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

South Africa's Anglo American Platinum (Angloplat) has launched the prototype of the first fuel cell powered underground locomotive, in a bid to demonstrate the viability of platinum-based fuel cells as an alternative energy source while helping the country meet its energy and job creation challenges.

Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll, speaking at last week's launch, described the event as "a leap forward for fuel cells.

"The platinum-based hydrogen fuel cells, used to power the locomotive we are unveiling today, offer one of the most exciting opportunities for South Africa in the green economy," Carroll said.

"At Anglo American, we believe that with platinum at its heart, a South African fuel cell industry would support the country's drive for jobs and help to meet its energy challenges."

According to Angloplat, hydrogen-powered fuel cell locomotives are more economical and environmentally friendly than traditional rail transport, being powered by a cleaner and more secure energy source.

A fuel cell is essentially a gas battery that produces electricity as long as it is fed with hydrogen gas. The fuel cells provide availablity 24-7, and there is no need to change or recharge the battery it replaces, which means less downtime and increased productivity.

"These innovative locomotives will provide us with an opportunity to mine platinum in a more economic, energy-secure and environmentally benign manner," said Angloplat CEO Neville Nicolau. "The locomotives will not require any electricity from the grid to function, and will not emit noxious gases."

The locomotive was developed in collaboration with Vehicle Projects, Trident South Africa, and Battery Electric. The partnership will construct five fuel cell locomotives which will be tested for underground use at one of Angloplat's mines, after which they will be integrated into the company's mining operations.

According to Angloplat, fuel cell technology is a strategic emerging industry, and the locomotive project is part of the company's collaboration with South African government and technology partners to explore the potential of fuel cells, with an eye to the industrialisation and beneficiation of platinum group metals (PGMs).

"This collaborative work is intended to enable the development of a local fuel cell manufacturing, distribution, marketing and servicing industry which will be globally competitive," Angloplat said.

SAinfo reporter

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

Brad Morgan

Former Proteas wicketkeeper Dave Richardson has been selected by the International Cricket Council (ICC) board to succeed fellow South African Haroon Lorgat as chief executive. Richardson's name will be recommended at the ICC's annual conference in June.

There were four candidates for the position, but it came down to a choice between Richardson and England and Wales Cricket Board CEO David Collier, with Richardson cracking the nod after a meeting of the ICC nominations committee in Mumbai, India this past weekend. He will become the first former test cricketer to hold the position.

On hearing of his nomination, Richardson told the ICC: "It is a great honour to be nominated to be chief executive of the ICC. I am delighted with this opportunity and thank the ICC board for their approval.

'A privilege'

"It has been a privilege to serve as ICC general manager of cricket, and that work will continue until such time as the ICC annual conference ratifies my nomination," Richardson said. "I am looking forward to working closely with all the membership and stakeholders in the game.

"It is an honour to be following a fellow South African, Haroon Lorgat, in this role. I have learnt a lot under his leadership and thank him for his support in the last four years."

Richardson, a qualified lawyer, has served as the ICC's general manager for the past decade, and that experience played a big role in his selection to the post of CEO.

'The most important thing'

ICC president Sharad Pawar told ESPN Cricinfo: "What made Richardson the most suitable candidate was his knowledge of the ICC, and that was the most important thing.

"He was an internal candidate. He is a former test player and brings a lot of international cricket experience to the table," Pawar said.

"In addition, he has been working with the ICC for quite long and is completely aware about the ICC operations and the members. All this only made it a unanimous decision."

Cricket career

Richardson played 42 tests for South Africa, claiming 150 catches and two stumpings.

He scored 1 359 runs at an average of 24.26, including one test century, 109, against New Zealand in Cape Town in January 1995, when he was named man of the match and man of the series. He had missed out on a century in the first test by only seven runs.

Richardson also played in 122 one-day internationals in which he made 148 catches and 17 stumpings. He scored 868 runs at 19.72.

His son, Michael, is also a wicketkeeper and plays for English county Durham.

Inward investment into Africa has more than doubled over the last decade as investor perceptions of the continent have begun to shift, but a significant perception gap still remains to be closed, according to Ernst & Young's second African Attractiveness Survey, released last week.

According to the survey, growing optimism and confidence among international investors saw new foreign direct investment (FDI) projects into Africa growing from 339 in 2003 to 857 in 2011 - with new project numbers in 2011 almost back up to the levels last seen in 2008, before the global financial crisis hit.

