South Africa

Protesters, led by the Coalition Against Water Privatisation, handed a memorandum of demands to officials at Johannesburg Water offices and the Johannesburg City Council on Tuesday. In the four-page memo they stated reasons for opposing the introduction of pre-paid water meters in Soweto. Tuesday’s protest began at the Library Gardens.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation’s disciplinary process against SAfm journalist John Perlman should be called off immediately, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Tuesday. Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven said Perlman should be praised rather than disciplined.

Rescue workers are searching for five mine workers missing after a fall of ground at the Tautona mine near Carletonville, AngloGold Ashanti said on Tuesday. The fall follows two ”seismic events” that happened about 25 minutes apart on Monday afternoon, said spokesperson Steve Lanahan. Two other miners were rescued soon after the incident.

Twenty-seven people were arrested for various crimes in Hillbrow during a crime-busting operation in the area, police said on Tuesday. Among those arrested were four men caught trying to break into vehicles on Monday night, said spokesperson Inspector Kriban Naidoo. ”Some people were also arrested for loitering, possession of illegal firearms and armed robberies,” he said.

President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday expressed his condolences to the family of singer Lebo Mathosa following her death in a car accident. ”Mathosa’s … death constitutes a profound loss to the entire nation as she was one of the pathfinders of post-apartheid cultural expression,” the Presidency said in a statement.

A 23-year-old woman and her four-year-old child were killed in an apparent murder-suicide at a railway line in Kopanong in Tembisa on Tuesday morning, North Rand police said. ”It appears that the woman saw the train approaching and jumped in front of it with her child,” said police spokesperson Cynthia Kleinhans.

National women’s soccer team Banyana Banyana met former president Nelson Mandela on Tuesday to get some his Madiba magic ahead of the fifth African Women’s championships in Nigeria. ”I wish the best team wins and I know you are the best team,” he told the players, shaking hands and joking with them in Johannesburg.

The final step in harmonising finance, investment and other macroeconomic policies in Southern Africa, which could lead to the increase of foreign direct investment in the region, was taken on Monday. The majority of members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) signed the Protocol on Finance and Investment.

A fraud convict allegedly used the internet while serving time in prison to devise scams to fleece golf enthusiasts of millions of rands, the Wynberg Regional Court heard on Monday. A document handed to Magistrate Robert Henney told how Maurice de Grandhomme was assigned by the prison authorities to take charge of the kiosk at the Pollsmoor Prison golf driving range.

Minister of Provincial and Local Government Sydney Mufamadi has urged members of the public to become active whistle-blowers in a bid to root out corruption. He was speaking at the launch of the local government anti-corruption strategy in Midrand on Monday. ”Strong, sustainable relations with communities are important to deter unethical conduct, fraud and corruption in local government.”

A fire broke out in the administration block of the University of Johannesburg campus in Doornfontein on Monday morning, emergency services said. Spokesperson Malcolm Midgley said the blaze was extinguished before 7.15am. ”We are now busy with the ventilation of the building. The investigator is at the scene to determine the cause of the fire.”