In the media
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23 May 2014
Daily Maverick
If all goes according to plan – and this is murky territory because it depends on whose plan we’re talking about – the Arms Procurement Commission, appointed by President Jacob Zuma and headed by Judge Willie Seriti, appears to be finally gearing up for the main act when the big guns - the main players who signed off on the deal - including former Deputy Minister of Defence, Ronnie Kasrils, former Minister of Defence, Mosiuoa Lekota, former Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, and finally, former President Thabo Mbeki, are scheduled to appear in just over a week’s
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19 May 2014
Mail & Guardian Online
The Constitutional Court on Monday heard arguments by the South African Police Service (SAPS) asking it to overturn a Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that compelled South African authorities to investigate alleged crimes against humanity which occurred in Zimbabwe.
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23 April 2014
The Star
Government officials are explaining the arms deal at the official inquiry, but much of the detail remains blocked by the commission itself.
Earlier this month, National Treasury deputy director-general Andrew Donaldson provided a detailed submission of the costs of the controversial 1999 arms deal to the Arms Procurement Commission.
The costs of the deal have been a key point of criticism and debate, with critics of the deal questioning the numbers and politicians largely dodging the issue.
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15 April 2014
The Star
Foreigners could face being excluded from South Africa for two and 10 years if they try to travel here without a valid visa due to the withdrawal of directive 43 of 2010.
Directive 43 allowed non-South African citizens to travel in and outside of South Africa on presentation of an original receipt for the application of a visa.
Minister of Home Affairs Naledi Pandor removed directive 43 of 2010 from the Immigration Regulations as of April 1 this year.
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10 April 2014
The Star
The arms deal cost a total of R46.666 billion.
That is the official figure for the 1999 Strategic Defence Procurement Package (SDPP) from the Treasury.
“The total nominal expenditure (that is the total cash outlay) on the SDPP between 2000/01 and 2013/14 has been R46 666 million,” said Treasury deputy director-general Andrew Donaldson.
The deal was financed through loans from foreign banks: $2.5bn from Barclays Capital; e611.9m and e846.3m from Commerzbank; e188m from Societe Generale; and $199.8m from Medio Credito Centrale.
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13 March 2014
Business Day
The government is proposing tighter rules on immigration that nongovernmental organisations believe could cause practical difficulties for asylum seekers, migrants and foreign spouses trying to get into or stay in South Africa.
Several refugee rights organisations have submitted their objections and suggestions on the draft immigration regulations, saying that some groups would be adversely affected.
One of the changes requires immigrants to prove that a heterosexual or homosexual relationship has existed for five years before a spousal visa can be issued.
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12 March 2014
SABC News
The Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality in Carolina in Mpumalanga has called on residents to use tap water provided by the municipality.
This comes after Lawyers for Human Rights indicated that water tests, conducted on borehole water in Carolina, have revealed that the water is contaminated with high level of nitrates in the town, and faecal coliform bacteria in neighbouring Selobela Township.
According to Emma Algotsson of Lawyers for Human Rights, some residents of Carolina, Caro Park and Selobela Township alleged that water in that area was making them sick.
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9 March 2014
Sunday Independent
South Africa’s controversial Strategic Defence Packages have thrown up some spectacular numbers, but few as remarkable as those required by Judge Willie Seriti of arms deal critic Richard Young before Young would be in a position to cross-examine Armscor witness Frits Nortje.
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6 March 2014
Beeld
Inwoners van Carolina en Silobela ervaar weer ’n waterkrisis nadat suur mynwater twee jaar gelede uit hul krane geloop het.
Hierdie keer is hulle gewaarsku om nie die water uit hul boorgate te drink voordat hulle dit nie laat toets het nie omdat van die grondwater met E.coli en nitrate besoedel is.
Regslui vir Menseregte (RMR) het in ’n verklaring gesê mense het die laaste tyd aanhoudend by dié nie-regeringsorganisasie gekla dat hulle siek word van die dorp se boorgatwater.
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1 March 2014
Saturday Star
Under apartheid you could be detained for 90 days without trial, under democracy you can be detained for 120 days without trial – if you’re an undocumented migrant.
Documents matter because they’re your first ticket to get you out of a place like the notorious Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp.
Built in 1996 the centre is a holding facility to repatriate those in the country illegally.
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