The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) will not join Wednesday’s general strike because employers need to be given 10 days’ advance notice. The union’s 280Â 000 members would instead hold demonstrations and pickets when not on duty in support of public servants’ wage demands.
The head of the Transport Education and Training Authority (Teta), Piet Bothma, has been placed on ”compulsory leave” following a probe into his role in placing R246-million of the body’s funds with Fidentia. Teta pumped the money — nearly 75% of all its funds — into Fidentia, despite the company’s almost non-existent track record.
The Directorate of Public Prosecutions is considering whether to charge Bafana Bafana star Sibusiso Zuma after allegations that he threatened to shoot a group of men at a party in Kokstad. However, Umzimkulu police spokesperson Zandra Hechter said Zuma had also opened a case against the men, accusing them of common assault.
A KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) domestic worker who called an emergency number in a bid to save her pregnant daughter’s life was told ”there were no workers and there was nobody at the hospitals”. The 12-hour struggle to get an ambulance has left Busi Dlamini’s daughter on a ventilator battling for life with her dead, unborn baby inside her.
The public-sector strike could soon ”turn violent”, Congress of South African Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi warned on Monday. Unions did not want the strike to continue unnecessarily, he told the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union national congress in Cape Town. ”We’re quite aware of the consequences of allowing the strike to prolong …,” he said.
No penalties will be imposed on the Tasima Consortium for the late delivery of the flawed electronic traffic information system (eNaTIS), which plunged the country’s traffic system into chaos, the Department of Transport said on Monday. The department said it could not impose any penalties because it felt that the delays were due to, amongst other things, a court interdict.
Last week John Perlman, the former host of SAfm’s morning show, started a new chapter at Gauteng regional radio station Kaya FM, hosting Today with John Perlman, a show he hopes to have a long-term commitment to. ”I’m not a dabbler. It’s not something I do,” Perlman said.
With only two weeks to go before the ruling party’s crunch national policy conference, most of the party’s provincial structures have not taken an official position regarding President Thabo Mbeki standing as African National Congress president for a third term.
The state spent R269,5-million on private security companies last year — up R118,5-million (78,5%) from R151-million in 2005. According to ministerial replies to a number of questions put forward by the Democratic Alliance in Parliament, the money was spent by 20 national departments.
Beatings and other abuses inflicted on lawyers are damaging the legal system in Zimbabwe, a group of international judges said on Monday. The Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists said it was ”shocked” by the extent of government abuse of the legal and judicial system.
Africa’s political and economic elite will gather under the banner of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Cape Town this week seeking ways to boost growth and trade for the world’s poorest continent. Host President Thabo Mbeki and counterparts will be joined by leading business figures, Cabinet ministers and central bankers for the 17th annual WEF on Africa.
Group of Eight (G8) leaders are making ”hot air” promises when it comes to giving substantial aid to Africa, said Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane in Cape Town on Monday.Ndungane was speaking at a media briefing of the African Monitor, an advocacy organisation of which he is the founder and president.
Springbok coach Jake White is to pay a courtesy call on President Thabo Mbeki on Friday, a presidential spokesperson said. Spokesperson in the Presidency Mukoni Ratshitanga said the ”courtesy call” between the two would take place in Cape Town, either at the president’s office or his residence.
Scrumhalf Michael Claassens was added to the Springbok squad on Monday as cover for Saturday’s opening Tri-Nations Test against Australia in Cape Town. Claassens, who has just agreed a two-year contract with Bath in England, steps in due to injuries to first-choice duo Fourie du Preez and Ricky Januarie.
The JSE remained firm at noon on Monday as investors drew direction from overseas markets and recouped oversold positions. At 11.59am, the all-share index was up 1,02%. Resources added 0,72%, the gold and platinum mining indices gained 1,84% and 0,19% respectively.
Shares in South African fixed-line operator Telkom rose over 4% to touch a record high on Monday as investors expected good results from mobile operator Vodacom, in which the group owns a 50% stake. Telkom releases its annual earnings on Wednesday, which is also when the mobile operator said it would provide details of its annual performance.
