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South Africa
Arms
and Ammunition
Questions
raised over arms deals - 3 August
Opposition parties have called on Parliament to investigate the
committee that authorises arms deals with overseas countries. The
National Conventional Arms Control Committee is responsible for
giving local businesses the green light to sell weapons and
ammunition. DA Member of Parliament David Maynier said local
businesses have, for the past year, been selling weapons to
nations with a questionable track record. "
Libya,
Syria and Venezuela. Stop the export of weapons systems or military support equipment
if it has not already been delivered", Maynier said
adamently. Independent Democrats leader Patricia De Lille insists
that the arms control body needs to be accountable for its
actions. - Eye Witness
News website
State
remains mum on DA's arms deal claims - 4 August
The state maintained a stony silence on Monday in the face of
allegations by the DA that sales of weaponry and military
equipment to countries with dubious human rights records had gone
ahead unprocedurally. - IOL
website
ANC
wants DA arms deal whistleblower’s head - 12 August
The ANC has demanded a Democratic Alliance MP, who has made
explosive claims that
South Africa
was selling arms to so-called rogue states, removed from
Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Defence. David Maynier earlier
this month revealed South Africa
was selling arms to several countries, including
North Korea
, which is on the United Nations' embargo list. ANC MP Stella
Ndabeni demanded Maynier reveal how he obtained sensitive
information on
South Africa
's various arms deals. He has refused to give up his sources. - Eye
Witness News website
See
also : Eastern Cape High
Court : Mthatha
Communications
New
law to regulate MXit - 7 August
Children would be protected from abuse on social networking sites
such as MXit if President Jacob Zuma approves amendments to the Film
and Publications Act. The Film and Publications Board is
waiting his approval. The board passed the amendments to the act
before the Parliamentary Portfolio committee in 2008 to protect
minors from improper activities that take place in the chat rooms
of social networking site MXit. - IOL
website
Rasethaba's
legal mind keeps her focused - 8 August
It was her cousin, then Webber Wentzel attorney Phineas Mojapelo,
who set Ouma Rasethaba, Telkom's chief of governance,firmly on a
legal path.
Mojapelo, now Gauteng deputy Judge President, inspired the young
Rasethaba through his well-considered opinions and his constant
emphasis on fact rather than rumour. Rasethaba become an advocate,
sharing offices and costs with a pool of other advocates in
chambers in Johannesburg.
Just 18 months later Rasethaba's career took a sharp turn and she
joined the Road Accident Fund, sitting on the other side of the
third-party claims fence. Her past experience served her well in
the new role and she soon found her talents being sought for an
even more challenging role as a member of the National Prosecuting
Authority (NPA). "I stayed more than six years with the NPA
before I was head-hunted by Telkom". - The
Times website
SABC's
surprise debtor - 3 August
National and provincial government departments owe the SABC more
than R300-million in advertising fees. The money is owed for
airtime sales, outdoor broadcast ventures and advertising on both
television and radio.
The government - sole shareholder in the public broadcaster -
could ease the cash flow crisis crippling the SABC by simply
paying up. - The Times
website
Copyright
The
creativity of the Commons - 4 August
I’ve been playing around in the Creative Commons for the last
couple of days and I’m blown away by the treasures that lurk
here. For those that don’t know Creative Commons is essentially
a public license to freely use work produced by others, generally
with an attribution to the original author/creator of the work.
Creative Commons is also a non-profit organisation which is
dedicated to allowing others to legally use the creations of
others. - Grub Street blog
Correctional
Services
Call
for fresh Shaik probe - 11 August
Questions have surfaced again about the "terminally ill"
Schabir Shaik, after he was seen driving about in his black BMW on
Monday. Shaik was released five months ago on medical parole as
someone who was "in the last phase of terminal illness".
But on Monday, DA councillor Dean Macpherson saw him behind the
steering wheel of his BMW in Durban's Morningside suburb. It was
reported last month that Schabir Shaik had attended his wife
Zuleikha's birthday party at a French restaurant in Umhlanga. City
Press also remarked in Siyahleba, its political column on
Saturday, that Schabir Shaik was seen in his car at a fuel station
close to his home on Friday, joking around with petrol attendants.
- News24 website
'We
can't force him to die' - 11 August
Schabir Shaik is entitled to "move around" Durban during
his free time on weekends and public holidays, according to the
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Correctional Services. - IOL
website
11
August 2009
Correctional
Services responds to questions on Mr Shaik's parole
SA Government Information
website
Shaik
denies breaking parole - 12 August
Convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik has called allegations that he
broke the conditions of his parole by driving around in Durban's
Musgrave area a "total fabrication". This is according
to Thami Zondi of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Correctional
Services, in response to a video that shows Shaik entering his
Innes Road home on Monday afternoon. It also emerged that Shaik is
allowed out of his home at specific times to do his shopping and
other errands. Zondi said the only time during which Shaik is
allowed to leave his home is on a Saturday afternoon between noon
and 16:00. - News24 website
Shaik
spotted on midnight jaunt : report - 14 August
Convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik was spotted just after midnight
at a 24-hour petrol station shop in Durban recently, according to
the Mail & Guardian. - The
Times website
Shaik
spotted playing golf : report - 12 August
Convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik - out on medical parole with a
supposedly terminal illness - has been spotted playing golf at
various clubs around Durban, according to a Johannesburg
newspaper. - The Times
website
See
also :
Great
Train Robber Biggs released
Lockerbie
bomber 'to be released'
Courts
Branch
courts turned into full service courts - 12 August
Fifteen branch courts across the country are now enjoying the
status of being full service courts with improved access to the
justice system following the extension of their services. As of
Tuesday, the branch courts started to offer full services to
communities in townships and rural areas, who had no access to
justice services offered by the main courts located in the
historically urban and developed areas. The 15 branch courts being
converted in this current phase are located in seven of the nine
provinces including Eastern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and
Mpumalanga, three in Gauteng, six in Northern Cape, and two in the
Western Cape. - BuaNews
Online website
12
August 2009
Justice
re-designates branch courts into full service court
SA Government Information
website
Criminal
Justice System
New
system minimising docket theft - 7 August
No less than 668 SAPS dockets have gone "missing"
during 2008 and 2009, up a staggering 56 percent. This statistic
was released by DA MP and spokeswoman for safety and security
Dianne Kohler Barnard earlier in 2009 in reply to a question in
Parliament. Figures for lost or stolen dockets have
increased over the years from 382 dockets in 2005 and 2006 to
427 in 2007 and 2008 to 668, which translates to an average of
almost two dockets disappearing a day. But in a bid to curb this
the SAPS has rolled out a pilot e-docket system across a number
of police stations. - IOL
website
Education
'Knife
boy should be expelled' - 13 August
A group of Durban parents, concerned for the safety of their
children, are trying to prevent a 13-year-old boy from returning
to school on Monday. He allegedly threatened pupils with a knife
in class. The Grade 7 pupil from Kenmont Junior Primary School on
the Bluff, was suspended last week after allegedly running through
his class, brandishing a knife at fellow pupils. The July 25
incident was captured on closed-circuit television cameras.
