Pakistan polio campaign suspended

A Pakistan health worker gives polio drops at a makeshift camp on the outskirts of Karachi on September 29, 2010.Six polio vaccination workers were killed in attacks in Pakistan since MondayA Taliban commander in northwest Pakistan banned polio vaccinesPakistan is one of 3 countries where polio remains endemic, WHO says WHO estimates 280,000 children living in the northwest tribal area need of polio vaccine

Islamabad (CNN) -- A campaign to eradicate polio from the northwest tribal region of Pakistan is on hold after fatal attacks on health workers vaccinating children, the Balochistan government said Tuesday.

Six polio vaccination workers were killed in attacks in Pakistan since Monday, the World Health Organization and Pakistani police told CNN Tuesday.

Another attack last July wounded a WHO doctor and his driver while they worked on the polio campaign in Karachi.

Read more: At the U.N., a vow to eradicate polio by 2015

The motive for the attacks was unclear. However, Pakistanis have viewed polio vaccination campaigns with suspicion after the CIA's use of a fake vaccination program last year to collect DNA samples from residents of Osama bin Laden's compound to verify the al Qaeda leader's presence there. Bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in May 2011.

In June, a Taliban commander in northwest Pakistan announced a ban on polio vaccines for children in the region as long as the United States continues its campaign of drone strikes in the region, the Taliban said.

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Read more: WHO doctor attacked during Pakistan polio campaign

The vaccination campaign has been suspended indefinitely in Quetta, Killa Abdullah and Pishin districts, Balochistan government spokesman Noor ul Haq Baloch said. "The reason behind suspension of the campaign is the security threat to workers," Baloch said.

"At least six people working on a polio vaccination campaign have been reported shot dead in several locations in Pakistan -- Gadap, Landi, Baldia and Orangi towns of Karachi city, Sindh Province and Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province," a WHO statement said. "Those killed were among thousands who work selflessly across Pakistan to eradicate polio."

WHO earlier estimated that 280,000 children living in the tribal area were in need of polio vaccinations.

Read more: Taliban's vaccine ban may affect 280,000 children

"Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that can cause permanent paralysis in a matter of hours," WHO said. "Safe and effective vaccines protect children from the disease. Currently the disease remains endemic in only three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan."

Health officials confirmed four cases of polio in Balochistan in 2012, while 11 cases of polio 2 virus were reported there, Baloch said. There were 73 cases of polio virus in 2011, he said.

Four female health workers were shot to death in Karachi Tuesday morning, including two women killed after administering the vaccination to children, according to Naeem Shah, a senior police official.

Two other women were shot while going house to house giving vaccinations in Peshawar, police official Javed Khan said. Gunmen opened fire on the women as they left a house where they had vaccinated children, he said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf ordered his interior ministry to work with the polio eradication project to "provide foolproof security to the polio teams."

CNN's Nasir Habib in Islamabad contributed to this report.

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South African soccer chief suspended

SAFA president Kirsten Nematandani was suspended pending an enquiry into match-fixing.South African Football Association president suspended amid match-fixing claimsKirsten Nematandani and four officials named in a FIFA reportThe results of four South Africa friendlies ahead of 2010 World Cup pre-arrangedVice president Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana set to take interim charge of the body

(CNN) -- The president of the South African Football Association (SAFA) has been suspended as part of an investigation into match-fixing ahead of the country hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

Kirsten Nematandani and four other SAFA officials were suspended as an act of "good governence" following a report by football's global governing body FIFA, which adjudged four friendly matches ahead of Africa's first World Cup had been fixed.

According to the FIFA report, the results of South Africa's matches with Thailand, Bulgaria, Colombia and Guatemala were prearranged for the benefit of convicted Singaporean match-fixer Wilson Perumal and his Football 4U organization.

Nematandani declined to comment when contacted by CNN.

Last year, Perumal was imprisoned in Finland after a court ruled that he had arranged the outcomes of at least seven league matches from 2008 onwards.

The Singaporean was also heavily implicated in the match-fixing scandal that affected South Africa's neighbors Zimbabwe between 2007-2009, a process which has had repercussions for nearly 100 footballers while two former national coaches have been banned.

The timing of FIFA's report into match-fixing involving the team known as Bafana Bafana comes at a bad time for South Africa, as it is just one month away from hosting the continent's showpiece football event -- the Africa Cup of Nations.

The suspensions were announced by a SAFA emergency committee on Monday, ahead of an enquiry, with vice president Chief Mwelo Nonkonyana set to take interim charge of the governing body.

"The emergency committee considered and accepted the report as received," read an SAFA statement. "The emergency committee felt that the president would have to appear before the commission of enquiry to explain his role in the matter.

"Having considered the implications of this for SAFA, the committee asked the president to take a voluntary leave of absence from his position.

"All members of staff mentioned in the report who will need to give evidence at the commission are likewise put on special administrative leave pending the finalization of the enquiry, or pending receiving a clearance from the commission.

"This action in no way implies that these individuals were involved in match fixing. It is again simply for good governance that this measure is being implemented.

"The members of staff so affected are: Dennis Mumble, Lindile 'Ace' Kika, Adeel Carelse and Barney Kujane."

The SAFA was unavailable to clarify what the FIFA report might mean for South African football or what action they may take after the inquiry.

The organization said last week it wanted to "bring this unfortunate matter to a just and final conclusion." Speaking as president -- before his suspension -- Nematandani said: "Having cooperated with FIFA during their investigation, we are happy that this matter is coming to its conclusion and our commitment to zero tolerance to corruption is well documented.

"SAFA remains totally committed to working with FIFA to wipe out the scourge of corruption that is impacting on football globally."

Mumble is SAFA's new chief executive officer.

Interim president Nonkonyama stressed how all parties involved should be considered innocent until proven guilty.

"This is a difficult situation for the Association, and for those who have been named in the report. We hope that there will be no speculation about their presumed guilt or otherwise.

"We need to allow the investigation to take place speedily and fairly, so those that are innocent can be separated from those who are not."

In a statement released last week, South African football's ruling body acknowledged that "Perumal and Football 4U managed to infiltrate SAFA prior to the World Cup, with an offer to assist with referee development.

"The offer included providing FIFA-accredited referees at their cost for the friendly matches prior to the FIFA 2010 World Cup."

One of these games -- when South Africa beat Guatemala 5-0 in May 2010 -- featured the award of three penalties.

A month later the 2010 World Cup was the first to be staged on the continent of Africa. Hosts South Africa were eliminated in the group stages, but, to the delight of African football fans, Ghana enjoyed a run to the quarterfinal.

The "Black Stars'" campaign was eventually ended by a penalty shootout defeat to Uruguay. Spain went onto to be crowned world champions for the first time, beating Netherlands 1-0 in the final after extra-time.

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