The Health Department says the Eastern Cape’s Frere Hospital maintenance budget must be drastically increased. In a statement released on Sunday, the department recommended that the maintenance budget be increased to R35-million, or 5% of the hospital’s total budget.
Placed fifth in the recently-completed Premiership log, Tottenham Hotspur provided scant evidence of challenging the big four of English soccer for major honours in the coming season while completing a comfortable enough 2-1 victory over Kaizer Chiefs in the opening Vodacom Challenge game.
The man allegedly behind bizarre internet sex claims against prominent South Africans will probably be transferred from Kroonstad to Cape Town sometime this week, said police. Juan Duval Uys (39) was arrested at the home he shared with his mother in Kroonstad on Saturday after a months-long investigation.
A miner was found dead underground at AngloGold Ashanti’s Moab Khotsong mine, near Orkney, at 2am on Sunday morning. The body of a second miner had been located underground at 9am and rescue workers were in the process of recovering it, said AngloGold Ashanti spokesperson Steve Lenahan.
A shoot-to-kill call by a top South African law enforcement officer has fuelled a debate on how far police can go to defend themselves in one of the world’s most crime-ridden societies. Bheki Cele, minister for community safety in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, struck a chord by saying: ”Once criminals pull their guns, police should aim for the head.”
President Thabo Mbeki has urged unemployed South Africans to create their own job opportunities through the setting up of small businesses. Addressing Lwandle community members near Cape Town at a presidential imbizo on Saturday, Mbeki told the unemployed to utilise the several business support programmes which the government had set up for their benefit.
What a surprise! After being outplayed and outmanouevred in the first half of their CAF Confederation Cup game against the Democratic Republic of Congo’s TP Mazembe at Loftus on Saturday night and trailing 2-0 at the interval, PSL champions Mamelodi Sundowns stormed back and snatched a 3-2 victory.
Former African National Congress chief whip Mbulelo Goniwe could face jail for failing to appear in court for a maintenance hearing, media reports said on Sunday. Justice Ministry spokesperson Lazarus Mothupi said neither Goniwe nor his lawyer had informed the court of his absence. A warrant of arrest was issued.
It was bad-tempered and it was close, but the Blue Bulls held off Western Province to win 26-17 in a Absa Currie Cup rugby match at Newlands on Saturday. A dubious decision by the television official allowing a Derick Kuün try when it appeared as if he had lost the ball forward.
Former president FW De Klerk ”knew nothing” about the attempt on Frank Chikane’s life, according to one of the accused in the case, General Johann van der Merwe. Media reports said that former law and order minister Adriaan Vlok and Van der Merwe were angry at having to bear the blame for crimes committed in the apartheid era
Former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan urged African leaders on Sunday to practise good governance and democracy to rebuild the continent, and told the world’s rich nations to keep their promises of aid. ”It is vital that Africa lead its own development process,” he told a gathering at the fifth annual Nelson Mandela lecture.
South Africa’s national selectors have stayed true to their word and named a predictable and experienced squad of 30 players to feature at this year’s World Cup tournament. National coach Jake White named 14 backs and 16 forwards with the squad being a good blend of youth and experience.
Embattled Ekurhuleni metro police chief Robert McBride will be given ”time off” pending the outcome of a court case against him. Ekurhuleni mayor Duma Nkosi would not be drawn on whether McBride would be suspended or given paid or unpaid leave.
Justine Robbeson, African record holder in the women’s javelin, won South Africa’s first athletics gold medal at the All Africa Games on Friday with a throw of 58,09m. Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, the world number one 800m athlete of 2006, was pipped at the post in a thrilling 800m final by an 18-year old Sudanese athlete, Abu Bakr Kaki.
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union on Friday threatened to go on strike if Ekurhuleni metro police chief Robert McBride was not suspended. ”We are going to say to the municipality, suspend Robert McBride or municipal service delivery is going to be hampered,” said Samwu branch secretary Koena Ramotlou.
Bill Clinton charmed crowds in Southern Africa this week, mingling with barefooted children and joking with Malawians — showing the diplomatic skills he could put to use if his wife becomes America’s first woman president. Hillary Clinton has said she would make her husband a roaming ambassador, using his talent to repair America’s tattered image abroad.
