THE Walter Sisulu University was closed yesterday and students told to leave after a first-year student fell from a rooftop to his death during unrest at the Nelson Mandela Drive campus in Mthatha.

Two former high ranking Eastern Cape government officials and two businessmen charged with fraud were granted bail on Monday (27/02/2012).

Two men were set to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday (27/02/2012) for disrupting a memorial lecture by President Jacob Zuma, national police said.

The ANC Youth League in the Eastern Cape has sacked its deputy chairman Thandolwethu Manda for constantly failing to attend meetings.

MORE than 40 people lost their homes and all their belongings when a fire - allegedly set by a man after an argument with his girlfriend - razed 21 shacks in Nelson Mandela Bay’s Walmer Township yesterday.

THE vacancy rates of critical posts in Eastern Cape state hospitals has almost doubled in the past financial year, leaving the province with a shocking 44% shortage in medical and nursing professionals, the auditor-general has revealed.

THE whole world let out a sigh of relief yesterday as it was reported that former president Nelson Mandela had been discharged from hospital.

FIVE University of Fort Hare employees have been suspended for allegedly working with a syndicate which solicits bribes from desperate students and parents to secure their admission.

THE imminent 25% hike in electricity tariffs and possible blackouts as South Africa’s energy demand outstrips supply only serve to put a smile of the faces of a Nelson Mandela Bay family, who have been living Eskom-free for the past year.

THE brutal rape of an elderly woman inside her Greenshields Park home yesterday has shocked Nelson Mandela Bay residents and raised concerns about the increase in attacks on the elderly in the Bay.

INFAMOUS Rugby World Cup referee Bryce Lawrence may still be blamed for South Africa’s loss to Australia last year, but he could prove to be the key to winning a tour with the Springboks for two super fans.

DRAMA unfolded inside and outside of a Nelson Mandela Bay council sitting yesterday as bickering between political parties erupted when, by a one-vote majority, the extension of acting municipal manager Themba Hani’s contract was rubber-stamped.

A PRELIMINARY investigation of well-known Jeffreys Bay estate agent Renette Block has revealed R200000 is missing from the agency’s trust account, Jawitz Properties boss Herschel Jawitz revealed this week.

A TALENTED township cricketer is eagerly counting the days until he wings his way to Lord’s cricket ground in England to tell Prince Edward the inspiring story of Bathurst’s Tiger Titans club.

A CATHCART killer faces the prospect of life behind bars after being convicted of the murder of his stepchild in a love triangle revenge attack.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has voiced impatience with delays in the introduction of his proposed youth wage subsidy.

Government is forging a strategy to further the study of South Africa’s palaeontological and archaeological past, government spokesman Jimmy Manyi announced on Thursday (23/02/2012).

The budget decision to allocate additional funding to health was welcomed by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA on Thursday (23/02/2012).

POLOKWANE - When the premier of South Africa’s Limpopo province gave his “state of the province” speech this month, he announced that his region led the nation in good financial record keeping.

The government maintains that a proposed assessment of the Constitutional Court’s judgments is not an attempt to undermine judicial independence.

President Jacob Zuma said he was a worker above anything else, in his address at the opening of the Numsa National Political Commission in Johannesburg on Thursday (23/02/2012).

FINANCE Minister Pravin Gordhan recommitted the government to a massive infrastructure programme yesterday in a “Robin Hood” budget that surprised most analysts.

THE budget announcement yesterday of higher taxes for the rich and tax breaks for the poor drew mixed reaction from Eastern Cape economists, politicians and industry analysts.

While many people thought that the 2012 Budget would be a predictable affair Johan van der Walt, a Tax Director at Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr believes that two suprises emerged from it that will shock SA citizens, particularly middle income earners.

Find out what was said in the Budget about the controversial topics of National Health Insurance and the new tolling system.

The labour department will establish provident funds for domestic and farm workers by March next year, according to budget documents tabled by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Wednesday (22/02/2012).

Johannesburg, Feb 22 - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Wednesday listed a number of initiatives that were in progress to strengthen support for business sector growth.

Johannesburg, Feb 22 - Fees for many products in the financial sector remain too high, while a revised financial sector charter code will be gazetted shortly, said Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on Wednesday.

Johannesburg, Feb 22 - SA's Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said in his Budget Speech on Wednesday that he "hoped" the cash crises in three provincial governments had been averted. He called for stronger rules to ensure that legitimate creditors are paid within the legally prescribed 30 day period, as well as for improved budget allocations and financial management in the provinces.

Cape Town, Feb 22 - Spending on social services has risen to 57% of government's total expenditure at R615.7 billion this year compared with 49% a decade ago, says the National Treasury.

Pretoria, Feb 22 - Micro businesses and small businesses have received welcome regulatory and tax-free threshold breaks from Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's latest Budget.

Pretoria, Feb 22 - As was the case last year, many of the tax elements of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's third Budget focus on the future with 2012 laying the foundation for several major changes to come.

