DAVID LE PAGE, Johannesburg | Sunday
THE Sunday Times is leading with a story on a new book by Pick ‘n Pay tycoon Raymond Ackerman — which blames Sam Ramsamy of the National Olympic Committee of South Africa (Nocsa) for losing South Africa’s bid to hold the Olympics in Cape Town in 2004.
The paper’s business section also holds an analysis of the insider trading incident which led to Datatec directors’ paying a settlement fine of R1-million this week to the Financial Services Board – without admission of guilt. Datatec directors argue that since the information leaked to analyst Chris Veegh in April 2000 led to a decline in the company’s share price, they could not have profited from that leak. The article doesn’t consider the possibility that they could have shorted their own shares …
After weeks of speculation and stories in Swazi newspapers which have led to their repeated banning, the woman at the centre of the Swazi royal poisoning scandal, Queen Sibonelo Mngomezulu, spoke to the Sunday Times, saying she feels she is the victim of a conspiracy.
The Saturday Star led yesterday with a story on how the number of Aids deaths is leading to over-crowding in cemeteries.
Independent Online is bemoaning the Saturday crucifixion of the Natal Sharks by the ACT Brumbies, winning the Super 12 rugby series. The Brumbies are the first non-New Zealand team to win the series.
It also recounts how million of rands from taxpayers have been lost in an abortive attempt in KwaZulu-Natal to recapitalise the province’s taxi industry; reports on how former cricketing hero Kepler Wessels believes the dagga-smoking SA cricketers should be punished, and on the possibility Cape Town will hang onto parliament after all.