The mind-shift has been shared, and to some extent led, by African investors themselves, with intra-African investment increasing exponentially, from 27 new FDI projects in 2003 to 145 in 2011 - 17% of all new FDI projects on the continent last year.

Sixty percent of the 505 global executives surveyed by Ernst & Young said perceptions of Africa as a business location had improved over past three years, with three-quarters of them predicting further improvements in the continent's attractiveness over the next three years.

Ernst & Young forecast overall African gross domestic product (GDP) growth of between 4% and 5% per annum over the next decade, with FDI into Africa reaching US$150-billion by 2015.

Perception gap 'remains to be closed'

While the survey paints an overall positive picture of growing confidence in Africa's prospects, the results also highlight a stark difference in perception between CEOs who already have a business presence in Africa and those who do not.

"Of those who believe that Africa's growth prospects in the near term are significantly positive, half have a dedicated Africa strategy in place, and 92% have an active business presence on the continent," Ernst & Young said in a statement last week.

The perception gap is reflected in the fact that, despite the positive African growth story - including strong GDP and FDI growth forecasts for the next decade - "the continent still only attracted 5.5% of global FDI projects in 2011.

"While this is up from 4.5% last year and is, in fact, the highest proportion of global FDI that Africa has ever received, reservations remain among those who have not yet invested into the continent."

Ajen Sita, Ernst & Young managing partner for Africa, noted that the continent as a whole was still attracting fewer FDI projects than India and far fewer than China.

"There is still clearly work to be done by Africans - government and private sector alike - to better articulate and 'sell' the growth story and investment opportunity for foreign investors," Sita said.

Intra-African investment leads the way

A key highlight of Erns & Young's report is the growing self-belief and commitment by Africans to move the continent forward, reflected in the substantial growth of intra-African investment.

Between 2003 and 2011, according to the survey, there has been 23% annual compound growth in intra-African investment into new FDI projects. This growth has been accelerating, with the growth rate up by 42% since 2007.

This growth is being led "by the respective regional powerhouses of Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa," Ernst & Young said.

"All three of these African economies are ranked among the top 20 investors into the rest of the continent between 2003 and 20011, and since 2007 the growth rate in investment from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa has been 78%, 73% and 65% respectively.

Sita said there had been "a radical shift in mindset and positioning over the last decade, with Africans themselves increasingly leading from the front by providing African solutions to Africa's challenges.

"Clearly work still remains to be done, but pushing ahead with key initiatives such as regional integration and investment in infrastructure will ensure that Africa remains on a sustainable growth curve."

Increasing growth from developing countries

On the sources of Africa's inward investment, the survey found that this came from across the world, with strong growth in project numbers from "rapid-growth" (or developing) and developed markets alike.

Among the former, India has led the way as the fourth-largest FDI investor by number of projects since 2003, with annual compound growth of 46% since 2007.

China and the United Arab Emirates remain prominent too, but there is high growth in investment from an increasingly diverse range of other developing countries, with South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Turkey among those at the forefront.

"At the same time, and despite the challenges they face, there has also been robust growth in investment into Africa from many developed markets," Ernst & Young said. "In the period from 2007 to 2011, UK project numbers have been up 27%, with the US and Germany also both increasing by 21%."

According to Mark Otty, Ernst & Young managing partner for Europe, Middle East, India and Africa, the competition for global FDI is intensifying, with developing countries "not only dominating investor attention and capital flows, but also playing an increasingly strategic role in defining the global economic agenda.

"African countries must position themselves appropriately in this shifting landscape to attract a greater proportion of the investment that will accelerate growth and development," he said.

Moving beyond dependence on commodities

In addition, according to Ernst & Young, the growing diversification of FDI identified as a key trend in last year's survey has continued this year "with even greater levels of investment into less capital-intensive sectors".

This has resulted in a growing number of FDI projects in manufacturing, business services and sales, marketing and support, highlighting a shift away from the extractive commodity-based activities on which Africa has historically been dependent.

"In the midst of a global economy that is being reshaped, with growth and capital flows shifting from north to south and west to east, Africans have a unique opportunity to break the structural constraints that have marginalized the continent for decades, if not centuries," Sita said.