Parents were angry that the Education Department was refusing to
expel the boy, despite him being reported for other acts of
violence and sexual harassment. - IOL
website
'It's
horrible to hurt a young man' - 5 August
The mother of a boy at the centre of a row between the Education
Department and his school believes he is being victimised. The
suspended 13-year-old is waiting to hear whether he can return to
school. His mother is waiting for feedback from the Department of
Education and the school's governing body is waiting to hear
whether its application for an interdict to prevent the boy from
returning to school is successful. The young boy's mother is
disgusted with the way the school has handled the matter and
firmly believes her child is being victimised. "My son is
disillusioned and upset. He's seen two social workers and a
psychologist. Psychologically they are messing him up. Even a
criminal gets a better chance than he has been given. He says
other people interfere with him and he gets picked on," said
the mother. The knife incident took place on May 29 and he has not
returned to school since. In the interim, a disciplinary hearing
was held and the school suspended him for five days. A
well-placed department official said the boy had been diagnosed
with a condition and was receiving treatment. - Daily
News website
Kenmont
reaches pupil settlement - 13 August
Kenmont Junior Primary School, on the Bluff, has reached a
settlement with a 15-year-old pupil who allegedly stabbed a fellow
pupil with a pair of scissors in June. At a recent meeting with
the boy's parents, it had been agreed that they would remove him
from the school by the end of the year. - IOL
website
Environment
Government
group poisons trees : report - 4 August
About 150 yellowwood trees, an endangered species and the national
tree of South Africa, were chopped down and poisoned in the
Drakensberg because a government environmental group mistook them
for black wattle trees, a report said on Tuesday. The yellowwood
trees that were destroyed were between 50 and 100 years old, Beeld
newspaper reported. The Working for Water initiative, administered
by the department of water affairs and forestry, was created to
fight invasive alien plants. - IOL
website
Cost
of nuclear demo plant soars to R31bn - 3 August
The cost of Pebble Bed Modular Reactor's (PBMR's) demonstration
plant and pilot fuel plant had almost doubled to R31-billion as a
result of inflation and higher materials costs, company chief
executive Jaco Kriek said last week. Kriek said the demonstration
reactor, which would generate 200 megawatts of heat and 80MW of
electricity, was now expected to be commissioned by 2018 - four
years later than previously expected. The plant has yet to receive
environmental clearance. - Business
Report website
Breathing
earth simulation
This real-time simulation displays the CO2 emissions of every
country in the world, as well as their birth and death rates
Diary
: R W Johnson - 6 August
In early March, while staying at our holiday cottage in Trafalgar
on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, I went swimming, as has been my
habit for many years, in the idyllic Mpenjathi lagoon. As I neared
the shore I hit my foot painfully on a submerged rock ; a quick
inspection showed that several toes were bleeding. The bleeding
soon stopped but the next day my whole foot was sore. I tried to
ignore it but matters rapidly got worse and soon I was running a
fever and felt so ill I was giddy and unsteady on my feet. I had
necrotising fasciitis, caused by flesh-eating bacteria which
rapidly invade and poison the body. Almost certainly the reason
the lagoon was polluted with such a deadly organism was to do with
the dumping of raw sewage by communities living upriver. - London
Review of Books website
Finance
Mboweni
: no such thing as a popular governor - 8 August
Many have tried to undermine the SA Reserve Bank (SARB)'s
independence, outgoing-governor of the bank Tito Mboweni said on
Saturday evening. He was addressing his farewell dinner held
at the SARB's headquarters in Pretoria. Mboweni added that a
central bank should be able to perform its function without
"fear, favour or prejudice". - Mail
& Guardian website
Parting
shots from Mboweni - 10 August
Many have tried to undermine the South African Reserve Bank's
independence, outgoing Governor Tito Mboweni said on Saturday
evening. - Business Report
website
Foreign
Policy
Back
to school for Skweyiya, Balfour and Leon - 3 August
Two former Cabinet ministers and an opposition leader will begin
training as
South Africa
’s chief envoys in key diplomatic posts on Monday. Fierce
speculation about their appointments has forced the International
Relations and Cooperation Department to announce their
appointments a little earlier than it would have liked. The
statement does not name Skweyiya as heading to
London
, Balfour destined for
Gaborone and Leon
taking up a post in Buenos Aires. The statement also does not mention Pallo Jordan, who
has been tipped to become ambassador to the United Nations. -
Eye Witness News
website
3
August 2009
Diplomatic
training commences for Ambassador designates Skweyiya, Balfour and
Leon
SA Government Information
website
Buds
of promise in political landscape despite rough winds - 7
August
My recent appointment as a South African ambassador-designate
brings to an end my column-writing for this newspaper and its
sister publication, The Weekender. - Tony Leon on the Business
Day website
Government
Cabinet
wants to change perceptions about govt - 14 August
Cabinet said on Thursday it was concerned about public concerns
government was ’living large’ while citizens were feeling
the pain caused by the economic downturn. Minister of
Finance Pravin Gordhan tabled a draft report aimed at addressing
these concerns. A ministerial task team has been set up to
look at reprioritising spending to increase the impact
of the budget. - Eye
Witness News website
State
studying Gordhan’s report - 14 August
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has tabled his first draft
report to Cabinet on how the state can “reduce wastage” in
its operations. - The Times
website
Zuma
in new bid to rein in cities, provinces - 14 August
The government is designing the necessary legislative framework
to allow national government to intervene in provinces and
municipalities when dealing with graft and non performance.
Under the system - dubbed a "tool in the hands of the
president" - early warning systems would be put in place to
deal with issues in provinces and municipalities before these
spiral out of control. - Business
Day website
13
August 2009
Statement
on the meeting by President Jacob Zuma with Premiers and Mayors
SA Government Information
website
Zuma
opposes call for debate on race - 14 August
President Jacob Zuma says a debate on race would take the
country backwards, and has called instead for a deeper
understanding of non-racialism in the country. - IOL
website
Health
Public
urged to participate in NHI process - 11 August
President Jacob Zuma has urged the public to participate in the
debates and consultative process around the National Health
Insurance (NHI). "Once the consultation process has
started, we urge the public to study the proposals, engage in
debates and contribute resources, skills and expertise to the
final product that will emerge after consultations," the
President said. The President added that the NHI will be
implemented in a phased manner to allow for consultation, policy
making and legislation review. - BuaNews
Online website
See
also : Bloggers
debate British healthcare
Human
Rights
Forced
circumcision : son takes parents on - 11 August
Tradition is set to be pitted against the constitution in a
landmark case around forced circumcision, which is due to go to
trial on Monday. Bonani Yamani, now 21, was abducted from his home
shortly before dawn on March 3, 2007. He was tied up, taken to the
bush, circumcised against his will, then forced to eat the skin
taken from his penis. Circumcision is against Yamani's personal
religious beliefs, and he subsequently asked traditional leaders
for an apology and an undertaking that no one would in future be
subjected to forced circumcision. Instead, Eastern Cape Contralesa
chairperson Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana was quoted as saying that those
who refused traditional circumcision should be ostracised by the
community. Yamani's case is being handled on a pro bono
basis by the Justice Alliance of South Africa in the Equality
Court of the Bhisho High Court in the Eastern Cape. The Congress
of Traditional Leaders of South Africa has declared that its
position on circumcision - forced or otherwise - would remain
