The world's largest passenger aircraft, Air France-KLM's A380, flight number AF995 successfully landed at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday.
Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) said this is the second time the A380 has landed at the airport. The first time was in November 2006, when its manufacturer, Airbus Industries, was testing it.
Air France-KLM is the first airline to use the aircraft at the Johannesburg airport.
“I wish to put it plainly that the government has taken a firm decision
to release Mr Mandela unconditionally. I am serious about bringing this
matter to finality without delay.”
With those words, uttered on 2 February 1990, then-state president FW
de Klerk set a remarkable chain of events in motion. An electorate
that, to a large extent, was enjoying the right to vote for the first
time in their lives, led to a democratic South Africa with one of the
most progressive constitutions in the world.
South Africa will mark the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from more than 27 years of imprisonment at the opening of Parliament on 11 February.
Two southern African states - South Africa and Lesotho - have leapt into top 10 ranking of countries where women face the least discrimination, the World Economic Forum said Tuesday.
Development indicators have showed strides in reducing poverty but economists warned that advances relied heavily on social grants that may be rendered unsustainable by the recession.
Research from the Bureau of Market Research (BMR) released today revealed that black households in the highest income group (R750 thousand plus) grew dramatically during the past decade.
Former president Nelson Mandela visited Freedom Park in Pretoria on Thursday, the Nelson Mandela Foundation said in a statement.
Madiba's visit to the park, his first, came 10 years after he uttered these words: "The day should not be far off when we shall have a people's shrine... a freedom park, where we shall honour with all the dignity they deserve, those who endured pain so we should experience the joy of freedom".
The park's chief executive, Dr Wally Serote "showed Madiba around the
park and expressed his gratitude that Madiba had made time to come and
visit since he served as the pioneer of the concept of Freedom Park",
the foundation said.
Women’s representation in the South African national assembly has jumped to 45% since the country’s recent elections, giving South Africa a third place spot in the global women in parliament rankings.
The latest statistics, which are based on political party candidate lists submitted to the IEC, show an 11% increase in the number of women in parliament. South Africa now sits just behind Rwanda and Sweden in the global rankings, who have 56% and 47% women’s representation in their respective parliaments.
Almost a decade into the Zimbabwean crisis, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs is introducing a permit that could regulate the status of thousands of undocumented migrants.
South Africa’s Internet population is expected to grow as much in the next five years as it has in the 15 years since the Internet became commercially available in South Africa.
The increased growth rate is expected to continue for the next five years, taking the Internet user population to the 9-million mark by 2014.
Among the factors driving this growth will be the arrival of undersea telecommunications cables, from as early as June this year.
The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) says that the number of women in the industry is on the rise, with the Council's female membership now exceeding the 2 000 mark.
The number of South Africans who have joined the black middle class has increased by 50% between 2001 and 2007, according to a study by the Bureau of Market Research at the University of South Africa.
The study estimates that the black middle class - defined as black South Africans aged 16 years and over and within Living Standards Measures 5-7 - totaled 9.3 million in 2007, up from 6.3 million in 2001.
South Africa's independent, financially secure and ambitious black women's spending power has increased substantially, said Unilever and TNS Research Surveys on Friday.
South African schools are making notable strides in fostering racial harmony. This is according to a study conducted by the Human Science Research Council and the University of Pretoria.
The study was aimed at exploring issues of best practice in desegregated schools by soliciting opinions and perceptions about diversity and equality and identifying best practices in these areas.
South Africa is the leading African country in this year's
Legatum Prosperity Index, which analyses countries around the globe for
their effectiveness in creating a climate conducive to prosperity.
South Africa's black middle class is still growing at a healthy rate and remains surprisingly recession-resilient, with an annual spending power estimated to be R250-billion.
Benchmarking Progress
| SA needs a news revolutionAuthor: Lisa Roberts Monday, 08 March 2010 Read more... |
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