In 2011, a wrong turn only 12 kilometres from the finish cost Nedbank 360Life's Kevin Evans and David George victory in the Sani2c mountain bike race. They made no mistake in 2012, smashing the course record as they claimed victory in Scottburgh on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast on Saturday morning.

They took the overall lead after winning the opening stage between Underberg and McKenzie Club near Ixopo, KwaZulu-Natal, on Thursday and did not relinquish it.

On the third and final day, Evans and George rolled across the finishing line registering a time of 2:21:08, five seconds behind stage winners and team-mates James Reid and Charles Keey, who rode in the colours of Nedbank 360Life-Blend Properties.

Defending champion Max Knox and his new partner Mannie Heymans of Ormin finished in 2:23:59 to take third place on the day.

Overall classification

Evans, from Plettenberg Bay, and George, from Cape Town, topped the general classification with an overall time of 8:31:33.

The stage victory saw Reid and Keey cement their runner-up spot overall in 8:36:25, with Darren Lill and Brandon Stewart of FedGroup-Itec Connect-Bonitas rounding out the podium in 8:45:18.

"For us it wasn't important to win every stage; the overall was," said Evans, who notched up his fifth victory in six outings, two of which were with George.

"I love this race and I'll keep coming back. The course gets better and better every year."

No mistake

After his near-perfect record was marred last year when he and George overshot a turn on the final day, the pair made no mistake on the fast 72km final stage from Jolivet Farm near Highflats to Scottburgh High School.

By the first water point after 21km, Evans and George, riding with Reid and Keey, had opened up a lead of a minute on their pursuers, which included Knox and Heymans, Stewart and Lill, and Nico Bell and Gawie Combrinck of Bell Cycling-Columbia.

Evans said he expected more of a fight from their competition as they went up the first climb. "So we took a chance pacing with our junior team, basically consolidating our lead and making sure we had no hassles coming up to the finish.

They've been riding well

"It's great that James and Charles could win today. They've been riding really well and deserve it," he added.

Evans and George have been in superb form this season. They claimed the African jersey at the Absa Cape Epic in April and then captured the Old Mutual joBerg2c two weeks ago.

The two will also likely be contenders at next month's Trans Germany stage race, which is a solo event.

Women's race

In the women's race, early overall leaders Karien van Jaarsveld and Theresa Ralph of DisChem-Britehouse-MTN took their second stage win in 2:46:47, but it was not enough to secure the overall title after they lost almost an hour the previous day with mechanical problems. That left them in third place in the general classification in 11:07:36.

The overall honours went the way of stage two winners Ischen Stopforth and Catherine Williamson of bizhub-FCF, who came home in 2:54:08 for a combined time of 10:24:11.

Next in were the second bizhub-FCF pairing of Leana de Jager and Nicci Grobler in 3:02:24. They also claimed the runner-up spot in the overall standings in 10:57:52.

"It would have been nice to have beaten them fair and square," said Williamson, who hails from Britain. "We put so much effort into yesterday, going for the stage win because we didn’t know what the time gap was, and paid for it today."

Mixed category

Mixed category overall leaders Erik and Ariane Kleinhans of Contego-28E crashed 10km from the finish to gift bride-to-be Cherise Taylor and her future brother-in-law Dwane Stander - brother of Burry Stander - the final stage honours in 2:45:06.

The Kleinhans couple, who finished second on the day in 2:50:42, had enough of a margin to retain their title in 10:08:40. Taylor and Stander were second in 10:23:00.

Ivor Jones and Bridgitte Stewart of Crusader Logistics crossed the line in third place in 2:52:30 to claim the same position overall in 10:47:36.

SAinfo reporter

Orlando Pirates secured back-to-back Premier Soccer League (PSL) titles on Saturday, when they preserved their two-point lead at the top of the standings with a 4-2 victory over Golden Arrows at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Only one team, Moroka Swallows, had a chance to catch Pirates when the final round of matches began, but Pirates' victory prevented the Birds from snatching the title on the final weekend. Swallows, though, did all they could do, defeating Maritzburg United 1-0 away from home to finish only two points behind the Buccaneers.

Despite the fact that they repeated as champions, it was far from a smooth season for Pirates. Club owner Irvin Khoza's very questionable decision to part ways with coach Ruud Krol after Pirates' won three titles the previous season came back to haunt him when Krol's replacement, Jairo Leal, failed to get the results the Buccaneers were capable of.