Pretoria, Feb 22 - Bad news for drinkers, especially beer and spirit lovers! So-called "sin taxes" on alcohol are going up by between 6% and 20%, almost enough to drive one to teetotalism.

Cape Town, Feb 22 - Absolutely no mention was made of the R5 billion youth wage subsidy in Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's 2012 Budget Vote Speech.

Pretoria, Feb 22 - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has unveiled personal tax cuts totaling R9.5 billion across all income brackets in the Budget for the 2012-13 financial year. This compares with cuts of R8.1 billion in 2011/12, R6.5 billion in 2010-11 and R13.6 billion in 2009-10.

Pretoria, Feb 22 - National Health Insurance (NHI) will be phased in over a 14-year period beginning in 2012/13, the National Treasury said on Wednesday.

Pretoria, Feb 22 - As flagged by the Treasury in last year's Budget, major changes to the taxation of retirement contributions are being implemented, but only from March 1, 2014 and not from March this year as was stated in last year's Budget.

Pretoria, Feb 22 - Motorists beware, driving is going to cost at least 28 cents a litre more from April 4, thanks to a rise of 20 cents a litre in the fuel levy on petrol and diesel and an increase of eight cents a litre in the Road Accident Fund levy.

Pretoria, Feb 22 - Anyone trying to dodge taxes, watch out, SARS is on a concerted drive to nab you and the penalties will be harsh.

Pretoria, Feb 22 - Following public consultation, the National Treasury has revised its concept design for a carbon tax with a draft policy paper due for publication and comment during 2012 and implementation planned for 2013/14.

Johannesburg, Feb 22 - The about-turn by the Treasury in upping the April dividend tax to 15% from 10% is likely to irk foreign investors, according to a tax analyst on Wednesday.

Pretoria, Feb 22 (I-Net Bridge) - In a comprehensive overview of the existing capital gains tax environment, the National Treasury has announced some sweeping amendments to tax-free exemptions, but it has also increased capital gains tax rates for the first time since this form of tax was introduced in South Africa.

Pretoria, Feb 22 - Taxpayers will be pleased to know that one of the tax administration measures being introduced this year is the establishment of a dedicated Tax Ombud.

Cape Town, Feb 22 (I-Net Bridge) - The government will provide the SA National Roads Authority (SANRAL) with R5.8 billion to reduce its debt, so that the toll fees on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project highways could be reduced to 30c/km for light vehicles from the original envisaged 66c/km, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Wednesday.

Cape Town Feb 22 (I-Net Bridge) - South Africa's budget deficit is projected to narrow from 4.8% of GDP in the current fiscal year to 3.0% by 2014/15, reflecting a strong recovery in revenue and moderate growth in spending.

The People's Budget Campaign is calling for a budget that is first and foremost pro-poor and supports fundamental changes to the structure of the economy, it said on Wednesday, just hours before Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan was set to deliver his Budget Vote Speech.

There won't be any big surprises contained in this year's National Budget, Johann Els, senior economist at Old Mutual Investment Group SA says.

Tight tax revenue collections may lead to additional taxes in order to increase revenues in the coming years, says Susann Louw, a partner at leading professional services firm Deloitte.

THE R150-million invested by FNB in the construction of its state of the art new building in Newton Park was ring-fenced for Eastern Cape service providers. That was one of the key messages communicated at yesterday’s (February 22 2012) launch of the Newton Street building, which will house 16 FNB business units and 350 staff.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s agreeable manner was just what South African President Jacob Zuma needed to keep the peace between warring factions of the ruling ANC, but his affability may ultimately cost Africa’s biggest economy dear.

NELSON Mandela Bay traffic wardens have threatened to go on strike today - because they are not happy with their new uniforms.

WHILE schools in the Eastern Cape struggle with temporary teachers not having returned to work yet, a group of dedicated Nelson Mandela Bay educators have made their way back to classrooms for no pay - despite not being officially reinstated.

A HIGH-PROFILE suspected northern areas gangster is fighting for his life after being shot four times in the chest in a rival attack that authorities fear will spark chaos in Port Elizabeth’s gang-ridden Helenvale community.

PREMIER Noxolo Kiviet’s government and relevant stakeholders are investigating the feasibility of buying a ship to transport goods between East London, Durban, Port Elizabeth and the Port of Ngqurha.

JEFFREYS Bay residents are so fed up with the quality of the town’s water that they have now taken their plight to President Jacob Zuma, hoping he will at least attempt to bring the Kouga Municipality to book.

THE knives are out for Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Zanoxolo Wayile as members of the ANC in the city are calling for the first citizen to be ousted.

BITOU municipal manager Lonwabo Ngoqo was dismissed yesterday after being found guilty in December on four counts of misconduct.

THE bail hearing of Chanelle Henning murder accused and former police officer Andre Gouws has been postponed to next week.

