Yearly Archives: 2001

DARREN SCHUETTLER, Johannesburg | Thursday FOREIGN mining firms are assessing the security of their potentially lucrative deals in mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo, where President Laurent Kabila was reported wounded or killed this week. Veteran African miners were confident they could work with any new leader in Kinshasa, but this latest upheaval would further delay […]

THREE hooded men shot dead the head of Palestinian television at close range in the Gaza Strip as pessimism deepened over Israeli-Palestinian peace prospects. The Palestinian leadership quickly accused ”collaborators” with Israel of killing 54-year-old Hisham Mikki, an associate of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Despite the murder, Israeli and Palestinian sources said Arafat and Israel’s […]

TOM TSHIBANGU, Kinshasa | Thurssday PRESIDENT Laurent Kabila’s son, Joseph, has allegedly taken power in Democratic Republic of Congo, but amid conflicting reports, it remains unclear whether his father is dead or alive after an assassination attempt. It also remains a mystery whether Joseph Kabila is alive, after earlier reports that he was shot alongside […]

OPEC has agreed on an aggressive reduction in oil supplies, aimed at keeping crude prices afloat near $25 a barrel, and said it could slice output again soon. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cut 1.5m barrels a day to cap limits for 10 members at 25.2m from February. OPEC took the decision despite […]

RENNIES, the wholly owned travel and foreign exchange division of trading and services group Bidvest, has set up a new bank. The new entity, Rennies Bank, aims to achieve a pre-tax profit of R75m in its first full year to June 2002 and a return on equity far in excess of those of its major […]

CANADIAN-based SouthernEra Resources has named Patrick Evans, a former senior executive of Placer Dome Inc. in South Africa, as its new president and chief executive. SouthernEra is a diamond mining and exploration company and an emerging platinum group metals producer with assets mainly in Africa. – Reuters

MALI has beefed up security in the north to crack down on an armed gang holding six soldiers hostage and threatening the local population, a security ministry official said. The group is allegedly headed by Ibrahim Bahanga, a former rebel who integrated into Mali’s army but has since deserted. Bahanga’s base in Tin Essako, some […]

FELIX MPONDA, Blantyre | Wednesday A COURT in Malawi has acquitted former cabinet minister Brown Mpinganjira on what he says were trumped-up charges of corruption relating to a $2m contract scheme. After the acquittal, the courtroom burst into chants from jubilant suporters of the former education minister, who was sacked last year by President Bakili […]

LESOTHO’s youthful Queen Karabo Mohato Seeiso has assumed her duties as royal consort to constitutional monarch King Letsie III at a ceremony in the capital Maseru. Queen Karabo, who married 38-year old King Letsie in a fairy-tale wedding 11 months ago, was crowned Queen Regent at Lesotho’s Royal Palace by Chief Justice Lebona Kheola. Letsie’s […]

THE African National Congress is considering launching its own newspaper over its frustration with the political stance of existing newspapers, Business Day reports. An ANC insider told the newspaper there was a strong feeling at the partys recent planning meeting that a study should be undertaken to test the viability of a publication. The ANC […]