SAinfo reporter

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

Southern Africa's biggest tourism showcase, Indaba 2012, takes place at Durban's International Convention Centre from 12 to 15 May.

Despite a general flat to downward trend worldwide, South Africa's tourism industry has been performing strongly, a fact that is reflected in the more than 13 000 delegates from around the world who are expected to attend Indaba 2012.

1 800 exhibitors, 200 hosted international buyers

Approximately 1 800 exhibitors will showcase new products reflecting the latest global trends in tourism, while representatives of influential industry stakeholders, along with over 200 international hosted buyers, will be guests at the event.

"To be successful in the tourism industry requires the joint effort, hard work and cohesion of all partners to achieve continued tourism growth," South African Tourism CEO Thulani Nzima said in a recent statement.

Indaba would facilitate this effort by providing "the best platforms and matchmaking opportunities to conduct business."

Digital competitiveness, Indaba App

The programme will include three speed marketing sessions focusing on sustainable and responsible tourism, heritage and cultural tourism, and adventure tourism.

TripAdvisor, the influential travel website on which travellers get to review their travel experiences, will present a workshop on digital competitiveness, which was identified as a key focus area during Indaba 2011.

In an effort to reduce Indaba 2012's carbon footprint, an Indaba App has been developed, available for download from the event's website for iPhone, iPad, Blackberry and Android devices.

Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has said that his department aims to increase South Africa's foreign tourist arrivals from seven-million in 2009 to 15-million by 2020, at the same time growing tourism's contribution to the economy from R189-billion to R499-billion and creating 225 000 new jobs.

Over eight-million tourists visited South Africa in 2011 - a 3.3% increase over the 2010 World Cup year that would, if football-specific arrivals were not counted, have amounted to a 7.4% increase over 2010, well ahead of the global average of 4.4% annual growth.

SAinfo reporter

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

South Africans celebrate Freedom Day in order to ensure that the present does not erase the past, and in order to protect the future, President Jacob Zuma said as the country marked its 18th year of freedom on Friday, calling on all citizens to work together to make the country a success.

"We must put the country first in everything we do, and work together to make a success of the second phase of struggle, that of working towards a prosperous South Africa."

The President was addressing the national Freedom Day celebrations held at the Union Buildings. The day commemorates the first democratic elections held in the country on 27 April 1994.

"Together we have built from the ashes of apartheid a country that is dedicated to patriotism, nation-building and reconciliation," Zuma said, adding that South Africa had been able to tackle its socio-economic development challenges through the creation of a stable democratic system.

"It has been a short but very meaningful road from a pariah state to a peaceful, stable, vibrant non-racial, non-sexist, democratic country that is working hard to achieve prosperity for all," Zuma said.

"On Freedom Day we celebrate our victory over racial bigotry."

He the government was working towards eradicating unemployment, inequity and poverty.

"The challenge has been to ensure that more of our people benefit from economic growth whilst maintaining and indeed building on the strength of our economy."

South Africa was recovering from the effects of the global financial crisis of 2008-09, with the past 18 months having seen a substantial economic recovery, Zuma said.

"The challenge now is to accelerate our gains, to ensure above all that growth supports increased inclusion, employment and equity."

The proportion of the population living below the R422 a month poverty line had decreased from 50% in 1994 to 34.5% in 2009, Zuma said, while in 2011, 75.8% of the country's households had access to electricity compared to 51% in 1994.

"Most importantly, primary health care is now accessible to all South Africans regardless of race, background and nationality," said Zuma.

Efforts to improve social conditions in the country include an R8.2-billion allocation for school infrastructure, while 43 regional bulk projects for water infrastructure will be completed by 2014, benefiting 3.2-million people.

South Africa was also working to support unemployed young people through the expansion of public employment programmes, Zuma said.

Source: BuaNews

South Africa is a culturally diverse country, one nation made up of many peoples.

South Africa will launch three new museums this year - including one that retells the story of the Battle of Blood River - as well as the Steve Biko Heritage Centre, to honour the memory of those who fought for the country's freedom.

The other museums are the 1980 Matola Raid Museum in Maputo, Mozambique and a new museum at Freedom Park outside Pretoria.

The Department of Arts and Culture's Vusithemba Ndima said this week that the museums and heritage centre would all be launched between July and November.

The 1980 Matola Raid Museum pays homage to the 17 people that died during an SA Defence Force raid on African National Congress (ANC) houses in Matola in 1980.

