IDRIS Abdul Wakil, the former president of Tanzania’s semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, died early on Wednesday, aged 75. He was president from 1990 to 1995. The cause of death, which occurred at the Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar, was not given. Abdul Wakil was treated at Saint Thomas’ Hospital in London last September […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pretoria | Thursday 2.20pm THE South African Revenue Service confirmed on Thursday that there have been “serious problems” in tax returns for the 1998-1999 tax year. The mistake has resulted in some taxpayers being asked to repay massively inflated amounts of tax, while others received a surprise windfalls — which will have to […]
OIL prices closed steady on Monday as dealers awaited fresh signals from Opec on its policy for output when an agreement on supply curbs expires at the end of the month. London Brent futures last traded up one cent at $28,95 a barrel and US light crude was up 26 cents at $32,02. Traders want […]
NIGERIA’S first private radio company has launched a court challenge to a move by creditor banks to liquidate it because of unpaid loans. Ray Power radio and AIT television, owned by Lagos-based DAAR Communications company, have been off air for almost two weeks after their offices were sealed by liquidators acting for the consortium of […]
NAKED Austrian men appear to be more offensive to Zimbabwe’s police than the torture of journalists or the invasion of farms by thousands of squatters. Zimbabwe Independent editor Trevor Ncube said police questioned him over the publication of a news agency picture showing “a group of naked Austrians in a stampede to take advantage of […]
SARAH BULLEN, Cape Town | Thursday 5.15pm. THE Johannesburg Stock Exchange benefited from a swing in demand from tech stock to ‘old economy’ stock on Wall Street on Wednesday as investors moved back into resources. New York’s tech-heavy Nasqaq took a tumble on Wednesday as buyers moved across to the broader Dow Jones industrial average. […]
THE justice ministers of South Africa and Hungary have signed a memorandum of understanding to co-operate on legal matters. Penuell Maduna and his visiting Hungarian counterpart Ibolya David, who arrived in South Africa on Tuesday, signed the agreement after bilateral talks in Cape Town. The agreement includes the exchange of legal information and experience. The […]
FASION retail group Foschini said on Monday that it has bought sporting apparel retailer Totalsports for R75-million. It said in the statement that the acquisition of Totalsports from Moresport Holdings will strengthen its position in the sporting apparel market. Foschini said that the R75-millon price tag represents net assets of about R56-million with the balance […]
BOTSWANA’S diamond giant, Debswana, increased its revenue to a record $1,96-billion from $1,28-billion in 1998. MD Louis Nchindosaid that gross profits for 1999 rose mainly because of an increase in the amount of carats sold. The company said that the continued strength of the American retail market, some renewed confidence in the south-east Asian markets, […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Welkom | Thursday 1.30pm. ITALY’S Max Biaggi is confident of repeating his success in the South African Grand Prix when the race opens the 2000 world motorcycling championship on Sunday. Biaggi led from start to finish in last year’s 500cc race at the Phakisa Freeway circuit and says he is happy to be […]