unchanged, regardless of what a court may order. - IOL
website
Keyphrase :
Bill of Rights
'Forced
circumcision' case delay - 12 August
The case – brought to court by the Justice Alliance of South
Africa (Jasa) and Bonani Yamani, 21, against his father Lindile
Yamani and Eastern Cape Contralesa chief Mwelo Nonkonyana – was
postponed to October 12. According to John Smyths, who was to
represent Bonani yesterday, the reason for the postponement was
that Bonani's father had just hired an advocate who needed to
familiarise himself with the case. - Weekend
Post website
Social
workers take away beggars' children - 5 August
The problem of beggars with children on streets has become so bad
in Midrand the police and the Department of Social Development
have intervened by arresting parents and taking their children to
shelters. The matter went to court and the parents were told that
to get their children back they should find someone who would look
after them while they (the parents) tried to earn a living. - IOL
website
'Sex
workers can attend our meetings' - 1 August
Sex workers will for the first time be invited to attend meetings
of government's multi-sector Aids body amid talk that the oldest
profession in the world could soon be decriminalised. The South
African National Aids Council, at its first meeting chaired by
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe on Friday, resolved to invite
sex workers' representatives to its future meetings. - IOL
website
International
Policy
SA
Muslims seek prosecutions for Gaza war - 5 August
Two Muslim NGO's have approached the National Prosecuting
Authority, to act against South Africans they claim were involved
in war crimes in
Gaza
. The groups say there is overwhelming evidence that at least 70
people some with SA and Israeli citizenship carried out operation
'cast lead' last December. - Eye
Witness News website
Jewish
board slams war crimes claims - 6 August
The Jewish Board of Deputies has hit back at two Muslim NGOs who
have approached the NPA to act against South Africans they
claim were involved in war crimes in Gaza. - Eye
Witness News website
S
Africa targets visiting IDF official for prosecution - 11
August
A former South African Cabinet minister and two NGOs are calling
for the war crimes prosecution of an Israeli soldier visiting the
country. David Benjamin, a former South African who is a
lieutenant colonel in the Israel Defense Forces, came to South
Africa to speak at three Limmud events on the subject of legal
issues of warfare. Activist Zackie Achmat called the invitation of
Benjamin, who was the IDF's legal adviser on Gaza from 2001 to
2005, "the equivalent of inviting Sudanese President Ali
Bashir to a conference on genocide". - Jewish
Times website
Judicial
Service Commission, and, Judiciary
Namibia
: face to face with Albie Sachs - 7 August
It was a rare moment of touching history when judges, lawyers,
journalists and former Namibian exiles spontaneously rose to
give a standing ovation to an icon of South Africa's political
transformation, Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs, in
Windhoek on Friday during the launch of a book about legal
perspectives on human rights in Africa. - allAfrica
website
6
August 2009
Zuma
names Sandile Ngcobo as Chief Justice
BuaNews Online website
JZ's
Chief Justice 'masterstroke' - 6 August
President Jacob Zuma's choice for the position of Chief Justice
has been roundly welcomed. "Justice Sandile Ngcobo has a
solid human rights track record. His long and distinguished
service as a Justice of the Supreme Court brings with it the
experience and the fortitude our country needs to assure that
the judiciary remains an independent arbiter for every citizen",
said ANC spokesman Jessie Duarte yesterday. The SA Communist
Party said Ngcobo had the requisite qualities needed to ensure a
"radical" transformation of the judiciary. - The
Citizen website
Keyphrases :
African National Congress
Democratic Alliance
Kevin Malunga
Pierre de Vos
South African Communist Party
Hlope
loses as Zuma backs Ngcobo as SA's new top judge - 6 August
President Jacob Zuma has nominated Judge Sandile Ngcobo to
become South Africa's next Chief Justice, in place of Judge Pius
Langa.
Announcing this at the Pretoria Press Club on Thursday,
President Zuma said that as a graduate of the universities of
Zululand, Natal, Georgetown Law Centre and Harvard, Ngcobo would
bring a wealth of experience to the task of heading the highest
court in the land. - Sowetan
website
Zuma
looks to Ngcobo as new chief justice - 6 August
President Jacob Zuma has nominated Constitutional Court Judge
Sandile Ngcobo to replace Judge Pius Langa, who retires from the
position of chief justice later this year. - Mail
& Guardian website
Keyphrase :
African National Congress
Ngcobo's
nomination to be discussed - 6 August
President Jacob Zuma will meet with the Judicial Service
Commission and opposition parties to discuss his nominee for
chief justice. On Thursday he named Sandile Ngcobo as his pick
to replace Pius Langa when he retires in October. Zuma has to
consult with parties and the JSC but he did not necessarily need
to take their advice. - Eye
Witness News website
Keyphrase :
Pierre de Vos
Too
early to tell? - 6 August
Why has President Jacob Zuma decided to appoint Justice
Sandile Ngcobo as Chief Justice? What does it say about the
ANC and the President’s view on the independence of the
judiciary and its role in our constitutional democracy?
Justice Ngcobo will serve only 18 months as Chief Justice
before President Zuma will again have the opportunity to
appoint a Chief Justice - this time perhaps from the four new
appointments to be made later this year. - Pierre de Vos on
the Constitutionally
Speaking blog
Ngcobo
nomination draws mixed response - 6 August
Opposition parties expressed regret on Thursday that Deputy
Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke did not get the nod as next chief
justice, but still welcomed President Jacob Zuma's nomination of
Sandile Ngcobo for the post. - IOL
website
Keyphrases :
African Christian Democratic Party
African National Congress
Democratic Alliance
Inkatha Freedom Party
South African Communist Party
Zuma's
pick for Chief Justice 'objective' choice - 7 August
President Jacob Zuma’s nomination of Constitutional Court
Judge Sandile Ngcobo to replace Judge Pius Langa, who retires as
Chief Justice later this year, has been welcomed – with
reservations.
Opposition parties expressed regret yesterday that Deputy Chief
Justice Dikgang Moseneke did not get the nod as the country's
next top judge, but still welcomed Zuma's choice of nominee.
They also expressed relief that at least his nomination "eliminates
controversial Cape Judge-President John Hlophe from the race".
Explaining his choice in Pretoria yesterday, Zuma said he had
taken the decision "objectively". - Weekend
Post website
Keyphrases :
African Christian Democratic Party
African National Congress
Democratic Alliance
Inkatha Freedom Party
South African Communist Party
Opposition
parties want Ngcobo's nomination withdrawn - 7 August
Three of the country's major opposition parties issued a joint
statement on Friday, calling on President Jacob Zuma to withdraw
his nomination for chief justice. The Democratic Alliance,
Independent Democrats and the Congress of the People said Zuma
failed to property consult them about his decision to appoint
Sandile Ngcobo as Pius Langa's replacement. According to the
constitution, the president is required to consult opposition
parties and the Judicial Service Commission before making the
appointment official. - Eye
Witness News website
10
August 2009
Why
Zuma must withdraw Chief Justice nomination : joint letter
from opposition leaders to the South African president (Patricia
de Lille - Helen Zille - Mvume Dandala - Mangosuthu Buthelezi).
- Politicsweb
website
7
August 2009
The
Presidency responds to opposition statement on Chief Justice
Nominee
SA Government Information
website
Chief
injustice : Ngcobo a relief, but why was it not Moseneke? -
7 August
Business Day editorial on the allAfrica
website
A
good man caught in crossfire - 11 August
Raenette Taljaard : Another Take on The
Times website
Hlophe
Alliance : we are gracious in defeat - 10 August
The Justice for Hlophe Alliance said on Friday it would push for
another Constitutional Court position for Cape Judge President
John Hlophe, who was not given the post of chief justice. The
alliance, however, accepted President Jacob Zuma's nomination of
Sandile Ngcobo for chief justice. - IOL
website
Hlophe
: verdict of history awaits - 8 August
Controversy over Judge John Hlophe must not divert attention
from the broader importance of getting the philosophical balance
right on the Constitutional Court, writes Mpumelelo Mkhabela.