Quit

The Brazilian quit at the beginning of April after being suspended in March. The club's comment at the time was that Leal had said he "could not see a way forward".

At the time, the Soweto giants were lying second in the league, but had lost in the preliminary round of the Caf Champions League and had been beaten in the last-16 of the Nedbank Cup by Free State Stars.

Augusto Palacios was appointed to take over from Leal and Pirates responded while some other teams faltered as the season headed towards its climax.

Change of fortune

For Swallows, it was a remarkable season considering how they had narrowly avoided relegation in the 2010/11 season.

The club's change of fortune began the previous when Gordon Igesund, a winner of league titles with Manning Rangers, Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns and Santos, was hired and helped Swallows avoid relegation. Given a full season in charge, Igesund lifted the Birds to second in the league as they became the highest scoring team in the PSL.

Much of that had to do with Igesund's ability to get the best out of striker Siyabonga Nomvethe. At the age of 34, Nomvethe produced 20 goals, far and away the leading mark in the league, with Eleazar Rodgers of Santos finishing second with 12 goals to his name.

Gavin Hunt again did wonders with SuperSport United as the club finished third, four points behind Pirates and ahead of big money clubs Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs, after they closed the season with a 2-1 victory at Bloemfontein Celtic.

Disappointing

For a club with the financial resources of Sundowns, finishing fourth was a disappointing season. For supporters of fan favourites Kaizer Chiefs, a fifth place finish was even more disappointing and that fact was underlined by the dismissal of coach Vladimir Vermezovic in April with seven matches remaining in the season.

Jomo Cosmos continued the club's yo-yo existence of winning promotion and immediately being relegated as they won only two of their 30 games whilst drawing 13 times. They finished eight points lower than the second bottom club, Santos.

The Cape Town club managed a 1-0 win over Cosmos on the last day of the season, but when Black Leopards beat Ajax Cape Town 3-1, Santos was consigned to the playoffs for a place in the PSL next season.

Poor season

On the subject of Ajax Cape Town, it was a poor season for the team which had gone into the final fixture of the previous season two points clear of Pirates, but ended up missing out on the title on goal difference. This time around they managed only ninth place, winning 11 matches, drawing seven and losing 12 times.

The University of Pretoria lifted the National First Division (NFD) title to secure a spot in the PSL next season. Chippa United and Thanda Royal Zulu, after finishing second and third respectively in the NFD, will face Santos in playoff matches for the remaining PSL place.

PSL CHAMPIONS

• 2011/12: Orlando Pirates
• 2010/11: Orlando Pirates
• 2009/10: SuperSport United
• 2008/09: SuperSport United
• 2007/08: SuperSport United
• 2006/07: Mamelodi Sundowns
• 2005/06: Mamelodi Sundowns
• 2004/05: Kaizer Chiefs
• 2003/04: Kaizer Chiefs
• 2002/03: Orlando Pirates
• 2001/02: Santos
• 2000/01: Orlando Pirates
• 1999/00: Mamelodi Sundowns
• 1998/99: Mamelodi Sundowns
• 1997/98: Mamelodi Sundowns
• 1996/97: Manning Rangers

• Would you like to use this article in your publication or on your website? See: Using SAinfo material

  

The number of internet users in South Africa accelerated dramatically over the past year, driven by both smartphones and ordinary mobile phones, as the internet "finally arrived in the hands of the mass market".

This is the key finding of the Internet Access in South Africa 2012 study conducted by consultancy World Wide Worx.

The headline findings, released last week, showed that the South African Internet user base had grown from 6.8-million in 2010 to 8.5-million at the end of 2011 - no less than 25% growth.

World Wide Worx forecast that this strong growth would continue during 2012, taking South Africa's internet user base past the 10-million mark by the end of the year.

Demand for online content 'set to explode'

"These findings are a powerful signal that the demand for online content in South Africa is likely to explode in the coming years," said Justin Zehmke, executive producer of howzit MSN, which backed the study.

"The spotlight will not only be on online media, but also on social networking and electronic services in genera," Zehmke said in a statement.

"As the market grows and matures, we are likely to see a diversification in the landscape that will create space for successful niche media, a greater choice in information sources and a maturation of online services."

