Former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) boss Billy Masetlha has proposed to the Constitutional Court that he be reinstated to his position, but under suspension for 15 working days. During this time, he would expect President Thabo Mbeki to take steps ”to achieve a consensual resolution” of matters pertaining to his dismissal.
The shipbuilding industry is set to lose a £300-million (R2,8-billion) order to build between 12 and 15 offshore supply vessels because Durban’s shipyard could be engulfed by Transnet’s plans to build a new container terminal, media reports said on Friday.
Trade unions on Thursday walked out of the first round of talks on conditions of service in the metal industry. Employers apparently refused to entertain the unions’ suggestions, said Solidarity and the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa).
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Presidential hopeful and African National Congress deputy president Jacob Zuma has erected a security wall around himself, saying he fears he could be assassinated ahead of the ANC conference in December. However well grounded, the cloak and dagger claims highlight the growing climate of fear and distrust that has infected South Africa’s political scene.
Everyone knows <i>Sunday Times</i> columnist David Bullard has enough vitriol to run a small vehicle for a month.
The national lottery licence is again the subject of court action as losing bidder Igwija Gaming seeks to obtain detailed information from the Lotteries Board about its decision-making process. The lottery has been suspended since the end of March, when Uthingo’s licence expired.
Cape Town’s ailing public-transport system is set for a dramatic overhaul as the state ”takes ownership” of taxi routes, media reports said on Tuesday. The number of trains are to increase from 80 to 108, bus subsidies will be raised from R350-million to R500-million and the minibus taxi industry will be integrated into the public transport system.
Residents in different parts Johannesburg were without electricity after a power failure on Thursday afternoon, City Power said. Spokesperson Louis Pieterse said the failure occurred at about 2.45pm. It affected Crosby, Mayfair, Homestead Park, Vrededorp, Brixton, Richmond, Parktown and parts of Auckland Park and Houghton.
The president must explain which laws he relied on to remove Billy Masetlha from the position of director general of the National Intelligence Agency, the Constitutional Court heard on Thursday. Masetlha is asking the Constitutional Court to overturn a Pretoria High Court ruling upholding his dismissal.
Private security guards will not be ”taken over” by police but the relationship between the state and the private-industry security apparatus is set to become much closer, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said on Thursday. Addressing a press conference, Nqakula said various areas of cooperation have already been identified.
South Africa’s crime statistics will be released sometime in June, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said on Thursday. At a press conference on the work of government’s justice, crime-prevention and security cluster, Nqakula said the statistics and the police annual report will be released together.
President Thabo Mbeki was made a Knight of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem in a colourful investiture ceremony held in St George’s Cathedral in Cape Town on Thursday. Mbeki was admitted to the British royal order of chivalry by the organisation’s grand prior, the Duke of Gloucester, a grandson of George the Fifth.
Workers at the Simmer & Jack Buffelsfontein gold mine in the North West are on strike over a pay dispute, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Thursday. NUM regional coordinator Petrus Mahoko said workers are negotiating for a minimum salary of R2 700 a month for underground workers.
Non-consensual, penile penetration of a woman — whether it be anal or vaginal — constitutes rape, the Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday. However, it refused to find that non-consensual anal penetration of a man is rape, holding that this is the function of the legislators and not the court.
The heads of argument and record of proceedings in the Constitutional Court’s deliberations on the dismissal of former National Intelligence Agency director general Billy Masetlha will be open to the public. Masetlha is asking the Constitutional Court to overturn a Pretoria High Court ruling upholding his dismissal.
The headline in Sunday tabloid Sondag on May 6, which quoted Springbok coach Jake White as saying he alone chooses the Springbok team, was wrong and misleading, White said on Thursday. White issued a strongly worded statement refuting the claim made in the headline, which led to much debate in rugby circles.
Opposition political parties have lauded Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s announcement that the South African Revenue Service is introducing a new, simplified income-tax return system. ”The long overdue and welcome simplification of South Africa’s tax-return system will hold many benefits …,” DA spokesperson Ian Davidson said on Thursday.
