S Africa workers hold mass protests

Million set to march in S Africa

Strikes began last week and saw clashes between protesters and police [
South African civil servants are marching across the country over a wage dispute, with more than one million people expected to participate in strikes.

Labour unions planned the action on Thursday as part of continued pressure on the government to agree to improved pay terms and benefits.

Around 1.3 million state workers have been on strike since last Wednesday, picketing outside schools, hospitals and government offices.

A day after they began, the strikes became violent with police using rubber bullets and water cannons against teachers and other civil servants, who threw stones and bricks at them when trying to enter a hospital in Johannesburg.

The unions have set a deadline of September 2 for the government to provide a 8.6 per cent rise in salaries and a 1,000 rand ($138) monthly housing allowance, otherwise more state workers are slated to join the strikes.

Government 'worried'

The South African government is offering a seven per cent pay hike and 630 rand for housing.

Government services and the economy have already been disrupted by the strikes.

Themba Maseko, the government spokesman, said the strike had raised concern and efforts were being made to resolve it.

"We're obviously worried about the strike, especially the impact it is having on the lives of ordinary South Africans. We're actually at a point where our students are supposed to be writing their examinations in about 50 days' time," he told Al Jazeera.

"Many South Africans who are ill [and] need urgent medical treatment are being deprived of the opportunity to get that treatment. We also have a lot of South African citizens who want to volunteer their services by assisting hospitals; by assisting learners to prepare for their examininations and yet they are being prevented from doing so.
coppied by http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/08/20108265325707917.html

World Cup 2010 begins in South Africa

Ceremony kicks-off 2010 World Cup
Watches this enjoy World Cup 2010 begins in South Africa
The 2010 World Cup in South Africa got under way with a spectacular and vibrant opening ceremony at the 94,000-capacity Soccer City in Johannesburg.
The ceremony was followed by the first game of the tournament between the hosts and Mexico, which ended 1-1.
Africa is staging the World Cup for the first time, with 32 nations competing in 64 games until the final on 11 July.
Nelson Mandela was due to attend the opening ceremony but withdrew following the death of his great-granddaughter.
Zenani Mandela, 13, died in a car crash when travelling home from the pre-World Cup concert in Johannesburg on Thursday.

PAUL FLETCHER'S BLOG
There is a feeling that this World Cup can have a profound impact on how the continent of Africa is perceived by the millions watching from abroad
She was one of the 91-year-old anti-apartheid icon's nine great-grandchildren.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation released a statement saying it would be "inappropriate" for Mandela, a former South African president, to be at the opening ceremony.
"We are sure that South Africans and people all over the world will stand in solidarity with Mr Mandela and his family in the aftermath of this tragedy," added the statement.
"We continue to believe that the World Cup is a momentous and historic occasion for South Africa and the continent and we are certain it will be a huge success."
The 40-minute ceremony began with a five-plane military flypast over the stadium, which resembles a huge African cooking pot.
A group of drummers and dancers performed a 'Welcome to Africa' song that included an introduction to all 10 tournament's venues.
The next sequence saw a gigantic beetle show off its football skills with the Jabulani - the official football of the finals - before large pieces of cloth were used to show a map of the continent.
Musicians and artists from the other African finalists - Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria - also had their chance to perform in a joint sequence.

Sixteen people - including two police officers - were injured at a stampede ahead of a World Cup warm-up match on Sunday between Nigeria and North Korea outside Makhulong Stadium in the township of Tembisa near Johannesburg.
And journalists from China, Spain and Portugal were targeted in two separate armed robberies in and around Johannesburg on Monday and Wednesday.
However, Fifa president Sepp Blatter insists the World Cup will be a success.
"Everywhere, one can feel, I hope, that this World Cup is very special, the first on African soil," he said. "We find ourselves in a position of indescribable anticipation.
"More importantly, this competition will prove that South Africa, and the African continent in general, is capable of organising an event of this magnitude."
Some of the world's best players will be on display in South Africa, among them Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
But some big names will be missing because of injury, such as England duo Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham, Germany skipper Michael Ballack and Ghana midfielder Michael Essien.
Didier Drogba - an icon in African sport - fractured his elbow in a recent friendly against Japan, but is hopeful of playing a part in the Ivory Coast's campaign.
coppied by http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8731389.stm