This is the first time the government has implicitly acknowledged the threat of land invasions in South Africa - and their potentially devastating impact on property prices, particularly in commercial farming areas. The Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry, Ronnie Kasrils, last week disclosed the discovery of a vast aquifer stretching from the Western Cape nearly to Port Elizabeth, about 700km away. He said the additional water resources might be more valuable to the country than its mineral wealth. It is surprising that there are people who would equate the resolving of land rights to budgetary constraints. It is unfortunate that at this stage in our democracy there are academics from institutions like the Land Rights Research Programme at the Centre of Applied Legal Studies at Wits University, which one thought were progressive, and therefore understood the issue of violation of rights, particularly those of the poor, who can argue that betterment does not constitute violation of rights.
Government wants to promote the use of bicycles in South Africa.
A campaign to popularise the use of bicycles in South Africa, including the construction of cycle paths in urban areas, is to be launched next year by the Department of Transport despite the dangers to cyclists on the country's roads. Minister of Transport Abdullah Omar says the National Bicycle Transport Demonstration Programme would be launched in every province in the first half of next year, initially targeting rural areas and medium-sized towns. There is a heavy burden to fulfil former residents' expectations. An official report released on Friday said at least 65.3 percent of Malawians still live below the poverty line, PANA reported on Monday. South Africa's policy towards the Angolan conflict remains one of non-interference, a government official told IRIN on Thursday in response to a newspaper allegation that Zambia had approached South Africa for military assistance to help police its troubled border with Angola.