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/ 22 July 1997

Billiton offer draws strong response

TUESDAY, 11.00AM INSTITUTIONAL investors from America, Europe and the United Kingdom have pounced on Billiton’s offer of shares, way exceeding market expectations. The company will trade for the first time on the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday, at first conditionally, then normally from next Monday. Billiton and financial advisers Fleming Martin said in London on […]

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/ 22 July 1997

Peace hopes fade as Brazzaville talks bog down

TUESDAY, 4.00PM AS peace talks between Congolese President Pascal Lissouba and his rival and predecessor Denis Sassou Nguesso in the Gabonese capital Libreville bogged down on Tuesday, Lissouba’s supporters, emboldened by Monday’s extension of the president’s mandate, called for a “general mobilisation” against the militia of Sassou Nguesso. A representative of Lissouba’s 16-party support base […]

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/ 22 July 1997

PAC admits murders for which ANC trio jailed

TUESDAY, 8.00AM THE PAC yesterday admitted to the murder of a mother and two teenage children south of Johannesburg in 1993 — for which three ANC men were jailed. Zandra Mitchley, her son Shaun and his friend Claire Silberbauer, were murdered in an attack that injured several other family members. Two Umkhonto we Sizwe cadres, […]

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/ 22 July 1997

Botile to appeal title loss

TUESDAY, 1.30PM: The camp of dethroned International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight champion Mbulelo Botile will lodge a protest and demand a rematch against new IBF champion Tim Austin of America. Botile lost his title on an eighth-round stoppage on Saturdy night in the United States. Golden Gloves publicist Terry Pettifer said promoter Rodney Berman is […]

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/ 21 July 1997

Fears of violence as Zim war veterans’ anger spills over

MONDAY, 4.00PM ZIMBABWEAN war veterans, who stormed the country’s parliament last week to demand pension pay-outs from a government war veterans’ fund, at the weekend mobbed cabinet ministers who were to address them, forcing the ministers to flee for their safety. President Robert Mugabe’s government called a series of meetings with veterans around the country […]

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/ 21 July 1997

Banda retires from politics

MONDAY, 4.30PM NONOGENARIAN former Malawian president Hastings Kamuzu Banda on Sunday announced his retirement from politics. The move is largely symbolic, as Banda, who is believed to have been senile for years, has not played an active role in politics since he relinquished power in the country’s first multiparty elections in 1994. Since then he […]

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/ 21 July 1997

Taylor leads Liberian poll

MONDAY, 5.30PM: CHARLES TAYLOR, a former Liberian warlord and leader of the National Patriotic Party (NPP), has taken an early lead following Saturday’s presidential elections. According to preliminary results released on Sunday night by the independent electoral commission’s chairman, Henry Andrews, the NPP polled 62,38% of the total 29 483 votes so far declared from […]

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/ 21 July 1997

Cosatu companies get large Netcare stake

MONDAY, 11.00AM INVESTMENT companies belonging to the Congress of SA Trade Unions and its affiliates, together with a black doctors’ organisation, have clinched a R220-million stake in Netcare’s R920-million acquisition of private hospital group Clinic Holdings. The deal, in which Netcare acquired Barney Hurwitz’s controlling stake in Clinic Holdings, which owns 17 hospitals and Hurwitz’s […]

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/ 21 July 1997

Mboweni may quit

MONDAY, 8.30AM PRESS reports on Monday morning confirm that labour minister Tito Mboweni plans to quit (see below). Questioned by reporters, Mboweni did not deny plans to move, but said he would not join the “Great Trek” to the private sector. It is believed that he is hoping to head the ANC’s economic policy unit. […]

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/ 21 July 1997

Worldwide takes surprise Zenex stake

MONDAY, 11.00AM BLACK empowerment group Worldwide African Investment Holdings has wrapped up a surprise R400-million deal to acquire control of the R1,4-billion-a-year petrol retailer Zenex Oil. Worldwide on Friday confirmed that it had, together with a consortium including Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank and Zenex management, bought Zenex Oil from Zenex Trust. Worldwide already owns […]