Big manufacturing and construction companies were the hardest hit on Monday as a national strike by metal and engineering workers got under way. Smaller firms appeared to have been the least affected, said the Steel and Engineering Industry Federation of South Africa.
South Africa’s transport system is becoming increasingly inadequate in responding to export-led growth, Transport Minister Jeff Radebe said on Monday. Speaking at the South African Transport Conference in Pretoria, Radebe said road networks were congested and ”bursting at the seams”. A resource not fully used was sea transport.
Striking metal and engineering workers handed over a memorandum to an employer representative in Johannesburg on Monday. The trade unions, led by the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa, demanded a 10% wage increase for the lowest grade and 9% for the highest grade workers for the next three years.
Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula will look into Democratic Alliance (DA) allegations about problems in the restructured specialised family violence, child abuse and sexual offences (FCS) units and take corrective steps if necessary. Nqakula’s spokesperson, Hangwani Mulaudzi, said on Monday that, previously, the FCS units were based in area offices.
The efforts of Gauteng’s environment management inspectors (EMI) were highlighted at the department of agriculture, conservation and environment in Johannesburg on Monday. Provincial minister Khabisi Mosunkutu said the quest of the specialised unit was to build a safe, secure and environmentally sustainable community.
South Africans have taken the bait for the FishMS line that can tell you whether the fish you are about to eat is in plentiful supply or illegal, a spokesperson for the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative said on Monday. The instant access to accurate information and an informed choice has ”struck a chord with South Africa’s seafood lovers”, Timony Siebert said.
A ”huge contingent” of Johannesburg metro police will direct traffic in the central city on Monday for a march by metal and engineering workers. ”We are preparing for 22 000 demonstrators,” said chief superintendent Wayne Minnaar on Monday morning.
Holders Al-Ahly of Egypt won a second successive African Champions League group match to open up a three point lead at the top of their standings with a 1-0 win over Asec Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire on Sunday. Midfielder Mohamed Aboutrika scored from close range five minutes before half-time to give Al-Ahly six points from their two Group B matches.
An identification system linked to a website and more publicity on indigent burial is needed for the hundreds of unclaimed bodies in Gauteng state mortuaries, the Democratic Alliance said on Monday. DA health spokesperson Jack Bloom said there were now 607 unclaimed bodies in mortuaries.
The third round of the Currie Cup played over the weekend has left many teams with more questions than answers. Western Province and the Valke will reflect on their results and wonder what they have to do to resurrect their Currie Cup campaigns.
A plan to rescue Zimbabwe’s flailing economy by pegging the Zimbabwe dollar to the South African rand is being put together by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). SADC’s Zimbabwe rescue package would see the Reserve Banks of South Africa and Botswana pump money into the Reserve Bank in Harare.
Western Stormers utility forward Gerrie Britz has been called up to the South Africa squad in place of injured skipper Bob Skinstad. The veteran number eight, who led the Springboks against Australia in a Tri-Nations Test in Sydney on Saturday, has a broken rib and is on his way home facing a fight to be fully fit in time for the World Cup in September..
The 15-month-old daughter of South African Airways (SAA) chief executive officer Khanya Ngqula drowned in a Durban North swimming pool, the Sunday Times reported. It was not clear who was supposed to be looking after the child.
Thousands of music lovers roared on Saturday in northern Johannesburg as international music stars set fire to the African leg of the round-the-clock Live Earth music concerts to highlight global warming. The event, backed by former United States vice-president Al Gore, rocked nine major cities on all continents.
The Free State Cheetahs moved clear at the top of the Absa Currie Cup standings when they outclassed Griquas 51-10 in Bloemfontein on Saturday. After holding a narrow 14-7 (two tries to one) lead at halftime, the Cheetahs simply moved up a gear after the break and scored another five tries for their third success full-house of log points.
The Independent Democrats (ID) will campaign to take over the provincial Western Cape government in the 2009 elections, party leader Patricia de Lille said on Saturday. ”The signs are there; written in the results of most of the by-elections we have fought this year,” she said at the party’s national conference in Cape Town.