World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck said the internet in South Africa had "finally awoken, fully. Penetration is now approaching 20%, and for the first time we can see the mass market embracing digital tools on their phones."

According to the survey, 7.9-million South Africans access the internet on their mobile phones. Of these, 2.48-million access it only on their cellphones, and do not have access on computers. The remaining 6.02-million users access the internet on computers, laptops, and tablet computers.

However, 90% of this number - 5.42-million - also access it on their cellphones. This means that almost 8-million South Africans sometimes or regularly access the internet on their phones.

'Huge implications for media, social networks'

"This has huge implications for media and social networks," says Zehmke. "It means that, in the coming years, all services offered online will also have to be offered on cellphones."

While smartphones are the main driver of internet growth, the cost of data use is being driven down by the proliferation of undersea cables connecting sub-Saharan Africa to the rest of the world.

The study shows that undersea cable capacity to South Africa at the end of 2011 was 2.69 Terabits per second (Tbps), and due to rise to 11.9Tbps by the end of 2012.

"That capacity will double again in 2013," said Goldstuck. "While the industry position is that it won't affect prices, such an excess of supply must result in falling prices, which in turn will further drive up demand. The rapid growth we see this year will therefore be maintained through 2013."

The Internet Access in South Africa 2012 study was conducted using multiple methodologies, including primary research, interviews with providers, and market intelligence.

SAinfo reporter

South Africa outperformed the rest of Africa, as well as its upper middle-income economy peers, in a World Bank survey of trade efficiency, improving its previous performance despite a general slowdown in trade logistics performance in the wake of the global recession.

According to the World Bank's "Connecting to Compete 2012" report, released on Tuesday, countries that pursued aggressive reforms continued to improve their trade logistics performance, despite the global slowdown in progress over the last two years.

South Africa was among a group of countries - including Chile, China, India, Morocco, Turkey and the US - that improved their previous performance, according to the study, which is based on a comprehensive world survey of international freight forwarders and express carriers.

Top performer in Africa, BRICS

In the upper-middle income country category, South Africa was the top performer, followed by China and Turkey. South Africa's logistics performance indicators gave the country a score of 3.67, lifting it up to 23rd place overall out of 155 economies surveyed - up from a ranking of 28 in 2010.

China, ranked 26th, followed closest among South Africa's BRICS partners, followed by Brazil at 45th, India at 46th, and Russia at 95th.

Tunisia was the next best African performer, ranked 41st, followed by Morocco (50th), Egypt (57th), Benin (67th) and Botswana (68th). Economic powerhouse Nigeria placed 121st.

"Infrastructure stands out as the chief driver of progress in top performers, followed by improvements in logistics services, and customs and border management," Mona Haddad, sector manager of the World Bank's international trade department, said in a statement.

"All top performers show strong cooperation between the public and private sectors, and a comprehensive approach in the development of services, infrastructure and efficient logistics."

Role in reducing food prices, carbon footprint

At a time where food prices are at historic highs, the survey found that logistics is important for food security.

"Transport and logistics directly affect the price and local availability of food through the performance and resilience of food chains, especially in African and Middle Eastern countries that depend heavily on food imports," the World Bank said.

In developing countries, particularly landlocked and poor ones, transport and logistics account for 20-60 percent of delivered food prices, according to the survey. "For instance, they make up 48 percent of the cost of US corn imported by Nicaragua."

The survey, which for the first time included environmental indicators, also found that green logistics is quickly gaining prominence in high-income and emerging economies - "a positive development, since logistics and freight-related activities may account for up to 15 percent of human carbon dioxide emissions".

"Trade logistics is key to economic competitiveness, growth, and poverty reduction," said Otaviano Canuto, World Bank vice-president for poverty reduction and economic management.

"Unfortunately, the logistics gap between rich and poor countries continues, and the convergence trend experienced between 2007 and 2010 has stalled as events like the global recession and the European debt crisis shifted attention away from logistics reform."

According to the World Bank, the way forward is clearly demonstrated by the top performers in the 2012 survey: "Only by fostering cooperation between the public and private sectors, and by considering the impact of all agencies on the supply chain, can a country create sustainable improvements in its logistical capabilities."

SAinfo reporter

First-world infrastructure plus a vibrant emerging market equals huge investment potential!