When interviewed for confirmation as deputy chief justice in the
Constitutional Court succession race in 2005, Judge Dikgang
Moseneke remarked prophetically on the challenges facing the
country. Unlike previous appointments, those now pending can be
made with the benefit of hindsight - the current crop of
candidates have a track record over the last 15 years of
democracy.
Judicial philosophies can be discerned not only on the basis of
life experiences, but can be assessed from cases argued in court
(in the case of advocates) and from judgments or public comments
(in the case of the 23 judges from other courts). - The
Times website
New
Chief Justice speaks - 7 August
Justice Sandile Ngcobo thought he was dreaming when he watched
President Jacob Zuma announce on TV his nomination to lead South
Africa's judiciary. - IOL
website
Ngcobo
gears up for JSC interview - 10 August
Chief justice nominee Judge Sandile Ngcobo is expected to face a
grilling at the Judicial Service Commission next month. JSC
spokesperson Marumo Moerane told Weekend Argus the
commission would interview Ngcobo on September 5, together with
the other judges nominated for the Constitutional Court Bench. -
IOL website
Zuma
and the chief justice : a tragic comedy of errors - 11
August
Mphuthumi Ntabeni on the broader implications of the president's
failure of consulation. - Politicsweb
website
Keyphrase :
Cope
'Like
trying to sow the head back onto a chicken' - 12 August
Gareth van Onselen analyses Zuma's failure to consult the
opposition on the new CJ. - Politicsweb
website
Speed
interviews for the Constitutional Court - 1 August
Many aspects of SA's judicial appointment process have been
taken up by other progressive countries. But while we were a
leading light a few years ago, there are aspects of the system
that have now fallen behind.
One of these is the need for proper "due diligence"
checks to be carried out on the candidates who come before the
Judicial Service Commission (JSC). - Carmel Rickard on The
Weekender website
Leading
judge turns down top posting - 12 August
One of the country's leading jurists, Supreme Court of Appeal
Judge Belinda van Heerden, no longer wants to be considered for
a post on the highest court in the land - at least not for now.
It is understood that Van Heerden believes there are issues of
vital importance to the future of the Constitutional Court and
the judiciary as a whole that have not yet been satisfactorily
resolved. Until these are resolved, the judge is apparently
unwilling to make herself available for further judicial
appointment. Judge Van Heerden withdrew her nomination for the
vacancies on the Concourt on July 27. - IOL
website
Judicial
Service Commission : It may be prudent for the JSC to take stock
of its role - 12 August
The adverse publicity surrounding the Judicial
Service Commission (JSC) over the past weeks, and the fact that,
twice within that period, recourse has been had to the courts to
ensure that the procedures it follows are open and transparent,
has done neither the JSC nor the judiciary any good. - Nichola
de Havilland, Director of the Centre for Constitutional Rights,
on the Business Day
website
Judge
Hlophe
Hlophe
at mercy of peers - 2 August
Judge John Hlophe needs the support of 12 of the 23 members of
the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to avoid impeachment on
charges that he tried to improperly influence Constitutional
Court judges in corruption charges against Jacob Zuma. He has
two vociferous supporters and the possible support of the
eight-member "ANC caucus" in the JSC. - News24
website
Guard
judicial independence - 2 August
South Africa's judiciary is at a crossroads. Accompanying it
at this critical juncture is South African society - present
and future generations.
The transposition of dirty succession campaigns from muddy
party politics to the judiciary, as evidenced by the
disgraceful battles between Western Cape Judge President John
Hlophe and the Constitutional Court judges, should have every
civilised citizen worried.
How could it be that in just 15 years of democracy,
society’s forte, reflected in the practice of judicial
independence, could appear to be suddenly in ruins? Editorial.
- The Times website
Judicial
excellence not racial bean-counting is key attribute - 3
August
This is an appeal to members of the judiciary and the legal
profession who have any respect for the rule of law and for
the preservation of our constitutional democracy, to resign in
protest should Judge John Hlophe accede to the position of
Constitutional Court judge or chief justice. - Rhoda Kadalie,
human rights activist, on the Dispatch
Online website
Still
looks like someone is lying to the JSC - 4 August
Ascertaining what happened when Western Cape Judge President
John Hlophe visited judges Bess Nkabinde and Chris Jafta at
the Constitutional Court last year, and allegedly tried to
improperly influence them, comes down to a factual dispute,
legal experts say. The University of Cape Town's Pierre de Vos
says : "There are clear disputes of fact that cannot be
explained away". There is "no possibility" that
it was all a big misunderstanding. It is also a difficult
factual dispute because, as Hlophe himself said, he never
threatened or bribed anyone. So in order to ascertain whether
there was, in fact, an improper attempt to influence the
judges, it all comes down to what was said, what was not said,
how it was said and in what context. - Business
Day website
'I
am not going to shake a white man's hand' - 8 August
President Jacob Zuma's legal woes split the legal profession,
including judges, right down the middle and Western Cape Judge
President John Hlophe believes his sin was to side with the
ANC president. "You will recall that [at the recent
hearings in Johannesburg] I never retracted the statement that
I believed Zuma was innocent," said Hlophe in an
interview with the Mail & Guardian in Cape Town.
Hlophe said after the Johannesburg hearings that he flatly
refused to shake Langa's hand, adding : "I am not going
to shake a white man's hand". On Langa's decision to
publish allegations that he had attempted to "improperly
influence" judges Nkabinde and Chris Jafta, he said :
"It was not his [Langa's] agenda. The Chief Justice was
serving other political forces. The old man should have stayed
out of it and waited to retire," Hlophe said. - Mail
& Guardian website
Hlophe
denies naming Buthelezi - 11 August
Western Cape judge president John Hlophe on Tuesday denied
mentioning IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi or the Zulu King in
a Mail & Guardian interview. - News24
website
I've
heard nothing directly from Judge Hlophe re his denial of
remarks about Pius Langa, Buthelezi. Perhaps he now knows
how Moseneke feels
Hlophe
claims his dangerous words to the M&G last week
were made up. They weren't. Sometimes its a shock, seeing
your rashness in print
Nic Dawes on Twitter
Alleged
Hlophe claims could land him in hot water - 12 August
A Constitutional law expert said on Wednesday Western Cape
Judge President John Hlophe may get into more trouble for
comments he allegedly made about Chief Justice Pius Langa. - Eye
Witness News website
Hlophe
'explains' himself in letter to Langa - 13 August
Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe has written to Chief
Justice Pius Langa in a bid to calm a growing storm over
provocative racial remarks he reportedly made to a journalist
- but he stopped short of apologising. Go to http://www.theweekender.co.za/hlophe.pdf
for the document : John Hlophe's letter to Chief Justice Pius
Langa. - Business Day
website
Hlophe
not a 'careless Zulu' - 13 August
Cape Judge President John Hlophe has denied racist comments
attributed to him in a recent newspaper report, saying he is
not a "careless Zulu" who would say such things.