The Mail & Guardian newspaper on Friday denied disregarding an interdict barring it from publishing the details of a draft internal report into alleged abuse of power at the South African Broadcasting Corporation. ”We completely deny it … we have a paper trail of every step taken to comply with the order,” said M&G editor Ferial Haffajee.
Diamond beneficiation, whereby stones mined in South Africa are also cut and polished in the country, will be enforced, Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said on Friday. She said was seriously concerned about De Beers’ director Jonathan Oppenheimer’s comments on the costs of beneficiation earlier this week.
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) has welcomed a recent Supreme Court of Appeal judgment that, it says, effectively makes the sub-judice rule outdated. ”This means that recourse to this legal excuse to avoid public discussion of an issue — a favourite ploy of politicians — is no longer valid, and those using it can be called to account,” Sanef said on Friday.
The fourth round of gold-sector wage talks will start on Monday in Johannesburg, the Chamber of Mines said on Friday. Chamber spokesperson Jabu Maphalala said gold-mining companies represented by the chamber and trade unions would meet at the chamber’s offices in Johannesburg.
The government’s reluctance to allocate adequate resources towards the fight against substance abuse has contributed to the sharp increase in drug-related crimes in the country, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said on Friday. Writing in her weekly newsletter, Zille blamed the fuelling of substance abuse in provinces such as the Western Cape on state inaction.
Dilhara Fernando grabbed a career-best haul of 4-24 to script Sri Lanka’s 70-run victory over Bangladesh in the opening one-day international on Friday. The 28-year-old fast bowler took all his wickets in a lively opening spell as Sri Lanka dismissed Bangladesh for 164 after posting 234-6 to gain a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Getting all South Africans to agree on how to tackle affirmative action and build a non-racial society was one of the bigger challenges facing the country, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. He said the problem was ”we cannot get everyone to sing from the same hymn sheet on the important question of how to build a non-racial South Africa”.
Johannesburg metro police have launched a search for a taxi driver who fired shots at an officer on Friday morning. Metro police spokesperson Inspector Edna Mamonyane said the taxi driver jumped a red robot in the CBD at about 8.45am. Metro police saw him and stopped him.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is launching an international news channel to compete with CNN and the BBC, joining the growing ranks of news outlets seeking to challenge media stereotypes about Africa. But media watchdogs say the SABC should focus on bolstering editorial independence at home.
The public has the right to know about complaints against medical practitioners, the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) said on Friday. HPCSA registrar Boyce Mkhize said in a statement that the public had a right to check the credentials and misconduct record of healthcare practitioners in South Africa.
South African athletes have won only seven medals on the first two days of the athletics competition at the ninth All Africa Games in Algiers. Sixteen events have so far been completed and the results show that SA athletes managed three silver and four bronze medals.
Ekurhuleni metro police chief Robert McBride appeared briefly in the Pretoria Regional Court on Friday morning and was granted bail of R1Â 000. McBride faces charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, defeating the ends of justice and fraud. McBride also faces alternative charges of reckless or negligent driving, conspiracy and incitement.
For two of Soweto’s great footballing institutions, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, the coaching succession debate is over. Chiefs have chosen Muhsin Ertugral, with whom they won seven trophies. Pirates have given Bibey Mutombo another term in office, despite him being one of the least-loved coaches to have coached the Orlando side in all their 70 years.
Ekurhuleni metro police chief Robert McBride appeared briefly in the Pretoria Regional Court on Friday morning and was granted bail of R1Â 000. McBride faces charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, defeating the ends of justice and fraud.
Riots, marches on Parliament and the lynching of a local official have highlighted growing unrest at the failure to improve the lives of South Africans who bore the brunt of apartheid. ”It is like we are not living in South Africa, we are not part of the democracy everyone enjoys,” says Ngethembi Myaka.
The Mail & Guardian has been gagged. Again. In the early hours of Friday morning in the Pretoria High Court, a judge interdicted the M&G from publishing the details of an explosive final draft of an internal report into alleged corruption, abuse of power and intimidation at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).