WESTERN Cape political leaders on Wednesday signed a peace pledge committing their parties to a path of non-violence ahead of the general elections scheduled for May. This comes after five political leaders — four members of the United Democratic Movement and an African National Congress councillor — were murdered last week in Nyanga and KTC […]
SOUTH Africa donated R940000 to the United Nations Development Programme on Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday. It said the money will be used to help cover the programme’s operational costs in South Africa. Acting Foreign Affairs Director-General Abdul Minty presented a cheque to the programme’s resident representative David Whaley as South […]
THE Independent Electoral Commission announced on Wednesday that three provincial legislatures will be smaller after the general election. It said that the Gauteng legislature will lose 13 seats, bringing it down to 73 members, the Western Cape three seats and North-West legislature one. The number of seats in the National Assembly will remain at 400. […]
SPRINGBOK flyhalf Franco Smith was the high-profile victim as Northern Bulls coach Eugene van Wyk took the drastic measure of axing four players for Saturday’s Super 12 showdown against the New South Wales Waratahs. Clearly fed-up with his under-achieving team who lost their three opening matches against the Stormers (42-19), Otago Highlanders (65-23) and the […]
JUDGE Willem Heath’s anti-corruption unit has issued a subpoena to Absa for documents regarding the R1,1-billion Reserve Bank lifeboat to the Bankorp Group. Heath is probing the rescue package, and needs Absa’s documentation to complete its investigation. Gerhard Visagie, senior legal representative of the Heath unit, said Absa has not responded to the subpoena, but […]
NIGERIA’S Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. on Wednesday confirmed that it has signed a multi-million dollar contract with four western oil groups to build a third liquefied natural gas train. The company said the four companies concerned are Technip of France, Snamprogetti of Italy, MW Kellogg of the United States and Japan Gasoline Corp. It did […]
AUSTRIAN journalist Peter Cvetko was shot dead after his car broke down in Houghton Drive, Johannesburg on Wednesday morning. Cvetko (39) was a temporary resident in South Africa. Police spokesperson Inspector Mark Reynolds said he was on his way home from visiting friends in Hillbrow when the car broke down. He called the Automobile Association […]
FREE STATE African National Congress chairman Pat Matosa has lost his High Court appeal against a 1997 conviction for attempted murder, and is likely to serve a five-and-a-half year sentence. Matosa plans yet another appeal however. The Court’s decision threatens Matosa’s political career — the Constitution prohibits anyone sentenced to more than a year in […]
A TRADITIONAL Nigerian rainmaker was killed by lightning this week as he climbed on to a building and attempted to divert a storm. The man, known as Rasaq, was employed by a family in Abeokuta, south-western Nigeria, to hold off the rain threatening a burial wake. Wearing only a pair of red shorts, Rasaq had […]
PRESIDENT Nelson Mandela will address a rally in Tripoli on Friday after meeting Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi about the Lockerbie case. His spokesperson Parks Mankahlana said on Thursday that Mandela has been given an exemption from the United Nations to fly directly to the Tripoli despite an air embargo. Mandela leaves Stockholm for Libya late […]