This came after the Judicial Service Commission (JSC)
announced it is investigating the matter and is trying to
determine the credibility of the report. Hlophe could be
guilty of misconduct if it is found that he broke any of the
ethical rules which judges must abide by. - News24
website
Hlophe
to take legal action against journalist - 13 August
Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe is preparing his
complaint to the Press Ombudsman over comments attributed to
him in the Mail and Guardian newspaper. The paper
quoted Hlophe last week saying he would not shake
Chief Justice Pius Langa's hand because he was a white man - a
claim the judge denied. - Eye
Witness News website
AfriForum
submits complaint against Hlophe - 13 August
The legal team of the civil rights initiative AfriForum today
submitted a written complaint against Judge John Hlophe to the
Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in response to the racist
and hurtful remarks that Hlope had allegedly made regarding
judges of the Constitutional Court, according to an article in
the Mail & Guardian. Hlophe is quoted as having
said, amongst other things, that he refused to shake the hand
of Chief Justice Pius Langa, as "I am not going to shake
a white man's hand". - Politicsweb
website
Hlophe
treated unfairly compared to Griesel : JFHA - 13 August
Open letter to the Chairperson of the Judicial Service
Commission. - Politicsweb
website
Hlophe
on the slippery slope? - 14 August
Legal experts believe "racist" remarks, attributed
to Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe by a weekly
newspaper, diminish his stature in his current position and
threaten his chances of being appointed to the highest court
in the land. - The Times
website
Why
Hlophe needs to be held accountable for his racist jibe -
14 August
Black racism is no less real than white racism. A recent jibe
that reminds us of this unpleasant reality is Judge John
Hlophe's reported remark that he would not shake "a white
man's hand". It is funny, of course, that the white man
in question has the rather spectacularly morphologically black
face and body of Chief Justice Pius Langa. - Eusebius
McKaiser, political and social analyst at the Centre for the
Study of Democracy, on the Business
Day website
|
Langa
'considering his options' over Hlophe comments - 14
August
Chief Justice Pius Langa has not ruled out the
possibility of a formal complaint about remarks made by
Western Cape Judge President John Hlophe last week.
Asked during an interview at his chambers in the
Constitutional Court whether Hlophe's latest attack on
him warranted a formal response by the Judicial Service
Commission (JSC), Langa told the M&G :
"If it does I am still considering my
options". - Mail
& Guardian website |
JSC
to meet on Hlophe complaint - 14 August
The Judicial Service Commission's (JSC) complaints committee
will meet on Saturday to discuss whether it should hold a full
inquiry into the misconduct allegations against Cape Judge
President John Hlophe, a spokesperson said. - Mail
& Guardian website
KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal
treasury budget takes R17m cut - 5 August
The 2009-10 budget for the KwaZulu- Natal provincial treasury
has been cut by R17,8m to R624,9m from last year in line with
the government's belt- tightening exercise. - Business
Day website
R24bn
for KZN education - 4 August
Better school principals, more schools and fewer teenage
pregnancies were some of the promises KwaZulu-Natal education
MEC Senzo Mchunu made in his budget on Tuesday. "There is
pressure on them to perform at a high level in their
management of schools," Mchunu told the provincial
legislature in Pietermaritzburg while tabling his R24.6bn
budget for the next financial year. - News24
website
MEC
to act on R1m a month building - 5 August
KwaZulu-Natal health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo has vowed to close
down the offices rented by his department in a building
allegedly owned by "very prominent people".
The building was rented despite the department having enough
office space at their headquarters in the same town.
The department is allegedly renting the building for up to
R1million a month and the contract runs for 10 years.
The issue of the rented building surfaced last year when
opposition parties complained that the department was wasting
taxpayers' money by renting offices at Trison Towers in
Pietermaritzburg.
The building is allegedly owned by former prominent senior
government officials. - Sowetan
website
Labour
Issues
600
000 affected by shorter work hours - 4 August
Thousands of employees have already been affected by the
retrenchment crisis since October last year, according to the
calculations of the trade union Solidarity, whether through
retrenchments or job freezes. In addition, the working hours of
thousands of employees have now been reduced. There are 608 000
employees in South Africa who previously worked more than 45
hours per week but who have been working shorter hours since the
second quarter of 2008. - Cape
Business News website
Cosatu
squares up to state - 1 August
Cosatu, a key ANC ally, says it won't drop its demands on behalf
of workers merely because the country is in recession - not
while there is "crass materialism" and "high
stakes of opulence" in government ranks. Cosatu president
Sdumo Dlamini said the federation would not compromise. "No
one will stop us from putting demands and ultimatums," he
told The Independent on Saturday on Friday. - IOL
website
Pharmacists
reject wage offer - 3 August
The KZN Concerned Pharmacists Forum has threatened to take the
trade unions representing its members to court if they sign the
Department of Health's latest wage offer that pharmacists have
unanimously rejected. This emerged at a meeting where the forum
was officially launched on Saturday and after which 150
pharmacists from around the province faxed letters agreeing to
establish a trade union exclusively for pharmacists. - IOL
website
Eskom
Union
power protest could hurt economy - 5 August
Billions of rands would be lost to the economy from likely
electricity blackouts if 20 000 unionised workers out of
Eskom's 37 000 workers defy the Labour
Relations Act. The act outlaws strikes at the essential
service. - Business Report
website
Eskom
strike suspended - 12 August
The National Union of Mineworkers said on Wednesday the Eskom
strike had been suspended. Thousands of employees across the
country were expected to down tools over wage increases on
Thursday. Workers are demanding a 14 percent salary hike and
Eskom has offered a 10.5 percent increase. - Eye
Witness News website
Health
Wage
talks continue despite doctors signing agreement - 12 August
The South African Medical Association has confirmed that annual
wage negotiations are continuing even though doctors signed
an Occupation Specific Dispensation agreement. Trade unions
including NEHAWU and DENOSA signed the OSD agreement on Friday
with a special resolution that certain areas of concern, in government’s
offer, would be addressed. This includes the low percentage
increases for medical officers and specialist categories. -
Eye Witness News
website
Municipal
Workers
Enough
is enough - 5 August
The national treasury has insisted it will not give more money
to struggling municipalities to meet the pay claims of
striking council workers. This could result in local
governments taking drastic measures, including cutting
"lifeline" water and electricity supplies to the
poor or hiking basic service tariffs, the South African Local
Government Association (Salga) has warned. Salga spokesperson
Mogomotsi Mogodiri said increases could result in some
municipalities collapsing. - Mail
& Guardian website
South
African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)
SABC
wage deal signed and sealed - 12 August
The SABC and worker unions signed a wage deal on Tuesday,
ending a long-standing labour dispute that culminated in a
countrywide strike last month. "We signed and sealed the
deal," said SABC spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago. "It
is a 10-percent salary increase across the board - 8.5 percent
now, [from August] and 1.5 percent to be paid in December, all
of them back-dated to April 1". - IOL
website
Telkom
Telkom
employees gather at CCMA - 3 August
Hundreds of Telkom employees were picketing outside the CCMA
in Johannesburg on Monday morning, where the telecommunication
provider and the Communication Workers Union were engaging in
talks, the union said. The gathering comes after Telkom
employees around the country embarked on a stayaway on Monday
and Tuesday and threatened strike action if their demands were
not met. - IOL website
Land
Affairs and Property
Sentinel
sold in closed bidding - 5 August
Hout Bay's Sentinel, one of the Cape Peninsula's best-known
landmarks, has been sold. On Tuesday, the auctioneers confirmed
that the mountain had been sold through a closed bidding
process, but declined to say who the new owners were until they
had ironed out the terms and conditions attached to the sale.
