An arbitrator has found that Dr Faan Oosthuizen, who was fired for protesting against abortions, must be re-instated at the National Hospital in Bloemfontein. He was dismissed for participating in protest action and campaigns against the termination of pregnancies by the Free State Health Department but Public Servants Association spokesperson Manie de Clercq says that the action was “substantively unfair”.

Mike Schüssler, Chief Economist at Economists.co.za, says that consumers’ indebtedness to municipalities amounts to more than two percent of the gross domestic product and needs urgent attention. This in reaction to National Treasury’s announcement that consumers owed local authorities in excess of R56-billion on December 31 last year. More than 76 percent of this debt has been outstanding for longer than 90 days.

Jaco Kriek, Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) CEO, has quit the state-funded entity, fuelling uncertainty over the project’s future and the role of nuclear power in helping to meet SA’s energy needs. Kriek’s sudden resignation appears to be an effect of government’s decision to cut funding to the project, which is intended to produce small-scale, high-temperature reactors, but which has struggled to attract private investment. More than 75 percent of PBMR’s 800 employees face retrenchment.

According to farmers’ union AgriSA, SA’s high rate of rural crime is threatening food security and costing the economy more than R500-million in stock, crop and farm equipment losses. Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has thus announced a new crime-fighting plan for farming districts, which will combine army border patrols, a beefed-up reservist force and a dedicated rural safety unit. “Rural development is high on the government’s agenda and the issue of food security affects all of us. The safety and security of our rural community is therefore a priority,” he says.

Government has nominated Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk to succeed United Nations climate chief Yvo de Boer, who announced his resignation last month. If appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Van Schalkwyk will work towards achieving a global climate agreement before 2012, when the commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol ends.

For the six months to end-December, consumer goods group AVI boasts strong trading in its fashion and beverages divisions, offsetting a tough environment for its fishing and snacks businesses – making for a mixed portfolio performance. The group's operating profit from continuing operations is at the same level as a year earlier despite a difficult trading environment. Headline earnings increased 9.2 percent year-on-year due to lower net finance costs and an improved contribution from the group’s Simplot joint venture in Australia.