THURSDAY, 8.30AM: The biggest surprise among the three new faces in the injury-hit Springbok team is the inclusion of the relatively inexperienced Western Province back Percy Montgomery to replace Japie Mulder at centre. Montgomery’s Province colleague Pieter Rousow comes in on the wing to fill the gap left by James Small’s injury. Northern Transvaal’s Danie […]
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 […]
THURSDAY, 5.30PM MOZAMBICAN defence chief Lieutenant-General Lagos Lidimo has promised an investigation into allegations, first published by the Mail & Guardian last week, that weapons are being smuggled to Angola’s Unita movement via the northern Mozambican port of Nacala. “We have no information of arms being shipped to Unita through the Nacala port,” Lidimo told […]
WEDNESDAY, 3.30PM ANGOLAN rebel movement Unita is preparing to launch a fresh war, according to claims made on Tuesday by a senior Unita deserter. Colonel Rafael Kasanja claimed that Unita leader Jonas Savimbi is reorganising and strengthening his forces in the north and centre of the country. Fighting has already been reported between Unita and […]