Leno de Villiers, chief executive of the Julius Buchinsky Group
of auctioneers, said the names of the new owners would be
announced later this week. - IOL
website
Proposed
capitalisation of Pinnacle Point : agreement with Absa - 4
August
Interview with Hennie Pretorius, CEO, Pinnacle Point and Alec
Hogg on the Moneyweb
website
"Last night Absa's chief executive, Maria Ramos, spoke
plainly when she told us her bank would only inject another
R150m into Pinnacle Point if the troubled property developer was
itself able to raise R100m in fresh capital elsewhere. I put
this to Pinnacle's chief executive, Hennie Pretorius, who spoke
with us earlier today, that it's also somewhat different to the
story that's being propagated by his company"
See
: http://www.pinnaclepoint.co.za/
Auction
buyer held to ransom by tenants - 1 August
A Johannesburg property investor has been forced to fork out
more than R500 000 to get into houses she buys on sheriff's
auctions because the banks are not providing documentation on
the previous owners or their tenants when the houses go on sale. While
a clause in the sale in execution document forces new owners to
uphold lease agreements of the houses they buy, banks fail to
provide the agreement at the time of the sale, leaving new
property owners open to abuse. - IOL
website
'Illegal'
city mansion destroyed - 4 August
The city's building planning department has sent a strong
message to errant developers, with the demolishing of a Faerie
Glen home it claims was built according to fraudulent building
plans. Bricks and mortar tumbled to the ground on Monday as
a 20-ton excavator sliced through the Vermont Street home,
signalling the end of a protracted legal battle with the owner,
Carl Beukes. But Beukes claims the Tshwane Metro Council is
acting at the behest of a vexatious neighbour who had been
waging a vendetta against him and his wife since 2003. According
to officials on the scene, Beukes had been building additions to
his house for the past seven years without obtaining the
necessary documentation in accordance with building
regulations. - IOL
website
Land
Claims and Expropriation
Land
Bank may repossess farms - 2 August
The Land Bank has instituted legal action against 557 land
owners, half of them emerging farmers, for failing to repay
their loans, City Press reported on Sunday. Of the 557 the
bank had instituted legal action against by June 30, 283 (51
percent) were emerging farmers and 274 (49 percent) commercial
farmers. Seven of the 13 farmers who already lost their farms
this year were newly-established. - IOL
website
R146m
bailout for farmers - 8 August
A R146-million rescue package to bail out cash-strapped
farmers at the Land Bank was announced by Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Petterson, the
SABC reported on Saturday. This comes after the Land Bank
threatened legal action against more than 500 farmers for
failing to repay loans lent to them. - IOL
website
Why
would land claims include improvements and mineral rights?
- 1 August
The whole land claims policy of the ANC has been a total
disaster, and badly conceived in the first place. The majority
of South Africans probably descend from ancestors who occupied
rural land somewhere. Why should only those who occupied land
in 1913 get made rich, and everyone else get abandoned in
squatter camps? Blacks are dumped on the land with no training
in farming, and no state support. - The
Richmark Sentinel website
Land
claim matter settled - 7 August
Transfer of land for a R10-billion KwaZulu-Natal coastal
resort, stalled for more than two years by a community claim,
has been settled with over R200-million paid over by the
Department of Land Affairs last week. The 1 000ha Blythedale
Coastal Resort project is now set to go ahead. In 2008, Mark
Taylor, head of the development company eLan Group, said he
was ready to throw in the towel as progress on the claim had
stalled, resulting in a loss of over 50 percent of property
pre-development sales, which range from about R600 000 to R6m
a piece. - IOL website
Commission
blamed for District 6 delay - 4 August
The redevelopment of District Six has suffered another
setback, with the long-awaited business plan for the area -
which was expected in June - now to be completed only in 2010.
And a pilot project of 114 houses has now been reduced to just
65 houses, thanks to a R22-million funding shortfall. With the
project beset by delays over the years, the City of Cape Town
has now placed the blame for the latest delay squarely at the
door of the Land Claims Commission, accusing it of not having
the capacity and expertise to handle a project of this kind. -
IOL website
Billions
wasted in Gateway housing project - 7 August
The national Department of Housing has come under fire on the
N2 Gateway programme for failing to ensure that social housing
legislation was implemented ahead of beginning the massive
housing project, according to auditor-general Terence
Nombembe's report. Nombembe revealed a four-year trail of
mismanagement, irregular procedures and waste in the state
housing project in Cape Town, which Parliament's standing
committee on public accounts suggested could have involved
fruitless expenditure to the tune of R2 billion. - Business
Report website
City
of Cape Town to take legal action against former City manager
- 6 August
The City of
Cape Town
looks set to pursue legal action against former City
Manager Wallace Mgoqi over a controversial N2 Gateway
housing deal. The City has briefed parliament's watchdog on
public accounts on a number of irregularities contained in the
Auditor General's report on the housing project. MPS today
blasted City managed Achmat Ebrahim and his team for not
taking decisive action against officials involved in the
appointment of Cyberia as the N2 Gateway Project Managers in
2004. - Eye Witness
News website
Media
Press
ombud rules on anonymous sources - 8 August
A second media house has been found to be in violation of the
press code in as many weeks for running a story without a named
source. "This is another example of the reckless use of
anonymous sources," read a statement from ombudsman Joe
Thloloe. The press ombudsman released a ruling on Thursday
relating to a story the Times had run on a
mealtime conversation overheard between former presidency director
general Frank Chikane and former public enterprises minister Alec
Erwin during the ANC's elective conference in Polokwane in 2007.
The publication has to run an apology and an abbreviated version
of the ombudsman's decision. In a complaint relating to a Mail
& Guardian article by Adriaan Basson on alleged
bribery of Telkom executives, based on what he considered an
impeccable source, the ombudsman wrote recently : "The South
African National Editors' Forum's guidelines on confidential
briefings and sources states : "Anonymous sources should
generally be used only as a last resort - ie, when there is no
other way to get and publish the story". - Mail
& Guardian website
Minerals
and Energy
SA
suspends disposal of state mining assets - 13 August
The Cabinet has approved a suspension on the disposal of mining
assets currently held by state entities, government spokesperson
Themba Maseko said on Thursday. Maseko said at a post-Cabinet
briefing that the moratorium was intended to provide the minister
of mineral resources adequate time to conduct and finalise an
audit of mining interests held directly or indirectly by the
state. - Mail & Guardian
website
SA
Parliament committee to visit mines as part of illegal mining
probe - 7 August
The Portfolio Committee on Mining will next week travel to four
South African provinces to investigate illegal mining incidents
and the death of mine workers, the Parliamentary communication
services said on Friday. - Creamer
Media's Mining Weekly website
Municipal
Management and Procedure
17
municipalities are in big trouble - 13 August
A total of 17 KwaZulu-Natal municipalities are in dire straits.
