Breakfast Edition: 14 August 2015
MARIKANA ANNIVERSARY: On the eve of the third anniversary of the Marikana Massacre, Human Rights organisation, Amnesty International has urged President Jacob Zuma to suspend police chief, Rhea Phiyega and other police members implicated in the killing of 34 striking mine workers. Amnesty says it's unthinkable that three years on no one has yet been prosecuted.
Meanwhile the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) on Thursday said everyone was invited to the union's upcoming commemoration of the 2012 Marikana killings. "This is an open invitation to anyone who wants to attend the commemorations…we won't be sending any invitation to any individuals or parties, everyone is invited," Amcu president Joseph Mathunjwa told journalists in Johannesburg. Last year the ANC and the North West provincial government said they were not invited at the second anniversary that was held in Marikana. Pieter van der Merwe reports.
UNIONS REJECT SETTLEMENT OFFER IN GOLD MINING SECTOR: The two largest trade unions in the mining industry have formally lodged a wage dispute with gold producers and the matter has now been registered with the CCMA. Yesterday, the employers had reverted to their previous offer of wage increases of between 7% and 13%. The Chamber of Mine's Elize Strydom says the matter is now out of their hands.
NUM REACTS TO NEGOTIATIONS: The NUM has described the Chamber of Mine's move yesterday - to revert to a previous, lower wage increase offer - as arrogant. The NUM and AMCU yesterday declared a dispute in the gold mining industry after rejecting the better offer. The matter will now be lodged with the CCMA for further negotiation, but the NUM's Livhuwani Mammburu says the Chamber has already indicated that it has no intention of bettering its offer.
PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA EYES OUR OCEANS: President Jacob Zuma is eyeing the oceans as the next frontier to getting South Africa's economy going - saying it could contribute R50 billion a year to the GDP. The president was reporting back on Operation Phakisa projects, as Karabo Ngoepe reports.
GYM-GOER OFF TO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISION: Gym-goer, Mohammed Desai, will be going to the Human Rights Commission, after he was asked by the Virgin Active in Houghton to take off his t-shirt or leave. Desai is encouraged by the response from ordinary South Africans expressing overwhelming support on social media for his right to wear a BDS t-shirt expressing solidarity with Palestine against the oppression by Israel.
PARAMEDICS TACKLE EACH OTHER: There have been reports of tow truck drivers fighting over who gets to take the wreckage home. What is not often heard of is paramedics fighting to determine who can treat and transport the patients from those wreckages. But that is exactly what rival emergency services in Rustenburg are accused of doing. A video has emerged showing a fight between officials from Med24/7 and Trauma Rescue at a crash scene. This is believed to be only one of many incidents, with some of them taking place in front of crash victims.
GREATEST GREAT WHITE SHARK: Newly found footage of the 20-foot long great white was recorded off Mexico's Guadalupe Island by shark expert Mauricio Hoyos Padilla in 2013. According to reports, two months after footage of an enormous great white shark was posted online, the same researcher released more video of the encounter. Shark expert Mauricio Hoyos Padilla added the new video to his Facebook page on Monday. The massive shark was seen swimming near the steel cage where several divers were in awe.
FINANCIAL INDICATORS:
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