze shortly before midnight on Monday night.
It is up to the courts, not Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan, to decide on the legitimacy of the Tshwane name change, the ministry said on Wednesday. ”The minister is not a dictator … a despot,” said Jordan’s spokesperson Sandile Memela. ”The people have to be consulted,” he added.
Toys R Us and Reggie’s have instructed all their stores to remove certain toys from their shelves following an urgent announcement by the agents of international toy manufacturer Mattel. Affected toys reportedly contain either lead paint or tiny magnets that young children might swallow.
An unemployment lobby group on Wednesday said it is not involved in blowing up automated teller machines, but only encourages those without jobs to do so. ”It is ordinary members of the unemployed who are encouraged by Icemusa to continue with the blastings,” said the leader of the group.
The suspension of hospital superintendent Nokuzola Ntshona has created an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among conscientious public officials, the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) said on Wednesday. ”The PSAM is gravely concerned by the precedent set by the suspension,” it said.
Police have admitted they have no evidence linking two suspects to a mob that assaulted a woman and set her house alight because she was wearing a pair of pants, a packed Umlazi Magistrate’s Court heard on Wednesday. The two men appeared in the court after a second woman, Nomzumo Ngcobo, filed charges of intimidation.
A new Bill proposing an integrated system of coastal management will not lead to expropriation of beachfront properties, MPs were assured on Wednesday. But officials who are sponsoring the Bill through Parliament say that it will make it easier for local authorities to remove holiday chalets illegally built on the beach.
A leading property group has been given the South African mandate to seek out super-rich individuals to buy residences on a yet-to-be-built luxury ocean liner. Prices for the Four Seasons Ocean Residences start at R28-million for 74 square metres. A top-of-the-range, 650-square-metre penthouse suite will set you back R282-million.
Jazz diva Thandi Klaasen has been forced to withdraw from her planned performance at the Joy of Jazz festival in Johannesburg later in August because of ill health, the events organiser said on Wednesday. The singer had a fall recently. She is still in severe pain and will not be able to manage rehearsals.