Francois Botha made a winning return to the ring after a five year absence when he outpointed the giant Australian Bob Mirovic in a 12-round bout for the WBF interim heavyweight title at the Carousel Casino on Friday night. The scoring in favour of Botha was 119-109, 120-108, and 120-107.
The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) left no doubt on Friday about its opposition to the notion of ”two centres of power”. ”We remained steadfast that there cannot be two centres of power, because that would be disastrous for our country,” president Fikile Mbalula said in a statement.
South African Airways (SAA) could face a class action lawsuit for flights cancelled during a 2005 strike after a passenger succeeded in a suit for compensation. Michiel Spaapen said on Friday he had launched a campaign to mobilise other passengers who were also affected by flight cancellations.
The Ekurhuleni metro said on Friday it did not understand the basis of the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) call for the suspension of its police chief, Robert McBride, and believed any allegations against him should be tested first. ”We don’t understand the basis of that call and how they came to that conclusion,” said mayoral spokesperson Prince Hamnca.
Two youths were killed in Limpopo on Friday after they were circumcised — bringing the number of circumcision deaths to at least 17 in four provinces in the last five weeks. At least 12 deaths were reported in the Eastern Cape, three in Limpopo and one each in Gauteng and North West since the winter ”circumcision season” started.
The Potchefstroom city council expressed sadness on Friday over the destruction by fire of a historical Afrikaans church in the town. Mayor Maphetle Maphetle said the council extended its sympathy to the congregation of the NG (Moedergemeente) Church after the building was gutted by fire on Wednesday night.
The N1 to Beaufort West in the Western Cape has been reopened to traffic after a collision involving two trucks and three buses outside Laingsburg earlier on Friday. Seven people were killed and 17 seriously injured, among them a seven-year-old girl. The accident started when a bus heading toward Cape Town collided with a truck.
About 100 Vodacom employees picketed at the company’s head office in Midrand on Friday, demanding recognition for the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU). ”For the past five or six years, we have been trying organise ourselves a mouthpiece. However, this is not happening because Vodacom has used tactics against us,” said Frith Selelo, a senior accountant at Vodacom.
The Social Development Department on Friday defended provisions in the Children’s Act giving access to contraceptives to children as young as 12. The department said it was concerned about ”misinterpretation” of the Act, certain sections of which came into effect last Sunday.
A former law student who murdered his ”friend” by bludgeoning him with a dumbbell and cutting off his genitals received an 18-year jail sentence on Friday. Pretoria High Court Judge Tholi Vilakazi sentenced Lebogang Frank Mahlakoana (24) for murdering 54-year-old William Henry Thomas.
Eleven people have been hospitalised after they came into contact with a parcel containing a white powder — possibly anthrax — at a post office in Alberton, south of Johannesburg, police said on Friday. Inspector Juanita Kilian said police had received a complaint from the post office at Jacqueline Mall in Randhart at about 10am about a ”suspicious” parcel.
Mitigation, mitigation, mitigation — the need for action to halt climate change will be hammered home at eight Live Earth concerts on seven continents on Saturday. In Johannesburg, that message has dictated the choice of materials in what is being billed as a carbon-neutral concert.
Two ”countdown clocks” to the 2010 Soccer World Cup were switched on at Durban International Airport on Friday, a sponsor said. ”The clocks are counting us down to our deadline and bringing us together to unveil our beautiful city to the rest of the world,” said First National Bank’s KwaZulu-Natal chief, Gareth Davies.
Team South Africa leave on Saturday to compete in the All Africa Games in Algiers from July 11 to 23. The All Africa Games contribute to the promotion of the Olympic spirit and stand as a major rendezvous for African athletes. These Games are a milestone in the preparation of the Olympic Games as they are an opportunity for the continent’s athletes to express their potential.
South Africans have every reason to be concerned about the latest crime-trends report, says Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille. ”There can be no doubt, however much government’s office-bearers try to play them down, that the statistics portray a society in which crime is endemic, violent and unrelenting,” she said on Friday on the DA’s website.
Power utility Eskom declared a dispute early on Friday with the three unions negotiating for increased wages. The company and Solidarity, the National Union of Mineworkers and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa had hoped to conclude negotiations in the meeting that went past midnight on Thursday night.