For the country to overcome inequality, South Africans must reach consensus on both workers' wages and executive pay rates, and speeding up the creation of new jobs, says Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel.

Speaking at the Next Economy National Dialogue on income inequality in Parliament, Cape Town on Thursday, Patel singled out figures in the 2010 household survey that revealed that the top 10% of earners in South Africa took home salaries that were 101 times higher than the bottom 10% of earners.

"When what one person takes away is so disproportionally larger than what another takes away, the social glue that holds society together weakens," he said, adding that income inequality also suppressed the market, as fewer people were able to buy goods and services.

Effective partnerships needed

What was needed were more effective partnerships between all sections of society.

"If partnership can do what it did to the Japanese economy after the end of the Second World War, or the German economy, or to a number of other successful economies, partnership needs a sense of being in something together," Patel said.

He highlighted the progress that Brazil had made in overcoming inequality since the mid-1990s, even though, between 2000 and 2008, Brazil and South Africa had grown at nearly the same rate - Brazil at 3.5%, South Africa at 3.6%.

The government was addressing inequality largely through social grants, the country's regressive tax system, and free or subsidised basic services.

New job opportunities key

However, this wasn't enough, Patel said, adding that the government alone would never be able to overcome inequality in South Africa.

"We have got to build, to a greater and greater extent, opportunities for employment, for jobs, for decent work, as the principle means out of poverty."

While over 300 000 new jobs had been added over the last 12 months, just over 400 000 new jobs had been added since the adoption of the New Growth Path 18 months ago - compared to the previous 18 months preceding the adoption of the new policy, when the country lost over 600 000 jobs.

"But not withstanding that jobs growth, we are hardly making a dent in jobs growth, we are hardly making a dent in unemployment levels," Patel said.

CEOs must disclose pay packages: Vavi

Also addressing the debate in Parliament, Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi said that at a youth wage subsidy - an idea first mooted by the National Treasury - would only address unemployment in the short term.

Vavi acknowledged that unemployment was the biggest problem the country faced, but said that at the same time, one couldn't look away from the issue of high pay, adding that the country needed a mechanism to get chief executives to disclose the level of their pay packages.

He agreed with the 2011 report and findings of the UK High Pay Commission, that shareholders should be given more power to vote on the pay packages and bonuses of top executives.

He said top South African executives wanted to measure their packages with those of other developed countries, while at the same time arguing that workers had to be paid on par with other developing countries.

Vavi pointed out that top executives in South Africa earned 1 728 times the average worker in their respective companies, while this gap was only at 319 times in the US.

Business sector 'unfairly demonised'

Bobby Godsell, chairman of Business Leadership South Africa, who backed the idea of setting up a commission to examine corporate pay as the UK had done, said the business sector was often unfairly demonised.

Business owners and business leaders were not only after money when running a company, but also wanted to build good companies and make a contribution to society.

Top executives had to be remunerated accordingly, he said.

In response to Vavi's assertion that inequality was increasingly dividing the country along class lines, Nazmeera Moola, head of macro-strategy at Macquarie First South, stressed that the country needed to create more jobs, no matter the scale of remuneration.

"There is class warfare, and the warfare is between those who have formal sector jobs and those that don't," Moola said.

What would relieve unemployment and narrow the gap between the rich and poor, she said, was if the country helped smaller firms to hire more workers.

UK High Pay Commission chairperson joins debate

Joining the debate in Cape Town on Thursday, Deborah Hargreaves, chairperson of the UK High Pay Commission, said the commission had developed a 12-point plan which had subsequently been adopted by the Labour party.

Hargreaves said the plan included a call to give shareholders a binding vote on chief executives' pay or exist bonuses.

She said the UK government was currently drafting regulations around executive pay which included making allowances for more diversity on companies' remuneration committees, and the calculation of a single figure around which executive pay could be structured.

However, she said the UK government had not turned down a more controversial idea to have employee representative on remuneration committees.

She said massive distortions in pay destabilised economic growth as it drew many of the brightest minds to the financial sector, away from the industrial sector. It also demoralised those in the workforce who felt that pay rates were unfair.

There was also evidence that more equal societies attracted more entrepreneurship.

She said the top 0.1% of income earners in the UK (earning more than £500 000 and consisting of 36 000 people) saw their pay rise by 64% between 1997 and 2008, while the income of middle-income earners rose only by seven percent over the same period.

