September 2010

The Gauteng Department of Local Government and Housing has threatened to evict people who bought houses built on government and privately owned land in Lenasia.

More than sixty sites belonging to Government as well as privately owned land are said to have been sold to unsuspecting people in Lenasia South and Lenasia X-13.

The department is now conducting an audit on all sites which have been reported to have been stolen and sold to people.

MEC Kgaogelo Lekgoro said the department wants to know the number of properties which have been built in Lenasia, and which pieces of land they were built on.

Johannesburg - The Gauteng provincial government remained upbeat on Wednesday that plans were in place to help the province recover from the recent public servants' strike.

Gauteng was among the provinces severely affected by the three-week crippling mass action with more than 80 percent of the schools forced to shut down while hospitals turned away patients.

Unions, who are demanding an 8.6 percent wage hike and R1000 housing allowance, on Monday announced the suspension of the strike pending ongoing talks with government.

Now teachers face a challenge of having to cover 10 weeks of work in six weeks to ensure that matric pupils were ready for their final exams scheduled for next month.

Addressing reporters, Education MEC Barbara Creecy said a series of "contingency plans" will, among others, help the province recover the lost four weeks of teaching time.

Creecy said while learners have lost time in the education programme because of the strike, authorities remained confident that teachers would be able to help them recover the lost time.

By Nthambeleni Gabara

Pretoria - A massive gum tree, measuring more than 38 metres from side to side, is to become the latest edition to South Africa's list of Champion Trees.

The tree's massive crown shades part of the Gavin Relly Green on the Witwatersrand University campus grounds and is supported by a trunk of 7.5 meters in circumference.

The awe-inspiring tree will be unveiled as a Champion Tree on Friday by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Once listed, Champion Trees have special protected status in terms of the National Forests Act of 1998. No such trees may be cut, disturbed or damaged without a license. Licenses to have the tree trimmed will be issued only under exceptional circumstances, such as a tree posing a danger to life or property.

The department initiated the Champion Trees project to identify and protect trees worthy of special protection throughout South Africa. They are regarded as of exceptional importance because of their remarkable size, age, aesthetic, cultural, historic or tourism value.

There are more than 60 Champion Trees in South Africa.