Two of the best-known anecdotes about Wilton Mkwayi, the African National Congress leader who died last weekend, underscore his virtual invisibility outside the movement he served so single-mindedly for 60 years. Although little-known outside ANC ranks, "Bri-bri" stands alongside Mandela, Sisulu and Tambo in the ANC pantheon.
As South Africa prepares to get under the covers with Equatorial Guinea, the extent of corruption in that oil-rich Central African state has been highlighted in a scandal involving an influential Washington bank. Minister of Foreign Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma announced recently that South Africa would soon be opening an embassy in Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.
<li><a class=’standardtextsmall’ href="http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=119530">Senate exposes depth of corruption</a>
The Free State premier is set to promote the man who helped her into the top spot — and then deploy him as her henchman against African National Congress rivals in the province. Last week Beatrice Marshoff announced the formation of a new policy coordination unit in her office that will oversee the work of all departments. The man who is likely to head it is Noby Ngombane.
Bulelani Ngcuka’s bid for a swift release from the post of National Director of Public Prosecutions has been a shock to some, but the move was a long time coming. The <i>M&G</i> reported in September that he had been on the point of leaving earlier last year, but had been persuaded by President Thabo Mbeki to stay on. We unpack the whys and the wherefores.
For almost a decade, as Murray Walker indulged his dangerous liaisons with English idiom, Martin Brundle was the forgotten man of the ITV formula one commentary box. The eternal butler to the devilish seducer of mixed metaphors, the former racer swept up the split infinitives and polished the spoonerisms as Walker plunged ever deeper into linguistic notoriety and the hearts of his audience.
Roman Abramovich’s transfer spending since he bought the Stamford Bridge club just more than a year ago now exceeds £200-million. But there are still a few decent players for Europe’s footballing money men to chase. Get the lowdown on Fernando Torres, Pablo, David Trezeguet and the rest of the bunch.
Organisers of the Athens Olympics admitted on Thursday that fewer than half of the 5,3-million tickets for the event have been sold, raising the prospect that athletes will perform before sparsely filled stadiums. At this stage, ticket sales for the Sydney games had surpassed 75%.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard fuelled diplomatic tensions with Greece on Friday by again warning of the possibility of a terrorist attack at the Athens Olympics that start on August 13. Howard appealed to the Greek government and the Greek ambassador to Australia not to take offence at his comments.
Organisers of the Athens Olympics admitted on Thursday that fewer than half of the 5,3-million tickets for the event have been sold, raising the prospect that athletes will perform before sparsely filled stadiums. At this stage, ticket sales for the Sydney games had surpassed 75%.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has ordered a replay of the Confederation Cup match between Orlando Pirates and Sable de Batie of Cameroon. This comes after the referees had declared a walkover in favour of Sable, but a CAF emergency committee on Thursday ordered a replay on August 15.