From defenceWeb Seven soldiers were shot dead when gunmen raided a weapons depot in Mozambique, local newspapers and a security source said, the latest ambush and attack on security forces to rekindle memories of the 1975-1992 civil war. The assault, which took place on Monday, forced hundreds to flee the central town of Savane and interrupted rail traffic on the nearby Sena line, the southern African nation's sole coal export route, said a spokesman for Brazilian mining firm … [Read more...]

Johannesburg - The Gauteng Department of Finance has scrapped the Gauteng Online Schools Project and is issuing new tenders for what it now calls e-Learning Solutions. Last week, the department issued a tender inviting prospective service providers to supply internet connectivity, among other things, to schools. The tender with the previous service provider that built 1 538 computer labs, Cloudseed, was cancelled in March. The labs were each stocked with 25 computers and other … [Read more...]

JUST IN: Two South Africans in the employ of defence equipment manufacturer Denel were killed in an explosion in Somalia on Wednesday, the company said. "I can confirm that two of our employees died in the attack on the United Nations in Somalia," Denel spokeswoman Vuyelwa Qinga said. International relations department spokesman Nelson Kgwete referred all enquiries to Denel. Qinga said she did not have further information yet about the two South Africans. (Sapa) SABC 19 June … [Read more...]

Up to 145 500 jobs and 60 percent of South Africa's platinum output could be a risk in coming years amid unrest and upheavals in the sector, Economists at Nomura bank warned on Tuesday. Analysts at the Japanese bank said that rising mining costs - because of wage increases, regulation, increased electricity prices and a need to drill deeper - as well as political risks, would force mines to cut their losses. They paint a bleak picture of the economically vital sector, in the wake of … [Read more...]

A warning issued to tourists by the United States says Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town are "critical crime threat spots", The New Age reported on Wednesday. The warning was released in a document by the US state department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. It states: "Violent and confrontational crime is a major concern [in South Africa]. Such crimes include home invasion robberies, burglaries, car-jackings, street muggings, smash-and-grabs, organised attacks on commercial … [Read more...]

The Citizen Online 19 June 2013 Mining magnate and billionaire Patrice Motsepe has donated R12 million to help rid Cape Town of poverty and unemployment. According by Cape Argus, Motsepe said he was giving R6m each to Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain to establish forums in the Motsepe family name. "The forums will be established by you [the community] and will be the vehicle to assist our young entrepreneurs, co-operatives, youth, religious organisations and, most importantly, our … [Read more...]

SABC 19 June 2013 Gauteng Safety and Community MEC Faith Mazibuko has condemned the killing of a senior police officer. Major-General Tirhani Simon Maswangwanyi was found dead with his hands tied behind his back in a field near Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria. Maswangwanyi’s killing is a major loss to the province. He has been described as someone who honoured the call of duty and approached his work with diligence and dedication. Mazibuko joined a chorus of condolences sent to … [Read more...]

FW De Klerk Foundation Cape Town, 19 June 2013 19 June 2013 is rightly commemorated as a key point in the dismal story of the dispossession of the land of the black population of South Africa. The process began in 1652 with the first settlement of the Cape by the Dutch East India Company. Despite Jan van Riebeeck’s instructions to live in amity with the Khoi Khoi population of the Cape, the rapid expansion of the settlement soon led to conflict over land. When the Dutch asked the Khoi … [Read more...]

The Citizen Online 18 June 2013 The soon-to-be-launched political party, Agang SA, has concerns about the independence of elections, its leader Mamphela Ramphele said on Tuesday. "The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has eroded as an independent electoral commission," she told the Cape Town Press Club. She said Agang SA was in talks with other political parties, the Democratic Alliance in particular, to double-check certain IEC processes. "[We need] to be reassured that first … [Read more...]