More than 6,8 metric tonnes of liquids, aerosols and gels (lags) have so far been seized under new airport safety measures, the Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) said on Tuesday. It said when the new regulations came into effect on June 1, about 500 litres of lags a day were seized at the three international airports — OR Tambo, Durban and Cape Town.
Women should benefit from the settlement of land claims, Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana said on Tuesday. Handing over commercial land valued at R1-billion to four communities in Mpumalanga, she said it was crucial that women were not marginalised. ”Women must benefit significantly from the economic benefits that follow with this claim,” she said.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has called for an urgent meeting with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) over its controversial awarding of broadcasting rights to pay channel SuperSport. ”The [SABC] board calls upon the leadership of the PSL to urgently meet the SABC management team,” chairperson Eddie Funde said on Tuesday.
The time has come for a settlement in the public-service wage dispute, Congress of South African Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the dismissal of a group of striking Western Cape health workers was a violation of their patients’ constitutional rights, the Cape High Court has been told.
The African National Congress (ANC) was not worried about differences in economic policy expressed by its alliance partners, the party said at a briefing in Johannesburg on Tuesday. The party’s economic policy has been criticised by its alliance partners, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party.
The youngest of the five baby Jordan-Leigh Norton killers was ”more interested in immediate pleasures than his future”, the Cape High Court heard on Tuesday. Probation officer Joel Ntuli told the court Bonginkosi Sigenu (18) came from a poor background and his late father had declined to buy him fancy clothing.
The Freedom Front Plus Youth (FF+) has accused the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) of being ”softies” after the ANCYL failed to take part in a live television debate on affirmative action. ”Clearly the organisation is not prepared or does not have the courage to defend their view on affirmative action …,” said FF+ leader Cornelius Jansen van Rensburg.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter on Tuesday expressed his full confidence in South Africa’s preparations for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. ”I am a happy Fifa president,” he told journalists after meeting President Thabo Mbeki at Tuynhuys. ”Everything is on track.”
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday lodged papers in the Durban High Court opposing the eThekwini municipality’s controversial plan to rename Durban’s streets and some of its landmark buildings. The DA is asking the court to prevent the municipality from proceeding with phase two of the renaming process and to have the first phase reversed.
The Lesotho government will relax the restrictions of the curfew it imposed after a spate of attacks on Cabinet ministers, Prime Minister Phakalitha Mosisili said on Tuesday. Briefing the media in Cape Town after meeting South African President Thabo Mbeki at Tuynhuys, Mosisili said the curfew, which was imposed on Saturday, will now be modified.
The case of Annanias Mathe, the Mozambican national charged with escaping from Pretoria’s C-Max prison, was postponed in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. The case was postponed to July 16 for a provisional date to ”centralise” all the charges against Mathe.
The long-awaited new Mokala National Park in the Northern Cape was officially proclaimed by Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk on Tuesday. The establishment of this new park near Plooysberg, south-west of Kimberley, came as a result of a successful land claim made on a section of the old Vaalbos National Park.
Boxing history will be made when Cassius Baloyi and Manuel Medina meet for the International Boxing Organisation junior lightweight title at Emperors Palace on July 5. The fight, which will also serve as a final eliminator for the IBF title, will set an unprecedented record in boxing as the two have been involved in a combined 44 world-title bouts.
Police arrested about 500 protesting street traders outside the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday following clashes in which a water cannon, pepper spray and stun grenades were used. Police spokesperson Superintendent Muzi Mngomezulu could not immediately say exactly how many people were arrested, but estimated the number was about 500.
Transnet has sold its housing loan book to the FirstRand group for R1,4-billion, its chief executive, Maria Ramos, announced in Johannesburg on Tuesday. Ramos said the sale of the non-core asset — which had been in process since October 2006 — was part of the company’s turnaround strategy that focused on freight transport.
Glenanda Primary School in Glenvista, south of Johannesburg, was evacuated after a bomb threat on Tuesday morning, principal Graham King said. He said 1 200 pupils were sent home after a telephone call by an anonymous man at 9am.
