Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

Jacob Zuma’s libel case against The Guardian continues with the UK-based newspaper refusing to retract all the allegations or publish an apology. The paper has, however, agreed to apologise for false allegations of rape and has agreed to publish a correction that corruption charges against the ANC president had been dropped. The article with the headline “Get used to a corrupt and chaotic South Africa. But don’t write it off” was published on March 6. Zuma said in a statement yesterday: “Apart from the false statements published, it is of great concern to me that The Guardian article disrespects our Zulu culture, the ANC and ordinary Afrikaners in this country.” The proceedings are taking place at the High Court of Justice in London. – Shaun Smillie

Soweto police are investigating how a box full of live army ammunition ended up in a stretch of veld next to a filling station in Diepkloof Zone 3. Police found the box yesterday. According to the law, only the SANDF is authorised to use LMG ammunition, which is normally used with machineguns. – Bongani Masango

Cape Town sex workers yesterday won a court order to stop police arresting them when they know that prosecution is unlikely to follow. The order, by Cape High Court Judge Burton Fourie, followed claims by sex workers that police were carrying out arrests merely to harass and intimidate them. One sex worker told the court in an affidavit she had been taken into custody about 200 times over a period of six years, but never prosecuted. – Sapa

The Eastern Cape Health Department has launched a probe into a batch of paediatric tonsillectomy operations that went awry. This comes after a nurse noticed that seven children, who were operated on at Port Elizabeth provincial hospital last week, had burns on their tongues from the cauterising instrument used in the procedure. – Sapa

A former senior cashier at the University of Cape Town who was found guilty last month on five counts of fraud involving the theft of R1 001 869 in student fees is to be sentenced on May 30. Jennifer Prime, 44, of Muizenberg, was to have been sentenced yesterday, but her defence counsel said he wished to lead the testimony of a probation office. – Sapa

Three people were killed when the taxi they were travelling in burst a tyre on the N1 near Bela-Bela in Limpopo on Sunday. In another accident in Limpopo on Sunday, the driver of a Mercedes died when he lost control of his car at Noordhulp farm. – Sapa

Three people, including a 17-year-old girl, were arrested in connection with the murder of a shebeen owner at the Angelo informal settlement in Boksburg over the weekend, Ekurhuleni police said yesterday. The shebeen owner was shot and killed on Friday, allegedly during an argument with the suspects. – Sapa

Over 2 500 employees at AngloGold Ashanti’s Moab Khotsong shaft were due to down tools today to mourn two colleagues who died in mining accidents last week, the National Union of Mineworkers said yesterday. On Friday, a mineworker was killed during a fall of ground, and another on Saturday during a mud-rush. – Sapa

A former Absa Bank branch manager in Cape Town, who allegedly stole R167 520 from the bank’s clients, is expected to go to trial next month. Melanie Pieterse, 36, yesterday made her second appearance in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crime Court, where the case was postponed to May 28. Pieterse is accused of embezzlement while she was manager at Absa’s Westgate Mall branch in Mitchells Plain.