Johannesburg

Came accross this article.... Worth reading..
The World Cup is around the corner and this could be a major revenue stream for the pimps :O(

Pretoria - There are about 10 000 child prostitutes in Johannesburg alone, a group concerned with child abuse said on Wednesday.

Bloemfontein, meanwhile, is one of the biggest focal points of syndicates as far as trafficking in children for sex and drug trading are concerned.

A founding member of Sapsac, a body investigating child abuse, Retha Meintjes, who is also the deputy director of public prosecution, says even though similar figures are not available for other cities, all the available information indicates that the situation in Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth are “equally grave”.

No, not the Middle East, but Africa :O)

King Mswati III of Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarch and ruler of some of the poorest people in the world, has sent his favourite wives on a multimillion-pound shopping jaunt through Europe, the Middle East and Asia, provoking fierce criticism of his profligacy.

Britain has been drawn into the row because of the millions of pounds in aid reportedly given to the kingdom, with campaigners accusing Whitehall of double standards. “They shout about Zimbabwe, but keep quiet about what is happening in Swaziland, even though they are one of its biggest aid donors. They are wasting British taxpayers’ money on this tyrant,” Lucky Lukhele, of the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), told The Times.

Barwa Real Estate Co., Qatar’s second-largest property developer, has confirmed it is continuing its bid to freeze the assets of Dean Rees - an associate of alleged Ponzi scheme operator, Barry Tannenbaum - after a UK court turned down a request.

Barwa is 45 percent owned by Qatari Diar Real Estate Co, which in turn is controlled by the Qatar government.

“We are after him,” said Tamer Mohamed Khedr, Barwa’s financial adviser for the chairman and managing director, in a telephone interview in Doha on Tuesday, news agency Bloomberg reported

He declined to specify the countries in which further action would be taken.

JOHANNESBURG - The thatch-roofed house in which Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi stayed here as a young lawyer is up for sale and its owner says the response following global publicity was “absolutely phenomenal”.

“I’m an optimist, and the interest being shown by local and international potential buyers following publicity makes me confident that a new buyer will also retain it in the same state that it has been for so long,” Nancy Ball told IANS.

She described the response to the proposed sale as “absolutely phenomenal!”

Ball is retiring to Cape Town and has put the house up for sale to someone who would have the same interest in its historic value.

A dangerous precedence.. What if they put similar machines at the Ramada ??????

Cash machines offer an ever-growing menu of services beyond merely dispensing money. For tampering criminals, this now includes a squirt of pepper spray in the face .

The extreme measure is the latest in South Africa's escalating war against armed robbers who target banks and cash delivery vans. The number of cash machines blown up with explosives has risen from 54 in 2006 to 387 in 2007 and nearly 500 last year.

The technology uses cameras to detect people tampering with the card slots. Another machine then ejects pepper spray to stun the culprit while police response teams race to the scene.

Jeremy Clarkson’s latest column in the Sunday Times in England.

I had to share.

"I dare you to visit Johannesburg, the city for softies
It’s the least frightening place on earth, yet everyone speaks of how many times they’ve been killed that day"
Jeremy Clarkson

Every city needs a snappy one-word handle to pull in the tourists and the investors. So, when you think of Paris, you think of love; when you think of New York, you think of shopping; and when you think of London – despite the best efforts of new Labour to steer you in the direction of Darcus Howe – you think of beefeaters and Mrs Queen.

This took place on a BA (British Airways) flight between Johannesburg and London. A white woman, about 50 years old, was seated next to a black man. Obviously disturbed by this, she called the air Hostess.

"Madam, what is the matter," the hostess asked.

"You obviously do not see it then?" she responded. "You placed me next to a black man. I do not agree to sit next to someone from such a repugnant group. Give me an alternative seat."

"Be calm please," the hostess replied. "Almost all the places on this flight are taken. I will go to seeif another place is available."

http://news.yahoo.co...

On Africa trip, pope says condoms won't solve AIDS

YAOUNDE, Cameroon – Pope Benedict XVI said condoms are not the answer to the AIDS epidemic in Africa and can make the problem worse, setting off criticism Tuesday as he began a weeklong trip to the continent where some 22 million people are living with HIV.

Benedict's first statement on an issue that has divided even Catholic clergy working with AIDS patients came hours before he arrived in Cameroon's capital — greeted by thousands of flag-waving faithful who stood shoulder-to-shoulder in red dirt fields and jammed downtown streets for a glimpse of the pontiff's motorcade.