The multiparty committee that will inquire into whether Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool misled the legislature will hold open hearings next Monday, its chairperson said. Since its April 20 appointment, the committee has held closed meetings to finalise procedure and fine-tune the timetable.
The case of the father of notorious prison escapee Annanias Mathe was postponed in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Although Zaphanias Mathe (80), a Mozambican, was granted R500 bail, he has yet to renew his permit to stay in South Africa, which has expired. For this reason he will be remanded in custody as he is still an illegal immigrant.
The prospect of playing in next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals now looms as a fait accompli for South Africa — but not without Bafana Bafana coming back to earth with a rude bump in Sunday’s 1-1 qualifying draw against Congo in Pointe Noire.
Chris Harmse, Africa’s leading hammer thrower, recorded a good win at the Folksam Grand Prix in Karlskrona, Sweden, on Monday. His winning distance of 75,05m was his best of 2007 and better than the B qualifying distance for this year’s World Championships in Osaka.
Durban-born lock Greg Rawlinson returns to his former hometown charged with trying to give the All Blacks a winning start against South Africa in defence of their Tri-Nations rugby crown. Rawlinson received his second Test start — his first since New Zealand was last in South Africa 10 months ago — for this Saturday’s Test at King’s Park Stadium.
Two people were arrested on Monday in connection with the murder of Cape theatre personality Taliep Petersen, said police spokesperson Superintendent Billy Jones. A 45-year-old woman was arrested at about 7.40pm at her house in Athlone and a 41-year-old man was arrested at 8.30pm in the Strandfontein area.
Top detective Piet Byleveld says a bouncer has pledged a bounty of R500 000 to have him killed, media reports said on Tuesday. Superintendent Byleveld said the plot to have him assassinated before he could testify against the bouncer was hatched in the Johannesburg prison.
Cooking and cleaning are to become more expensive, the South African Oil Processors’ Association said on Monday. It said this was because of global shortages of raw materials for cooking oil, margarine and soap. The world palm-oil price had risen by 50% and that of Soya-bean and sunflower oil prices by 35% in the past four months.
Luthuli Dlamini, who has played the character of Stan Nyati in e.tv’s soap opera Scandal and who has been presumed missing for two weeks, is recuperating at his Johannesburg home after he fell ill, an e.tv journalist said on Monday.
The state has finally closed its case in the Boeremag treason trial after more than four years, but it could take several months, if not years, for the defence to conclude its case. Some of the defence advocates this week indicated that they intended launching an application for their clients’ discharge on some of the charges.
The absence of regulations controlling the manufacture and distribution of medical products was endangering the lives of South Africans, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Monday. Briefing the media in Cape Town, DA spokesperson on health Gareth Morgan blamed Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang for holding back legislation to protect consumers.
Police forensic-science laboratories have a backlog of 6Â 086 samples, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said on Monday. Crime investigating officers have to wait an average of 54 days for results of samples sent in. He said the largest backlog was in the Western Cape’s chemistry laboratory.
The youngest of the five killers facing sentence for the murder of baby Jordan-Leigh Norton on Monday asked the Norton family to forgive him. Bonginkosi Sigenu (18) was the only one of the five to testify in the Cape High Court in mitigation of sentence. The others’ lawyers will instead address the court on their behalf.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter says only God can stop South Africa from hosting the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Blatter is in the country to assess the progress made by South Africa in reconstructing stadiums or building new ones to host the world’s biggest sporting event.
There is no sign that public servants are getting tired as their pay strike enters its third week, Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Monday.”The strike continues … there is no sign that workers are getting tired; instead they are more angry,” he told a Cosatu conference in Boksburg.
Potchefstroom’s city council is to make an announcement on the city’s name on Wednesday. In a media invitation, the city council said the mayor, Maphetle Maphetle, will make an announcement ”about the decision that has been taken in relation to the name change of Potchefstroom”.