Dutch couple robbed in EC while enjoying scenic view

A DUTCH couple was robbed of their camera, watch and cash while taking pictures in Kareedouw, outside Port Elizabeth on Tuesday .

They had stopped on the N2 near Clarkson’s Bridge to photograph the mountains when two men accosted them , Superintendent Priscilla Naidu said. — Sapa

SA welcomes asylum probe

A REVIEW of South African Brandon Huntley’s asylum status by the Canadian government was welcomed by Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma yesterday.

“The SA government … supports the recommendation by Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to the Federal Court to review the immigration and refugee board’s decision to grant Huntley refugee status based on his race,” she said in a statement. A tribunal in Canada earlier this year gave Huntley, 31, refugee status, when he argued the SA government could not protect him from persecution by “African South Africans”. — Sapa

Measles outbreak

THERE were 1135 confirmed cases of measles in the country, most reported in Gauteng, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases said .

The Department of Health, which is running a mass vaccination programme in the affected regions of Gauteng, urged people to have the vaccination, saying stories of re-used needles and dangerous vaccines were false . — Sapa

Resignation welcomed

THE Young Communist League of SA yesterday welcomed the resignation of the Presidency’s policy co-ordination and advisory services head, Joel Netshitenzhe.

“His departure signals an important moment within our society’s shift from the disastrous, failed neoliberal policies … which were imposed by the previous administration of former President Thabo Mbeki,” the league said in a statement. — Sapa

‘Road Accident Fund abused’

THE Road Accident Fund (RAF) is being abused, leaving road accident victims in the lurch, said RoadCover, which assists victims of road accidents to claim compensation.

CEO Eugene Beck said yesterday many accident victims received only a fraction of the amount paid out by the RAF. — Sapa

SA ‘poor and vulnerable’

SA SCORED 44 percent in an international study rating the reputation of countries among foreigners, Sake24 reported yesterday.

The study, by the Reputation Institution, found the rest of the world perceived SA to have a “poor and vulnerable” reputation. The only countries out of 34 nations that fared worse than SA were South Korea, China, Russia and the Ukraine. — Sapa