In a recent British survey that asked how much top executives should be paid, most people polled said top executives should be paid between £500 000 and £700 000 pounds - a massive contrast to the average top pay of £4.2-million, she said.

Source: BuaNews

18 May 2012

After two years out of South Africa's national team, striker Siyabonga Nomvethe has forced his way back into the Bafana Bafana squad, thanks to his superb form in the PSL, where he has scored 20 goals this season, eight more than the next highest scorer.

With Nomvethe to the fore, Moroka Swallows are the PSL's leading scorers, and it's between them and Orlando Pirates for title honours with one match remaining in the season.

He has been capped 79 times and netted 16 goals. Bafana's biggest problem has for a long time been its goal scoring, so it makes sense to restore Nomvethe to the national team, even at the age of 34.

Fixtures

He is part of a 27-man line-up that was named on Thursday in Johannesburg for South Africa's upcoming 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia and Botswana, and a friendly international against Gabon.

Bafana face the Ethiopians on 3 June in Rustenburg. On 9 June, they play Botswana in Gabarone, while the friendly against Gabon takes place on 15 June in Johannesburg.

The league's second highest goal scorer, Eleazar Rodgers of Santos, is one of four new caps in the 27-man squad, which once again underlines the search for a consistent goal scorer for the national team.

Nomvethe and Rodgers are joined up front by new cap Tokelo Rantie of Orlando Pirates and the incumbent Katlego Mphela, who have netted seven and 10 goals respectively this season.

Winger called up

On the back of a strong season by Free State Stars, which will see the team finish no lower than sixth in the league, Stars' winger Mzikakiyise Mashaba has also been called up.

There was good news for the experience of the team and for its midfield strength when Kaizer Chiefs' Siphiwe Tshabalala and Reneilwe Letsholonyane were named in the squad after previously having been sidelined by injury.

The squad includes eight overseas-based players: captain Steven Pienaar, goalkeeper Darren Keet, defenders Bongani Khumalo, Tsepo Masilela, Anele Ngcongca, and midfielders May Mahlangu and Thulani Serero.

"It is important to keep the balance of youth and experience in the team because we are also preparing the team beyond 2014. We have also acknowledged and rewarded most of the players who have done well in the PSL this season," coach Pitso Mosimane told the media at the announcement of the squad.

'Very stubborn'

Looking ahead to Bafana's first match, he said: "Ethiopia is a very and stubborn team that doesn't give up and give in to pressure.

"They have a very quick team up front and a very compact in defence, but we think we have the ammunition and the players to unlock this ultra-defensive approach.

"We have played against such defences against the Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone recently, and we managed to unlock them at particular times. We hope the experience of those two matches will help to us unlock the Ethiopian defence.

"It is important to win the game at all costs. At this point in time the key is to win the game and not focus on playing very well. The country deserves a win," he concluded.

Bafana is ranked 67th in the latest Fifa world rankings, while Ethiopia is in 138th place.

BAFANA BAFANA SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Moeneeb Josephs (Orlando Pirates), Wayne Sandilands (Mamelodi Sundowns), Darren Keet (KV Kortrijk FC)

Defenders: Punch Masenamela (Mamelodi Sundowns), Tsepo Masilela (Getafe), Eric Mathoho (Bloemfontein Celtic), Siboniso Gaxa (Kaizer Chiefs), Morgan Gould (SuperSport United), Siyabonga Sangweni (Orlando Pirates), Bongani Khumalo (Tottenham Hotspur) Anele Ngcongca (Racing Genk)

Midfielders: Andile Jali (Orlando Pirates), May Mahlangu (Helsingsborg), Thulani Serero (Ajax Cape Town), Steven Pienaar (Everton, captain), Oupa Manyisa (Orlando Pirates), Reneilwe Letsholonyane (Kaizer Chiefs), Mzikayise Mashaba (Free State Stars), Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs), Thanduyise Khuboni (Golden Arrows), Teko Modise (Mamelodi Sundowns), Lebohang Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns)

Strikers: Katlego Mphela (Mamelodi Sundowns), Siyabonga Nomvethe (Moroka Swallows), Tokelo Rantie (Orlando Pirates), Eleazor Rodgers (Santos)

South Africa will be pushing for a decision on the site of the €1.5-billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope at the next meeting of the international SKA organisation members on 25 May, says Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor.

