apartheid’s mad scientists From boerbuls to sjamboks to Sasol, scientists in the old regime even considered turning white South Africans into blacks Mungo Soggot and Eddie Koch WHERE else but South Africa would dog fanatics successfully cross-breed a Rottweiler, a Dobermann and a bloodhound? Or enthusiastically market a dog called a boerbul – an 80kg […]
Ann Eveleth THE Cape Town school whose legal action is threatening to derail Minister of Education Sibusiso Bengu’s teacher redeployment policy is popular among members of the provincial Cabinet and even Bengu’s own officials. Grove Primary is well-known for its patronage by the province’s political elite: African National Congress MECs Lerumo Kalako and Leonard Ramatlakane […]
Shaun de Waal THE BIBLE CODE by Michael Drosnin (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, R91) THE GREAT PYRAMID DECODED by Peter Lemesurier (Element, R89,95) CENTURIES ago, the Qabalists believed that the Torah contained secret codes, or could at least be read in such a way as to discover under the apparent words a hidden text which revealed […]
TALK IS CHEAPER TELKOM announced cuts in rates of between 20% and 12% off international telephone calls to 29 destinations from July 1. The countries that it will be cheaper to call in future include United States, Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, Kenya and Taiwan. IRANIAN OIL SCHEME STALLED PLANS to import Iranian oil to […]
THURSDAY, 2.30PM A GROUP of five members of the Cape Flats-based vigilante group People Against Gangsterism and Drugs handing out anti-drug pamphlets in Johannesburg’s upmarket Rosebank were set upon by a large group of nightclub bouncers and beaten up on Wednesday night. Pagad Gauteng leader Ayob Mungalee and four scarf-wrapped colleagues had targeted Rosebank’s night-owls […]
THURSDAY, 4.30PM HEAVY weapons fire was reported in the Central African Republic capital of Bangui on Thursday, in spite of a pledge by mutinous soldiers to surrender their weapons. In a press release on Wednesday, the mutineers had said they would surrender their heavy weapons to an international peacekeeping force and try to settle their […]
THURSDAY, 11.30AM THE Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s all gold index has not yet found the bottom in its current free fall, hitting a new four-year low on Wednesday for the 18th time in two months. The gold index shed another 11,2 points, or 1,2%, to 1 007,4, on the back of a continuing weak gold price […]
WEDNESDAY, 2.00PM The annualised inflation rate in May fell to 9,5% from April’s 9,9%, according to latest figures from the Central Statistical Service. Reserve Bank governor Dr Chris Stals said he was “very encouraged” by the inflation figure. The drop in inflation over the month came despite a relatively large increase in food inflation. From […]
THURSDAY, 2.30PM MILITARY forces behind former Congolese dictator Denis Sassou Nguesso said on Thursday they had taken control of Brazzaville international airport. The rebels, in a radio broadcast, said the had been “forced to occupy” the strategic site because it had not been “demilitarised”. Demilitarisation of the airport was one of the key aspects of […]
THURSDAY, 11.00AM BLACK empowerment group New Africa Investments Limited on Wednesday announced a R1-billion rights issue to finance a further equity purchase in Metropolitan Life, and to recapitalise the African Merchant Bank, which is soon to be listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Nail will also acquire part of SCS Communications’ 15,5% stake in cellphone […]