Dar-es-Salaam - Africa's population has reached 1 billion as the continent's population grows by about 24 million a year, says a report.

A report published by the Washington-based Population Reference Bureau, jointly with the US government aid agency USAID, says its expected that the African population will double to nearly 2 billion by 2050.

Although population growth has slowed in North African countries such as Egypt and Tunisia, on average women in sub-Saharan Africa have more children than women elsewhere.

"While globally the average woman has 2.6 children, in sub-Saharan Africa she has 5.3 children (which is down from 6.7 children in around 1950), the world's highest," the report said.

Worldwide, 62 percent of married women of childbearing age use contraception, but in Africa the figure is 28 percent, according to the report, which also revealed that sub-Saharan Africa has the world's most youthful population, "and it projected to stay that way for decades."

In 2050, the African continent is expected to have 349 million youth, or 29 percent of the world's total, a sharp rise from the 9 percent of the world's youth in 1950, the report noted.

SilentBee, the noisy web stalker of the South African Architectural Web, has been a busy bee and gone public with a new blog site called "Your Architecture is Bad".

It has all the makings of a magnificent compendium of onions, mediocre and outright immoral works of architecture. This is going to be interesting - particularly as there is no shortage from which to choose ...

The site is as anonymous as it is inclusive: you can submit your least favourite building or you can just piss off your least favourite architect by submitting *all* of his or her buildings.

Now that the recession is upon us that should keep some busy.

Check out: http://yourarchitectureisbad.wordpress.com/

NASTEP - New Age Solar Technology Environmental Products

Nast Environmental Projects (PTY) Ltd (NASTEP) is a South African importing, marketing, distribution and installation company for Himin thermal and solar products. NASTEP (Pty) Ltd has secured the sole South African distribution rights for Himin Solar Energy products. The company markets the extensive range of Himin solar and thermal products, which include a range of thermal geysers and collectors, photovoltaic panels, a range of solar lights - traffic, garden and streetlights and Win-Pin Energy saving glass. NASTEP's range of Himin geysers varies from complete stand alone units, suitable for both flat and pitched roofs, to integrated split systems and heat collectors which can be fitted to existing electrical geysers.

Towering cranes around future Gautrain stations mark the property sector's confidence

Areas located directly around future Gautrain stations are attracting great interest when it comes to property development, especially speculative offices, retail and mixed-use property developments.

Fran Teagle, Broll Property Group's Director of Commercial Broking for Gauteng, points out that the speculative development taking place in these locations shows confidence in Gauteng's future by the property sector and symbolises the important role that the Gautrain stations are expected to play in our society.

By Nthambeleni Gabara

Pretoria - Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceka, is visiting Mpumalanga this morning, to assess the situation on the ground and get a report from a Task Team that was set up in response to recent service delivery protests.

Last Friday, a high level delegation of department officials was dispatched to investigate the concerns of the community and devise a turn-around strategy in response to the issues raised.

Ministerial Liaison Officer, Vuyelwa Qinga Vika, on Thursday confirmed to BuaNews that Mr Shiceka was on his way to Mpumalanga to receive a report from the task team. The department was expected to release a statement on the visit, later in the day.
The country has been rocked by service delivery protests in recent weeks.

Minister Shiceka, in an interview with 702 Talk Radio on Thursday, said the displeasure shown by communities could be attributed to the poor communication by local government to the people.

"Ward councillors in certain areas are not reporting to the people, while municipalities' are not really doing what they are supposed to be doing in terms of communicating with people."

By Chris Bathembu

Johannesburg - Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk says South Africa will meet FIFA's accommodation requirements during the 2010 World Cup.

"We have enough accommodation in this country and that has always been our argument," the minister told BuaNews on Wednesday.

The minister explained that a distinction should be made between the accommodation that was needed for fans and that needed for the FIFA family, which included players, match officials and FIFA delegates.

He said 155 000 rooms were reserved within the host cities, and an additional 100 000 rooms outside of host cities, which was what FIFA required for the FIFA family.

"What FIFA says is that they want 255 000 contracted rooms," said the minister.

Satellite accommodation was introduced, where people are transported to the matches and back again, however, the minister said it was up to FIFA to find transport to get these people to and from the stadiums.

"We need to sort out the challenges in transport because we have enough accommodation here," said the minister.

Thokoza - Ekurhuleni Mayor, Ntombi Mekgwe, is expected to engage with the Thokoza community to discuss the violence which broke out there, on Tuesday.

"The mayor will engage the community. We take the issues that they raise seriously and will be making an effort to engage them," said Sam Modiba, acting spokesperson for the Ekurhuleni Municipality.

He said the meeting would take place as a matter of urgency. "It is an urgent meeting and it cannot be prolonged any longer."

The municipality was monitoring the situation, Mr Mekgwe added.

At least 17 people were arrested after residents of the Thokoza Hostel embarked on a march to the municipal offices in Khumalo Street at around 4.30am.

Speaking to BuaNews, police spokesperson Captain Godfrey Maditsi said protesters had blockaded Khumalo and Serema Streets with tyres, rocks and rubbish. An unknown number of cars had also been pelted with stones.

"They were protesting over poor service delivery," said Captain Maditsi, who added that no injuries had been reported.

Pretoria - Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Buyelwa Sonjica, has launched an investigation into the financial administration of her department.

This follows allegations of financial irregularities and information alleging maladministration and mismanagement in the department.

A statement issued by the department says Minister Sonjica has given the Director General of Water Affairs, Pam Yako, special leave to allow for an unfettered process of investigation.

"No charges have been leveled against Ms Yako or any official of the department and until informed otherwise by the outcome of the investigation, the Director General remains innocent," said Minister Sonjica.