"The bidding countries submitted all the required technical information and we are impatiently awaiting the outcome of what we hope will be a final site consideration meeting on 25 May," Pandor said during her department's budget vote in Parliament in Cape Town on Tuesday.

South Africa, allied with eight other African countries, is competing against Australia (allied with New Zealand) to host the SKA, an instrument 50-100 times more sensitive and 10 000 times faster than any radio imaging telescope yet built.

A decision on the site was delayed in April to allow a scientific working group to explore ways of maximising investments already made by rival bidders South Africa and Australia-New Zealand - raising the possibility that the hosting of the world's biggest radio telescope could be shared.

Pandor was disappointment at the delay, saying at the time that she hoped the SKA organisation "will make a decision in the first half of 2012 and that the decision will reflect the best scientific outcome.

"We believe we have an excellent site at which exciting science will be done," Pandor said. "We in Africa are ready to host the SKA."

On Tuesday, Pandor told Parliament that her department had allocated R500-million to South Africa's SKA initiative in the 2012/13 financial year.

South Africa targets new satellites

She said her department would also be working with the South African National Space Agency (Sansa) to develop an implementation blueprint for its next satellite.

South Africa is planning to build its third satellite, to form part of a new African satellite constellation, as part of a government drive to grow the country's share of the global market for small- to medium-sized space systems.

"Our intention is to expand our investment in 'micro' satellites, building on the existing SumbandilaSat platform," Pandor told delegates at the 62nd annual congress of the International Astronautical Federation in Cape Town in October.

South Africa's second satellite, the two-year-old SumbandilaSat, has been out of commission since a blast of solar radiation damaged its on-board computer in July 2011.

Sansa chief executive Sandile Malinga announced in September that South Africa hoped to start building a new, fully operational satellite – not just a prototype or "pathfinder" satellite such as SumbandilaSat – as early as 2012, for possible launch by 2014/15.

The new satellite would cost in the region of R400-million - compared to the R26-million spent on SumbandilaSat - and would also be used for earth observation, in line with the country's space strategy, which seeks to apply satellite data to help to improve livelihoods, reduce poverty and manage natural disasters in the country and the region.

Source: BuaNews

South Africa says it is committed to supporting its nomination of Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to lead the African Union (AU) Commission, with the backing of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

"Our government and the SADC region is united behind its candidate," International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane told journalists in Pretoria on Tuesday.

In January, African leaders shelved the election of the new chairperson of the AU's executive arm until July, after both Dlamini-Zuma and the incumbent, Jean Ping, failed to secure the two-thirds majority needed to lead the organ.

The next round of votes will take place at the 19th AU Summit in Malawi in July.

Analysts believe that for South Africa to win the election, it would need considerable support from Francophone African countries.

But Nkoana-Mashabane remained confident that they still had time to rope in support for the SADC nomination. "The region continues to consult widely across all regions on the continent regarding the candidature of Dlamini-Zuma."

She noted that the continent's southern and the northern regions had never had an opportunity to lead the AU, or its predecessor the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), at the level of a chairperson.

Asked what South Africa would do if there was still a deadlock at the July AU summit, Nkoana-Mashabane said they would follow the rule book of the AU.

Dlamini-Zuma was not being fielded as a candidate to pursue the interests of any particular country or region, Nkoana-Mashabane said, adding that her work would be guided by the statutes of the AU as well as decisions of the AU's policy organs, especially the assembly and executive council.

Nkoana-Mashabane was speaking after a meeting in Benin on Monday of an eight-member African Union (AU) ad-hoc committee set up to look into ways of breaking the impasse on the election.

The committee is chaired by Benin and includes South Africa, Algeria, Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon and Chad.

According to the minister, certain convergences emerged on the principle of rotation. "The principle of rotation and regional representation is entrenched in the international democratic process of the AU."

The committee will present a report on its deliberations to the AU Assembly at the Malawi summit.

The AU Commission is the secretariat of the AU, entrusted with executive functions. It is composed of 10 officials. The commission has never been headed by a woman.

Source: BuaNews

South Africa will add another international sporting event to its schedule when Durban hosts an Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) Children's Series Race on 2 June, the day before the Comrades Marathon.