Thieves stole a Nobel Peace Prize medal won by South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu in a weekend robbery at his Johannesburg home, but the medallion was later recovered. Johannesburg police Superintendent Thembi Nkwashu said the medal was among a number of items stolen from his Soweto home on Sunday.
Public-sector unions would discuss the proposal for a comprehensive wage offer made by independent mediators on Monday. ”We are taking proposals back to the unions to develop a response — and convene again tomorrow [Tuesday],” said vice-chairperson of labour on the Public Sector Coordinating Bargaining Council, Shireen Pardesi.
The Cape Town Labour Court has rejected an attempt by Parliament to block an unfair-dismissal claim by the institution’s former chief financial officer, Harry Charlton. Parliament’s lawyers had raised an ”exception” to Charlton’s claim, seeking a ruling on whether his challenge was legally sound.
There are more than 4,8-million South African child labourers between the ages of five and 17, the labour department said on Monday. The International Labour Organisation estimated that over a 100-million boys and girls aged between five and 14 worked as labourers on farms and plantations worldwide.
Consumers should brace themselves for a shortage of their favourite beer in the next few weeks, media reports said on Monday. South African Breweries (SAB) said it was experiencing shortages as a result of the ”unusually high” demand for its brands.
Springbok coach Jake White will appear before South African Rugby Union (Saru) managing director Jonathan Stones on Monday in connection with an incident in which he allegedly verbally abused a journalist. Adnaan Mohamed of Die Son claims White questioned him about his ”negative reporting”.
Following another impasse in the public service wage talks, independent mediators on Sunday came up with their own proposal of what a comprehensive wage offer should look like. Mediators Charles Nupen and Meshack Ravuku drew up a document which was handed to government and union negotiators late on Sunday night.
An international adventure photographer, who has survived working in war zones, is fighting for his life after his vehicle was hit by a rock in Cape Town. United States citizen Bobby Model (34) who was visiting Cape Town from Kenya, was in a critical condition on life support in hospital, the newspapers said on Saturday
Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi is multiplying her problems by dismissing strikers and threatening action against others, said Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi on Sunday. ”We will not settle the strike until all threats have been withdrawn and every person who went on strike goes back to a workplace.”
Threats to dismiss striking health workers could only provoke workers’ anger and undermine current ”sensitive” negotiations, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) said. ”Dismissing workers would not work towards addressing the current public-service crisis. [The] root-cause of which is total disregard of workers demands by government,” the union said in a statement.
A hostage drama ended in central Cape Town on Saturday night when police stormed the Nyoni’s Kraal restaurant, shooting dead the hostage taker and releasing the hostages. Inspector Bernadine Steyn said a specialised police team set off a stun grenade and several shots were fired when they entered the restaurant shortly after 6.30pm.
The government’s firing of striking nurses will anger workers and their unions, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Saturday. ”All the trade unions will be extremely angry at this provocative and quite unnecessary move by the government,” said Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven.
South Africa registered five tries to win a bruising encounter with Samoa 35-8 on Saturday. The Springboks used their entire bench as wing Ashwin Willemse, centre Wayne Julies, scrumhalf Enrico Januarie and flanker Luke Watson all left the field through injury in the one-off Test.
Radical changes are set to sweep through South African rugby following the World Cup in France later this year. According to media reports the first Springbok team of 2008 will consist of at least 10 black and coloured players. National coach Jake White will also be replaced by the country’s first black Springbok coach — Peter de Villiers.
The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) said on Friday it was disturbed by the ”now you see it, now you don’t” approach the national broadcaster had towards the screening of the documentary Unauthorised: Thabo Mbeki. On Thursday, the SABC again changed its mind about screening the controversial documentary on President Thabo Mbeki that was canned about a year ago.
Mediators were meeting separately with government and union negotiators on Friday evening trying to find common ground between their two conflicting wage increase proposals. Public-service unions on Friday officially made a counter-proposal demanding a 10% wage increase from government.