With no sources of revenue, they are unable to deliver services
to their communities. The existence of the 17 mainly rural-based
municipalities came about when the government created
municipalities throughout the country in 2000. But their
viability has become questionable owing to their inability to
generate revenue, with fears that they could be stripped of some
of their powers. - IOL
website
Cape
Town
Sea
Point residents welcome hooting law - 14 August
Sea Point residents have welcomed the move to curb unnecessary
hooting in the area. Motorists and taxi drivers found hooting
unnecessarily could see themselves being fined up to R500. - Eye
Witness News website
City
says barking bylaw misunderstood - 14 August
The City of
Cape Town
says it has received several comments on its draft animal
bylaw. The proposed bylaw aims to clearly define "nuisance
behaviour" among pets. - Eye
Witness News website
eThekwini
Not
fair, Mr Mayor - 2 August
Civic leaders and academics are outraged over racist slurs at
a recent eThekwini Municipality meeting where anti-Indian
sentiments arose during talks on the Early Morning Market
closure. The public meeting was called by the municipality
about the pending demolition of the historic market to make
way for the development of Warwick Junction. Shouts of
"Hamba Khaya! Hamba uye eBombay!"(Go home! Go to
Bombay!) rang out at the International Convention Centre where
the meeting was held on July 10. The 1860 Legacy Foundation
has called on the Human Rights Commission to investigate
statements of "racial incitement" at the meeting. South
Durban Community Environmental Alliance co-ordinator Desmond
D'Sa said he attended the meeting "to hear
first-hand" from Mayor Obed Mlaba, his deputy, Logie
Naidoo, and Sutcliffe of the need to develop a mall for the
people who use the junction as a travel node. "I was
shocked at Mlaba's presentation in Zulu. The people attending
were from different race groups and yet the mayor's arrogant
attitude can only be interpreted as 'you can go to hell if you
do not understand Zulu," said D'Sa. - IOL
website
|
Press
Release : Response to Media Reports of a Racial Slur at Early
Morning Market Meeting
This
press release was emailed out at : 03 August, 2009 18:25
Media
reports accusing the eThekwini Municipality Management and the
Mayor, Cllr Obed Mlaba in particular for using racial slur at
a meeting to discuss the Early Morning Market closure at the
International Convention Centre are incorrect.
The
Municipality would like to place on record that at no stage
did the Mayor or Council Officials make racial remarks in any
way at the meeting in question. Our assessment is that this is
the work of peddlers who are desperately trying to politicise
the Early Morning Market issue to accomplish their own
agendas.
There
are some reports that claim that the Municipality rented a
crowd to fill the hall. This is very disturbing as members of
the public, business people, community leaders, Durban Chamber
of Commerce and SANCO Regional Office attended the meeting.
More than 99% people who were in attendance supported the
Warwick precinct development.
While
racial remarks are raised in the media articles, it is
interesting to note that there is nowhere in these reports
wherein the Mayor or any other Municipal Official is directly
quoted using racial connotations.
These
articles also accuse the Mayor of addressing the meeting in
isiZulu. We find this strange, as isiZulu is one of the
official languages in South Africa and it is widely spoken in
the City. The use of the language was not meant to exclude any
race group in the meeting.
The
meeting was delivered in both isiZulu and English, except for
the opening by the Mayor due to the meeting starting late and
he had to rush to another engagement.
We
view the publication of this information as misleading in the
extreme and only aimed at sowing divisions amongst our
residents. We call upon media houses to refuse to be used as
platforms for any misinformation campaign.
For
more information contact the Head of Business Support Unit,
Philip Sithole, on 083-288 8793.
Issued
by eThekwini Municipality, Communications & PR Unit.
|
|
Press
Release : Informal Traders Assured Of Their Trading Space
This
press release was emailed out at : 12 August, 2009 17:55
Traders
at the Early Morning Market will be given a space to trade at the
new Warwick Junction Development. This was revealed at a mass
meeting for informal traders this morning, 12 August 2009. The
City has been in negotiations with the developer to accommodate
the early Morning Market traders, and this has now been agreed
upon. The City has informed the Early Morning Market Traders of
this development, and is awaiting response from them.
The
eThekwini Municipality hosted a mass meeting for informal traders
this morning, that was attended by more than 3000 traders. The
traders were informed of the Municipality's intention to develop
various areas in which they currently trade. They were assured
that all legal traders with permits will not be prevented from
trading due to these developments, however they may be asked to
relocate for the duration of the construction. All traders who
will be directly affected by the development in the Warwick and
Beachfront areas have been given letters assuring them that their
trading rights and their livelihood will not be taken away from
them.
More
than 33 trader committees and organizations throughout the
eThekwini region signed a memorandum of understanding with the
Municipality. Some of the organisations that signed the memorandum
includes the Warwick Street Traders Committee, Warwick Bovine Head
Sellers, Achib, Nafcoc, Sanco, Beachfront Traders Committee, etc.
In
the memorandum the City undertook to do the following :
1.
As far is reasonably possible work closely with legal traders to
ensure that development processes are operated as smoothly as
possible ;
2.
All affected current legal permit holders will secure trading
space after the end of construction at a rental to be determined
by the City ;
3.
Suspend rentals for a period of 6 months subject to review
thereafter ;
4.
Continually engage with legal traders or their representatives
regarding any future development that may affect them ;
5.
Consider the affected traders in the event that any business or
job opportunities created by the eThekwini Municipality, within
the Warwick Junction Precinct and other areas become available ;
6.
Undertakes to support and work with traders during and after the
process of construction ;
7.
Promote co-operative wholesale and bulk purchasing initiatives
which will be owned and controlled by informal traders ; and
8.
Promote efforts to legalize illegal traders or be engaged in
alternative opportunities if available.
Mayor
Mlaba addressed traders saying that while people have paid more
attention to issues surrounding Warwick Junction development,
there is development happening all around eThekwini, in areas such
as Isipingo, Claremont, and Umkomaas.
"When
other cities chased away informal traders, eThekwini Municipality
was the only City that considered ways to work together with
traders to provide opportunities".
He
emphasized that opportunities are for everyone and must be shared.
"Our intention is to transform the economy of the City so
that there is lasting peace amongst all our people".
The
General Secretary of the Simunye Women Traders Association, Ms
Nomonde Magadla said, "since the Municipality has done
several presentations to the trader organisations and traders, it
is clear to all legal traders, including those that are operating
at the Market, that their livelihoods will not be taken away from
them. The trader organisations collectively took a decision to
support the development".
The
City Manager, Dr Michael Sutcliffe said, "We would like to
work together with traders to find solutions to the trading issues
in the City. This is how we have always worked, and the door has
always been open for negotiations. The City is also consistently
looking at new ways to accommodate informal traders so that heir
lives could be improved. One such idea is approaching big shopping
centres in the region to negotiate ways in which informal traders
can be accommodated within their centres".
Mr
Philip Sithole, Head of the Business Support and Markets Unit said
the Unit had called the mass meeting to give traders the
opportunity to hear from them first, instead of reading about it
in the newspapers or hearing from a second source. He said that
the information presented would empower informal traders about
Council's intentions, so that there is no opportunity for facts to
be misrepresented.
He
highlighted the fact that every trader must have a permit in order
to be able to sell and take advantage of opportunities available
to them, especially in terms of skills development. He also
highlighted that each trader will be issued only one stall.
"The
Municipality is in the business of creating equal opportunities
and empowering people so that they could live better lives. It has
never been the intention of the eThekwini Municipality to take
away people's livelihoods".
"The
relocation of traders will be necessary when upgrading and
development takes place all around the eThekwini region. The City
reassures traders that their rights to trade will not be taken
away, while development is occurring".
For
further information contact Mr Philip Sithole on 031-311 4329 or
cellphone 083-2888 793. Email : sitholep@durban.gov.za
Issued
by the eThekwini Municipality's Communications Department.