Construction is expected to be completed this week, and the museum should be furnished, equipped and staffed by July.

Steve Biko Heritage Centre

The Steve Biko Heritage Centre is being built at Ginsberg outside King Williams' Town in the Eastern Cape, where the Black Consciousness pioneer was born in 1946.

The centre, which will include a museum, archive and library, training rooms and cultural performance and retail spaces, will also create economic opportunities for the local community.

Ndima said construction of the centre was about 95% complete, and its launch is scheduled for October or November.

The Battle of Blood River revisited

Ndima said phase two of the Ncome Museum in KwaZulu-Natal, which aims to tell the story of the infamous Battle of Blood River - fought between Zulu and Afrikaners in 1838 - from an African perspective, is scheduled for completion by August.

The second phase of the museum will include a multi-purpose hall to host conferences, a library, work room, curio shop and reconciliation bridge. The first phase was launched in 1998.

Ndima said a museum being constructed as part of the final phase of Freedom Park, detailing the stories of those who fought for the country's freedom, is expected to be opened in September.

Homes, graves of liberation figures to be restored

The department, through the South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra), is also restoring the graves and homes of various struggle stalwarts around the country.

These include the homes of literary icons Bessie Head, Olive Schreiner and Ingrid Jonker, and of the Reverend Zaccheus Richard Mahabane, the first president-general of the ANC.

There is also a plan to turn the house of Winnie Mandela, who was exiled to Brandfort in the Free State in 1977, into a museum. The Lejweleputswa District Municipality has finalised a business plan to develop the house.

Negotiations are under way with the current owners of the property of Bram Fischer - the lawyer who represented Nelson Mandela during the Rivonia Trial in 1963 - with the aim of restoring the home.

Graves that have been declared national heritage sites are those of Steve Biko; Pan African Congress (PAC) founder Robert Subukwe; John Dube, the founding president of the SA Native National Congress, the forerunner of the ANC; and former ANC leaders Pixley ka Seme, Sefako Makgatho, Josiah Gumede, Alfred Xuma, Albert Luthuli, and Oliver Tambo.

Ndima said the graves of Luthuli and Dube were in good condition, while the Sobukwe grave had been refurbished.

However, he said the site where Luthuli died was in a poor condition and the granite needed restoration, while Gumede's grave in Pietermaritzburg also required restoration.

The Soweto house of Lillian Ngoyi, an anti-apartheid activist and the first woman elected to the ANC's executive committee, will also be declared a heritage site after an evaluation.

Other sites which will be declared heritage sites include the site of the 1913 revolt by women in the Free State, and the site of the 1957 anti-pass revolt by women in Zeerust.

Ngquza Hill, John Dube legacy projects

While the sites of the Frontier Wars in the Eastern Cape will be developed as part of a wider National Liberation Heritage Route, Ngquza Hill - the site of the 1960 Ngquza Hill massacre of 11 Pondo tribesmen by police - and the Holy Cross Church where Oliver Tambo went to school (both near Flagstaff) will be declared heritage sites next year.

A service provider has been appointed by the department to develop a heritage centre at Ngquza Hill, and construction of the centre is expected to start in October.

Ndima said the department was also busy developing the Dube Legacy Project, following a ceremony in February to mark the restoration of John Dube's grave site and the unveiling of a Dube statue at the launch of the Dube Tradeport at King Shaka International Airport in March.

The development of the Dube grave site will includes the construction of an interpretative centre and a Tower of Hope.

In Cape Town, Sahra will declare as a heritage site the Rocklands Seven monument where the UDF was launched in 1983, as well as the Gugulethu Seven monument in Gugulethu, with the latter to form part of a museum to be developed in collaboration with the Fawu Gugulethu Development Committee.

Union Buildings' centenary

The department is also helping to prepare for the centenary of the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 2013.

In preparation for the celebrations, the Presidential Guest House will be renamed Sefako Makgatho House - after the second president of the ANC - while Kings House in Durban will change to John Langalibalele Dube House, and the Diplomatic Guest House to Johnstone Mfanafuthi Makhathini Guest House.

Johnstone Mfanafuthi Makhathini is a former anti-apartheid activist whose work contributed to the formation of the Organisation of African Unity - the forerunner of the African Union.