According to the statement, Ms Yako has lent her total support to the process and has indicated her willingness to co-operate fully with the investigation.

She said that as a responsive government committed to clean and efficient governance, "we had to look into these allegations with the seriousness that they deserve." - BuaNews

LONDON, July 21, 2009 ( CISA) -The campaign group Global Witness released a report today detailing how European and Asian companies have been buying minerals from DR Congo that are funding armed groups and fuelling the deadly conflict.

The companies include Bangkok-based THAISARCO (a subsidiary of British metals group AMC), UK-based Afrimex, and Belgium-based Trademet.

The 110-page report, entitled ‘Faced with a gun, what can you do?’, details how companies are buying from suppliers who trade in minerals from the warring parties.

Many mining areas in eastern DRC are controlled by rebels and the national army, who violently exploit civilians to retain access to valuable minerals, including cassiterite (tin ore), coltan and gold. Cassiterite and coltan are used to make mobile phones, computers and other electronics, among other things.

By Nthambeleni Gabara

Pretoria - The Department of Co-Operative Governance and Traditional Affairs is in the process of initiating further consultations with the communities of Matatiele and Moutse in Limpopo to assist government in the re-determination of their borders.

Moutse was incorporated into Limpopo from Mpumalanga by the Municipal Demarcation Board in 2006. Since then, residents have been embarking on marches demanding that the Elias Motsoaledi Municipality and five other wards should be reincorporated back into Mpumalanga.

In Matatiele, residents are demanding to be incorporated back into KwaZulu-Natal.

According to the Ministerial Media Liaison Officer, Vuyelwa Qinga Vika, a national task team, led by the department, provincial government departments, municipalities and traditional leadership, has been set up to drive the process.

"The team has been meeting on a regular basis since the beginning of July," she said, adding that the department expects the process to be completed in September, after which a report will be submitted to Cabinet for a decision on the issue.

WTC 9/11 : Hundreds of American Architects have produced and/or backed scientific evidence that the World Trade Towers were brought down by a Controlled Demolition and not as a result of airplanes crashing into them.

This thorough and detailed study presents America and the world with clear and irrefutable evidence that the terrorists responsible for this act were not Islamic extremists but something quite different - and very close to home. Questions are finally being asked as hundreds of American Architects, Engineers, Scientists and Demolition Experts fight an uphill battle to be heard by their own people and their own government. The truth is so incredible and the implications are so extreme that the concept is meeting personal resistance by hundreds of millions of Americans.

By Neville Maakana

Tzaneen - The Greater Tzaneen local municipality has begun formalising Mbambamencisi informal settlement near Nkowankowa outside Tzaneen to give thousands of poor people access to houses, electricity and running water for the first time in their lives.

Spokesperson for the municipality Odas Ngobeni said the sprawling informal settlement was home to some 10 000 people who are living without electricity, hence the name Mbambamencisi, which is a Shangaan word that means "groping for a box of matches in the dark".

In the past two years, five children in the area have been killed after touching exposed electricity cables installed by "izinyoka" electricity thieves.

"The residents have started getting a taste of a better life. Above all, they have received legal recognition as residents of the municipality," said Mr Ngobeni.

He said the formalisation project started two years ago when development planners demarcated streets, parks, schools, clinics, residential and business sites.

Today, 500 RDP houses are being built at a cost of about R20 million. The housing project was launched in April last year and is expected to be completed in 2010.

Pretoria - There is nothing unusual about renovations that are being made to Kings House in Durban, Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge said on Tuesday.

In fact, the renovations at Kings House, the official State house managed by the Department of Public Works, available for use by the President and Deputy President or any dignitary of befitting status when in Durban, are but one of similar maintenance projects taking place at various state buildings across the country, the minister said.

Minister Doidge was addressing reporters following weekend media reports that claimed the department was spending millions of Rands to upgrade the 106-year-old house in Morningside.

"For these newspapers to concentrate on Kings House and quote unnamed people as their sources on details of costs of the work being done at a presidential residence is highly disturbing," Minister Doidge said.

Pretoria - The Department of Labour is expected to kick off blitz inspections on companies in the construction sector, starting from today.

According to department spokesperson Page Boikanyo, the five-day inspections will focus on companies' compliance with health and safety laws.

"With construction booming, we have a duty to see to it that workers operate in safe conditions and eliminate unnecessary accidents in a proactive manner.

"Our approach will be underpinned by pillars of education, monitoring and ensuring compliance with labour standards,'' said Mr Boikanyo.

The worst offending employers would be followed up on and be subjected to prosecution, he said, adding that a database of repeat offending employers would be created.

He said labour inspectors visiting various workplaces will be accompanied by senior departmental officials. The Free State province has been identified as one of the many places to be visited during this week.

Mr Boikanyo said inspections in sectors like hospitality and private security will be conducted in November and February next year.

By Chris Bathembu

Pretoria - Engineering bosses are to meet with the union representing striking construction workers on Tuesday to discuss whether their members have accepted the revised wage offer tabled last week.

"Yes they will definitely be meeting," said spokesperson for South African Federation for Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec) Vanessa Casey on Monday. Safcec represents the employer body.

On Thursday, an 11.5 percent wage increase was tabled after talks involving Safcec, the 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC), Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

It was agreed that union leaders would take the new offer to their members for consideration, despite NUM sticking to their demand of a 13 percent increase.

(NUM) spokesperson Lesiba Seshoka said while union leaders were consulting with their members ahead of the meeting, the strike was continuing until "we sign on the dotted line".

The industrial action has affected construction at several 2010 FIFA World Cup stadia as well as the multi-billion Rand Gautrain project.