Telephone Sohana Singh on telephone 031-311 2044 or email singhsohana@durban.gov.za
|
National
Prosecuting Authority
Public
Protector dismisses NDPP claims - 3 August
Public Protector Lawrence Mushwana's office said on Monday
reports that he was in line to be the country's National
Director of Public Prosecutions were speculation. - Eye
Witness News website
See
also : North Gauteng Court
South
African Police Service
Cele
criticised for supporting crime stats moratorium - 4 August
The Institute for Security Studies has warned that a moratorium
on crime statistics could be a violation of democracy. New Police
Commissioner Bheki Cele has come under fire for suggesting he
would support the moratorium but he has not yet ordered that one
be put in place. - Eye
Witness News website
4
August 2009
Democratic
Alliance (DA) quotes Cele out of context
SA Government Information
website
Cele
lashed over crime-stats stance - 5 August
The new police National Commissioner Bheki Cele’s argument in
favour of a moratorium on issuing crime statistics is "not
convincing", according to Dr Johan Burger, senior researcher
in the Crime, Justice and Politics programme at the Institute for
Security Studies. "Mr Cele would do well to understand that
withholding crimes statistics will have more of a negative impact
than releasing them and reassuring the public that something is
being done", Burger told the Mail & Guardian
Online. - Mail & Guardian
website
Minister
to release crime stats soon - 6 August
Coinciding with the release of the annual police report, South
Africa's crime statistics will be made public September, according
to the office of Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa. - IOL
website
Cele
adamant on giving cops more fire power - 5 August
New national police commissioner Bheki Cele called on Wednesday
for a law change to make sure police can shoot at dangerous
criminals instead of being "handcuffed" by the Criminal
Procedure Act. - IOL
website
See
also : Magistrates
Courts
Police
Ministry wants Child Protection Unit up and running soon - 12
August
The Police Ministry says it hopes moves, to re-establish the Child
Protection Unit, will be underway by the end of this year. Police
Minister Nathi Mthethwa earlier stated his department will look
into resurrecting the unit after it was disbanded three years ago.
The move may be seen as an admission by Mthethwa that the ministry
erred in disbanding it in the first place. - Eye
Witness News website
Director
accused of fiddling crime stats - 11 August
A Pietermaritzburg police station commissioner remains under
scrutiny for allegedly manipulating crime statistics to create a
good impression of his station's performance. Both the Police
Ministry and police management in KwaZulu-Natal recently confirmed
that the internal investigation into Director Hariram Badul, of
the Mountain Rise Police Station, was still under way. - IOL
website
Sport
and Recreation
Rugby
club banned for 15 years - 7 August
The Heidelberg Rugby Club has been banned for 15 years after fans went
on the rampage at a club match in Mossel
Bay. Several people were wounded when hooligans ran onto the pitch with
knives, broken bottles and pipes following
Mossel
Bay's victory over
Heidelberg on Saturday. Criminal charges have been laid. - Eye
Witness News website
Relief
as cricket dispute resolved - 12 August
Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile said on Wednesday international
cricket matches would take place at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. - Eye Witness News
website
12
August 2009
Cricket
dispute settled
SA Government Information website
MEC
Cachalia defends F1 decision - 12 August
Gauteng Economic Development MEC Firoz Cachalia has defended the
province's decision not to proceed to acquire the rights to host Formula
1 events. This, amid claims that the F1 bid campaign has already cost
more than R2.4-million, spent on a feasibility study for an F1 track at
Kyalami. Among the allegations, brought up by the Democratic Alliance
(DA), is that the provincial government, under Premier Paul Mashatile,
had spent about R600 million on motor sport projects that have
"done little" for Gauteng residents. - BuaNews
Online website
Trade
and Industry
Zuma
rescue plan for motor and textile industries - 11 August
The government will offer support to struggling motor industry
companies and a rescue package for the clothing and textile
industry, President Jacob Zuma announced last night.
It will also set aside R2,4-billion from the skills and
unemployment insurance funds to help ease the strain on workers
retrenched as a result of the global and domestic economic
downturn.
- Weekend Post website
Reaction
to Zuma's economic plan - 7 August
Economists and analysts have reacted to President Jacob Zuma's
economic recovery plan, announced this week. President Zuma
has outlined a series of measures to assist companies who have
been affected by the global economic crisis saying these will
include an introduction of a training lay-off scheme to cost
government R2.4 billion while a further R6 billion will be made
available to the Industrial Development Corporation. - BuaNews
Online website
Transport
and Roads
Taken
for a ride over toxic taxi debt - 2 August
Banks that have financed illegally converted panel vans face up
to R600m in problem debts, write Rob Rose and Stephan
Hofstatter.
South African banks held emergency meetings this week after it
emerged that they had financed deathtrap taxis, leaving them
exposed to toxic taxi debt estimated at more than R600-million.
An analysis of government's eNatis system identified 973 Toyota
Quantum panel vans, illegally converted into taxis, which had
been financed by the banks after August 2007, when new safety
regulations were passed. - The
Times website
Hogan
grilled over Transnet - 14 August
Unions yesterday accused the Department of Public Enterprises of
not consulting with organised labour after Public Enterprises
Minister Barbara Hogan appointed Geoff Everingham as acting
non-executive chairman of Transnet. - Business
Report website
Miscellaneous
Criminal
fugitives 'live the high life in SA' - 1 August
South Africa has become "a safe haven" for notorious
international fugitives because it is relatively isolated and
there is the perception that the justice system can be easily
manipulated. This has raised questions about whether the
country's immigration and extradition laws need to be stiffened,
according to legal experts. - IOL
website
DA
lays charges against ANCYL, Lembede - 3 August
The Democratic Alliance has laid charges against the leadership
of the ANC Youth League and board members of its investment arm,
Lembede Investment Holdings. "The ANC Youth League is
setting an appalling example by trying to sweep the disturbing
findings of the Gobodo report under the carpet," DA Gauteng
chairperson Jack Bloom said in a statement on Monday.The
newspaper report said senior youth league members should be made
to account for millions of rands that went missing from the
company, but the league's executive has opted not to pursue
individuals who abused company funds. - IOL
website
Keyphrases :
Companies Act
Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004
ANCYL's
dubious deals revealed - 3 August
ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa refused to comment on
Sunday on a newspaper report on an auditors' probe that
uncovered financial chaos and millions of rands unaccounted
for in Lembede Investment Holdings, the financial wing of the
ANC Youth League. However, Phosa said he expected to be
informed about the situation when he next spoke to Pule Mabe,
the treasurer of the league and chairman of Lembede. - IOL
website
ANCYL
to close investment wing - 6 August
The ANC Youth League will close down its controversial
investment wing, leader Julius Malema said on Thursday.
"We are closing it down and then we are concentrating on
other things," Malema told reporters in Johannesburg.
"Lembede has a very bad image. It's not our problem, we
[the current leadership] never messed up Lembede". - IOL
website
Kebble's
buddies to repay millions - 31 July
Trustees of the estate of Brett Kebble are demanding millions
of rands from former leaders of the ANC Youth League and its
investment arm Lembede Holdings. They are said to have
benefitted from their relationship with the slain mining
magnate. Also said to have benefitted are senior ANC members
who had a relationship with Kebble. - Sowetan
website
Kebble's
mansion under the hammer - 13 August
A Cape Town mansion that once belonged to mining tycoon Brett
Kebble, with garaging for ten cars and an undergound wine
cellar, is to be auctioned in September. Auctioneers Alliance
Group said on Thursday that Fair Seat, in the leafy suburb of
Bishopscourt, was Kebble's family home at the time he was killed
in 2005. The property was then auctioned off to "a
prominent businessman" and was now on the market again. - The
Times website
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