South Africa’s trade deficit narrowed to R5,03-billion in March from February’s figure of R5,8-billion, the South African Revenue Service (Sars) said on Wednesday. ”March exports of R51,15-billion and imports of R56,18-billion resulted in a deficit of R5,03-billion,” Sars said.
Social Development Minister Zola Skweyiya was not in contempt of court and was respecting a high court ruling for social grants to be given to applicants with alternative forms of identification, his department said on Wednesday. The Department of Social Development said Skweyiya was in the process of implementing the court’s decision.
Zimbabwe has decided to float its local currency on foreign-exchange markets in an attempt to eliminate speculation on the black market, the governor of the central bank said Wednesday. The official exchange rate in Zimbabwe has been kept at Z$30Â 000 for US$1 since September 2007.
A tribunal rejected fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar’s appeal on Wednesday against the five-year ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Justice Aftab Farrukh, head of the three-member tribunal, told reporters the suspension would remain in place under an interim order until a new hearing was held in June.
Not too long ago the idea of a huge four-wheel-drive wagon with a three-litre diesel engine galloping up to 100km/h in just seven seconds would have been laughable.
The Zimbabwe government savoured a rare diplomatic victory on Wednesday after the United Nations Security Council failed to agree on how to respond to the country’s post-election crisis. Western countries such as former colonial power Britain had been trying to steer the council to adopt a common strategy on the situation in Zimbabwe.
Mauritanian security forces recaptured five suspected al-Qaeda militants on Wednesday, including a fugitive accused of killing four French tourists, officials said. The December 24 killing of the French tourists and a shooting attack against the Israeli embassy in Mauritania’s capital, Nouakchott, in February raised fears of a rise in Islamic violence.
Cresslawn in Kempton Park was still without power on Wednesday but the municipality said it would restore electricity to the area by late afternoon or early evening. The entire East Rand suburb was plunged into darkness last Tuesday after a fire at a local substation.
One of the three mine workers injured during a ground fall at Driefontein mine on Tuesday has died, bringing the death toll from recent mining accidents on the West Rand to five, a Gold Fields spokesperson said on Wednesday. Andrew Davidson said the worker had been taken to a hospital in Carletonville to be stabilised, and was then transferred to the Krugersdorp Hospital, but later died.
Travel agent Flight Centre said it was ”blindsided” by the sudden closure of Nationwide Airlines and had gone into a crisis meeting to decide how to deal with the matter, with no information forthcoming from the airline, a spokesperson said. ”We were absolutely blindsided, we were completely unaware,” said Amanda Hardy.