Schools in Khutsong township near Carletonville remained empty on Thursday as pupils continued boycotting classes, the Anti-North West Forum said. Spokesperson Jomo Mogale said only teachers were present in schools around Khutsong. Pupils are protesting against the incorporation of the Merafong municipality into the North West from Gauteng.
The apartheid regime was part of a global plot by the pharmaceutical industry, according to vitamin entrepreneur Dr Matthias Rath. He said in an affidavit filed in the Cape High Court: ”This regime was the political arm to turn South Africa into a bridgehead of the pharmaceutical interests with the goal to conquer and control the entire African continent.”
A credit-card payment unit in the Johannesburg metropolitan police department has been closed down following allegations that cashiers were using tourists’ credit cards to pay motorists’ fines fraudulently. The corrupt officials used information from the credit cards to pay fines on behalf of people who bribed them to do so.
Former South African soap-opera actress Lindiwe Chibi — best known for her role as ”Doobsie” in Muvhango — died on Wednesday night. The role of Doobsie that was created for her will be retired from Muvhango in her honour, said the show’s executive producer, Duma ka Ndlovu.
There is still no clarity on when the National Lottery, suspended since the end of March, will be back up and running. At a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa declined to elaborate on the issue. He repeated an earlier statement that he would be able to give a more ”definitive indication” at the end of May.
Media reports about chronic ambulance shortages in the Eastern Cape are a ”gross exaggeration”, the Eastern Cape health department said on Thursday. ”The situation is not out of hand,” said spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo. A national targeted norm of one ambulance for every 10Â 000 residents by 2010 had been set by the national committee on emergency services, he said.
Shaun Pollock was named the Cricketer of the Year at the fourth Mutual & Federal South African Cricket Awards held in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The Proteas legendary fast bowler scooped the prestigious award ahead of Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini and Ashwell Prince, who were all strong contenders.
Radar is being used to see if police Constable Francis Rasuge’s body is below the floor of her killer’s home, North West police said on Thursday. ”Police made use of ground-penetrating radar to check for any disturbance in the floor of the garage,” said Senior Superintendent Pieter du Plessis. ”The results will be available in two days.”
Twenty-four members of various cable-theft syndicates have been sentenced to a total collective sentence of 420 years’ imprisonment by the Kroonstad Regional Court, Spoornet said on Thursday. The syndicate members were convicted on 76 charges and received individual sentences ranging from three to 80 years’ imprisonment.
Oozing optimism and bonhomie at the start of the season, Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and Jomo Cosmos were all confident of winning the Premier Soccer League crown. Now, with the tail end of the season fast approaching, the three ambitious clubs are battling for their lives.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has urged the government to improve service delivery in order to halt protest action by disgruntled communities. ”These protests can easily be stopped before they even start by simply ensuring that the basics … are up and running as quickly as possible,” said Paul Willemburg, DA spokesperson on local government.
It was all but a one-horse race — a thoroughbred against a carthorse — as Premier League champions Mamelodi Sundowns went on a victory gallop at Ellis Park on Wednesday night and gave Orlando Pirates a football lesson during their sparkling 2-1 victory.
Four people, including the two grandchildren of a South African anti-apartheid activist, were arrested in Britain in connection with deadly bombings in London two years ago. The British media said Hasina Patel, 30-year-old widow of one of the bombers, Mohammad Sidique Khan, was one of the four held by police.
A 45-year-old man has appeared in a South African court for allegedly arranging three strippers for his son’s 16th birthday party attended by up to 20 teenagers, media reports said on Thursday. Prosecutors claim the teenagers were drinking alcohol at the celebrations at the boy’s parental home in March.
Former South African soap-opera actress Lindiwe Chibi has died, media reports said on Thursday. The Muvhango actress passed away at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital on Wednesday night. Chibi (31) was admitted to hospital last Friday suffering from pneumonia.