A member of AIMS, the Comrades Marathon Association (CMA), which receives global recognition from the world body for its contribution to sports' industry, both locally and gloablly, presented a successful bid to the organisation to host the event in Southern Africa for the very first time.

The AIMS Children's Series Race consists of a 10km race and 5km fun run and is aimed at exposing young people to the joys and benefits of running, while also providing them with a tangible opportunity to be a part of the Comrades Marathon experience.

Estimated entry

It is estimated that over 5000 children between the ages of nine and 19 will participate in the event.

The race starts and finishes at the Hoy Park in Durban and the route passes along the very scenic "Golden Mile" on Durban's beach front.

Vice President of AIMS, Martha Morales, who is responsible for the AIMS Children's Series, will be in attendance. "I would like to congratulate the Comrades Marathon Association for its valuable contribution to the social program of AIMS, that is the AIMS Children's Series," she said in a statement.

"South Africa, the birthplace of some of the best athletes [in the world], is the best place to fulfil our objectives," she added.

'Leave a legacy'

"This program is for AIMS and its members and signifies a strong bond of solidarity, cooperation and the best tool to leave a legacy for the growing running fraternity and the world at large."

While the main focus of the event is on the youth, both the 10km race and the 5km fun runs are open to participants of all ages, be they Comrades Marathon runners, their family members, friends or ordinary sport enthusiasts.

The race is a pre-entry event and entries are already open and will be accepted until Wednesday, 30 May at the KwaZulu-Natal Athletics Offices at the Kings Park Athletics Stadium. Online entries are available via the following links:

• 10km run
• 5km run

• Prizes

  There will be lots of prizes for the participants, including individual prize money for the first 10 finishers in the 10km race.

  First place finishers in the male and female races will take home R1 000 each. Schools have not been left out as the top five schools with most finishers will each walk away with prize money.

  All finishers will receive medals and T-shirts and there will be lucky draws too for all finishers.

  For more information, contact KwaZulu-Natal Athletics on (031) 312 9374 or send an e-mail.

  About AIMS

  AIMS is an association of more than 320 race organisations located in over 95 countries and territories. It held its first World Congress in 1982 after two years of work went into setting up the association.

  Its objectives are:

• to foster and promote distance running throughout the world
• to work with the International Association of Athletic Federations on all matters relating to international road races
• to exchange information, knowledge and expertise among the members of the Association

• SAinfo reporter

  Would you like to use this article in your publication or on your website? See: Using SAinfo material

  

Cities

Joburg is the City of Gold, Cape Town the Mother City, PE the Friendly City ...

South Africa has become a member of a European institute that makes joint use of radio telescopes spread across the world to produce the clearest available images of some of the most distant and energetic objects in the universe.

The Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry in Europe (Jive) last week welcomed South Africa's National Research Foundation (NRF) as a member.

JIVE's funding organisations already include the National Astronomical Observatories of China, as well as European national research councils and facilities in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Jive supports the European VLBI Network (EVN) of radio astronomy facilities, which collaborates with international facilities to conduct Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), an astronomical technique "that uses widely separated radio telescopes in conjunction with each other to simulate a single telescope hundreds or thousands of kilometres in diameter," Jive said in a statement last week.

"This technique produces the clearest, highest resolution images of some of the most distant and energetic objects in the universe."

South Africa's Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) has been an active member of the EVN since 2001, and its 26-metre dish has participated in EVN observations for an even longer time.

HartRAO is also working with various African countries to convert obsolete satellite communications dishes across the continent into radio telescopes to create an African VLBI network which, it is planned, will also collaborate with Jive.

South Africa's radio astronomy - and VLBI - capabilities will be hugely augmented when the Karoo Array Telescope (also known as the MeerKAT), a 64-dish precursor instrument for the Square Kilometre Array, is commissioned in 2014/15.

"The formal addition of the NRF as a full Jive member signals the NRF's commitment to VLBI and to the future of our collaboration in the EVN in particular," said Jive director Huib van Langevelde.

"The NRF partnership commits Jive to actively assist in making these facilities successful new additions to the VLBI network.

"Hartebeesthoek's participation in VLBI observations over the past several years has improved the performance of the EVN tremendously," Van Langevelde said. "We look forward to observing together with these new South African telescopes to further strengthen the EVN."

SAinfo reporter

View our collection of some of the best satellite images of South Africa.