Cutting pensionable age for men to 60 will cost state R2bn and other brief reports
* A Cape Town man is taking the government to the Constitutional Court about the age discrepancy on gender grounds for getting a state old-age pension, says Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya. Pensions come on stream for the poor at the age of 60 for women and 65 for men. Apparently, the man involved in the action is under 65 and his wife is 61 and is receiving a pension. I-Net Bridge
* The SAPS spent R65m on legal fees and paid out R79.5m in damages in the period beginning April 2003 to end May this year, according to Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula. He added that off the 24 396 appeals for firearm licences that had been lodged and registered by the appeal board between 2003 and end-May this year, 3 742 were approved and 6 288 were rejected. Business Day * Former Springbok middle distant athlete Sydney Maree will go on trial in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on two charges of fraud in November. Maree (48) is accused of transferring R917 700 from the National Empowerment Fund to his own account in April and June 2004. He was the executive head of the fund at that time. Pretoria News * Environmental Affairs Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk says news laws are on the cards that will regulate the proper collection, re-use and recycling of the estimated 10 million old tyres that are discarded each year. The Herald * The national Department of Justice has appointed its first family advocate, Werner Calitz, in the southern Cape recently. Calitz is employed by the department to represent children in divorce proceedings and assists parties during divorce proceedings to reach agreement on disputed issues such as custody, access and guardianship. The Herald * Car thief Vusumzi Mngalo (27), one of the scores of convicts released last week under an amnesty, has appeared with his co-accused, Mbulelo Kelly (24), in the Port Elizabeth Magistrates Court where they are facing fresh charges of attempted robbery. The pair will appear again today (June 29). The Herald