Source: BuaNews

South Africa is a culturally diverse country, one nation made up of many peoples.

19 April 2012

Historically South Africa's premier tennis venue, Johannesburg's Ellis Park Tennis Stadium is gearing up for a bumper week of wheelchair tennis, featuring some of the world's leading players.

The Acsa South African Open, the country's premier wheelchair tennis event, which forms part of the international circuit, takes place at Ellis Park from 21 to 25 April.

A grade one tour event, it has attracted a top entry from overseas and will allow local players an opportunity of gaining all important world ranking points, and a chance of qualifying for the London Paralympics in August.

'A truly historic venue'

"Ellis Park is a truly historic venue and will be a fitting wheelchair-friendly host for the tournament," tournament director Holger Losch said in a statement.

"The venue has played host to top ATP, WTA and ITF events, including Davis and Fed Cup, and now that our Acsa SA Open is being played at Ellis Park we can honestly say this 'grand old lady' has hosted the best of all tennis events."

Losch continued by saying that preparations were well on track to host a truly memorable tournament. "We have been hard at work in making sure Ellis Park will be a warm and hospitable host. The courts are in good shape and the facilities have been well adapted for the players.

"After successfully hosting the World Wheelchair Tennis Championships last year, we feel in tune to host a great week's tennis in the City of Gold."

Leading South Africans

Already confirmed as entered are South African's top ranked men and women's players Lucas Sithole (world number nine in the Quads Division) and Kgothatso Montjane (world ranked 10 in the Women's Division).

They will be joined by international stars representing Australia, Great Britain, Italy, Scotland, Japan, Poland, Sri Lanka, Germany, Netherlands, France, Brazil, China, Malaysia and Israel.

Notable players that have entered include world number four Marjolein Buis and world number nine Sharon Walraven, both of the Netherlands, in the women's division. In the men's division there will be three players ranked in the top 20 of the world, namely Scotland's Gordon Reid (12), Ben Weekes of Australia (15) and Japanese star Yoshinobu Fujimoto (17).

In the Quads, Andrew Lapthorne of Great Britain is ranked number four and Maro Innocenti of Italy, ranked tenth, join Lucas Sithole in the battle for the title.

Divisions

The tournament will have men's, women's, quads and junior divisions, with each made up of singles and doubles events.

The tournament draw takes place on Friday at 18:00 at the Reef Hotel in Johannesburg, with the opening round starting at 09:00 on Saturday morning.

Round two is scheduled for Sunday, the quarter finals for Monday, semi-finals on Tuesday and the finals on Wednesday.

SAinfo reporter

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has thanked South African motorists for their behaviour over one of the safest Easter weekends on the country's roads - while stressing that more work still needs to be done to reduce the road accident rate.

While 181 people still died on the roads over the four-day period, according to preliminary reports, this is sharply down from last year's figure of 296.

South Africa's Easter weekend holiday period is notorious for its high number of accidents and fatalities as tens of thousands of people make their way to various holiday and religious destinations.

"We would like to compliment all road users who adhered to the rules of the road, as well as all our law enforcement officers and emergency services personnel who went beyond the call of duty," Ndebele said on Wednesday.

At the same time, Ndebele said that while the statistics were positive, much still remained to be done.

The minister was speaking at the launch of "Think Pedestrian" campaign in Johannesburg. Pedestrians account for nearly 40% of South Africa's road fatalities annually.

Over the long weekend, 56 roadblocks were held and 905 motorists were arrested - 562 for drinking and driving, 226 for reckless and negligent driving, and 117 for other offences.

About 355 unroadworthy vehicles were taken off the road and 249 public transport vehicles were impounded.

Provincially, there were 30 fatal accidents in KwaZulu-Natal, 23 in Gauteng, 32 in Limpopo, 25 in Mpumalanga, 19 in North West province, 15 in the Free State, 20 in the Eastern Cape, 13 in the Western Cape, and four in the Northern Cape.

Speeding, dangerous overtaking, fatigue, drinking and driving, and unroadworthy vehicles are all major contributing factor to accidents.

Ndebele said road deaths and injuries not only caused enormous pain and suffering to the victims and their families, but also cost the economy billions of rands each year.

In a bid to reduce future road fatalities, Ndebele has instructed the country's traffic authorities that a minimum of 10 000 motorists be screened for alcohol every month.

Source: BuaNews