WHEN the mother of kidnapped baby Kgosietsile Morobe walked into a Hillbrow creche yesterday morning and saw her child she broke down and sobbed.

A CLARION call for “personal and ecological leadership” was issued at a biodiversity celebration function at Kirstenbosch on Thursday night.

NELSON Mandela Bay will soon have its own Kirstenbosch, creating the possibility for a major upswing in environmental protection, tourism and job creation.

TWO rare, pint-size wild cats are due to be begin a long journey this weekend from the Eastern Cape to Denmark, to join a captive breeding programme to add vital resilience to their gene pool. Black-footed cats are the second smallest wild cat in the world behind the rusty spotted cat of India and Sri Lanka.Counts are difficult because of its nocturnal, highly secretive behaviour, but it is estimated that there are only 10000 of them left in the wild.

AN ESTIMATED 2000 people gathered at NMMU on Monday night to listen to a seminal address by celebrated Nature documentary film-maker Sir David Attenborough, 84. The audience packed the university’s main auditorium to watch him live on stage, as well as into two other satellite auditoriums, also at the Port Elizabeth stadium, and a hall at the George campus, where they watched his screened address.

AN OLD university chum was one of the reasons famous natural history documentary maker, celebrity broadcaster and “hero of our time” Sir David Attenborough was so pleased to get an invitation to come to Port Elizabeth. Speaking yesterday to The Herald at the beachfront hotel where he is staying at the invitation of NMMU before the honorary doctorate due to be bestowed on him today, Sir David explained that one of his good friends when he was studying at Cambridge in the 1940s was Patrick Niven.

IN A milestone event yesterday, the horns of the two rhino at Kragga Kamma Game Park were surgically removed, to make them safe from the threat of poachers. The outrage of rhino poaching was brought home as top wildlife vet Dr William Fowlds knelt by the anaesthetised mother rhino and used a chainsaw to remove her enormous horn, while her eight- week-old calf trotted around her, whimpering piteously.

WE HAVE reached a development T-junction. We can either accept, without thinking, the proposed R80-billion oil refinery, Project Mthombo, without an environmental impact assessment having been done - never mind Durban South and the pollution there, never mind scrutinising that extraordinary 18500 permanent jobs’ promise by our premier.

MINERAL Resources’ Minister Susan Shabangu has told Pondoland opponents of a titanium dune mining project that she needs another month to consider their appeal against the Xolobeni coastal dune mining project. Shabangu had been scheduled to announce this week her decision on the appeal by the Amadiba Crisis Committee, which is based on the alleged failure of the applicant mining company to properly consult on the project with either residents of the area or the king and queen of Pondoland.

CHRIS Hani District Municipality is set to do what Treasure the Karoo Action Group is hoping the national government will still decide is necessary. The step? To appoint a team of experts to investigate fracking, the controversial drilling method Shell wants to use to explore for and extract gas from shale beds deep beneath the Karoo

THE department of water affairs says it will be investigating the bridge-broadening project at Sunday’s River because the national roads agency should not be working on the bank or extracting water from the river without a permit. Mcamile Dweni, a scientist in the department of water affairs’ Port Elizabeth office, was responding yesterday to questions about the project and reports that a work team contracted by the agency is piling sand on the bank next to the existing bridge, and water is being extracted from a spot up-river.

A HUMBLE little Port Elizabeth school claimed a momentous first yesterday with the installation of a wind turbine and a linked borehole on their grounds. The 12m turbine has been established at Settlers’ Park Primary School in Walmer, and the power it generates drives a pump that draws water from an adjacent borehole.

THE Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) has called on the Green Scorpions to investigate a Parson’s Vlei stone quarry project which, they say, is flouting several key metro conservation and development plans. The controversy over the project has erupted, ironically, a few days after the metro’s celebration of its bio-regional plan. The milestone plan seeks to chart a path for sustainable development by overlaying conservation and development needs.

THIRTY young people from the Eastern Cape have been given the chance of a lifetime to enter the hospitality trade, in a new partnership programme funded by the government. The programme was officially launched this week in Bathurst and Grahamstown, where a section 21 company, Hospitality Youth Initiative (HYI). has been based for eight years.

NMMU and the national environment department signed an agreement yesterday which gives the Eastern Cape a unique opportunity to contribute to government’s coastal and marine policy. The department has traditionally enjoyed a strong relationship with UCT because of the focus on fisheries on the west coast.

HAS anyone ever wondered how the importers of our manganese ore deal with the air pollution that Transnet and the mining companies seem so completely unable to deal with here in Port Elizabeth? Well, in South Korea, at Hyundai Steel in Incheon, imported manganese and iron ore goes straight from the ship into giant domes.

ABOUT a hundred eager young swimmers from Port Elizabeth’s northern and township areas will miss out on what is considered to be the highlight event of their sporting year.

Pupils and parents flocked to Newspaper House to snap up The Herald Matric Results supplement. Now we make available to you pdfs of the supplement pages.