ANOTHER RWANDA MASSACRE
HUTU Interahamwe militiamen killed close to 40 Tutsi refugees in a Rwandan camp on Tuesday, setting alight tents and trapping many people in the the flames. Rwandan officials said on Wednesday that rescuers were still combing through wreckage and did not yet have a final death toll.
The attackers, believed to be Hutus who were recently sent home from exile in the former Zaire, attacked with rifles, machetes and clubs, and disappeared back into the nearby Gishwati jungle before government soldiers arrived.
KRUGER TO STOP BOVINE DISEASE A 2,8m high electric fence is to be erected on the western border of the Kruger National Park this month, to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis. Park officials announced on Wednesday the fences are there to ensure the safety of domestic animals on neigbouring farms. The R7-million fencing project has been sponsored by the animal health directorate of the northern province.
MUSICIANS MARCH ON PIRACY
SOME 400 striking musicians astonished tourists when they marched on Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday, demanding an inquiry into the South African music industry. They handed a memorandum to the director-general of Arts and Culture, Roger Jardine, claiming the industry is rife with piracy, mismanagement of funds, miscalculation of royalties and unfair employment contracts.
MANDELA IN LIBYA
NELSON MANDELA is to visit Libya next week, on his way to the Commonwealth summit in Scotland. Mandela will attempt to mediate in the dispute between Libya and the UK over the Lockerbie bombing affair, possibly taking the compromise OAU line that two Libyans wanted for bombing a passenger jet be tried in a neutral country.
TWINS DOING WELL
SIAMESE twin babies Monde and Nomonde Mokoena remained in a stable condition in an intensive care ward on Wednesday, despite temperatures. The girls, joined from breastbone to lower abdomen, with fused livers and genitalia, and shared a bladder, bowels and anus, were separated in a ten hour operation at Baragwanath Hospital on Monday.
JO’BURG GETS R585m LOAN
THE Development Bank has loaned the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council R585 million to take it out of its financial crisis, on the grounds of the city’s “strategic importance in a national and provincial context”. The loan is to be used only for physical infrastructure projects such as roads, electricity and sanitation, and is subject to conditions including “built in milestones” to ensure that it is spent correctly. The Democratic Party called for “heads to roll” in the metro council over its “gross financial mismanagement”.
NO BAIL FOR MANDELA’S GRANDSON
NELSON MANDELA’S grandson, Ntsika Dhlamini, was refused bail for his appeal against a 20 month sentence for theft and fraud. Dhlamini was found guilty of stealing money from unit trust investors while he was employed by an investment bank.
STILFONTEIN RESCUE ENDS
The body of the last trapped Stilfontein miner was found on Wednesday, in a section of the shaft 2km underground and too dangerous to reach. Six miners were killed and 41 injured by a rockfall at the Hartebeestfontein mine on Saturday, caused by a tremor. The last three bodies were only discovered on Tuesday and Wednesday. Names will only be released when families of the deceased have been informed.
CLOSED DOOR DEFENCE TALKS
PARLIAMENT’S defence committee has spent two days in closed door meetings with military officials on matters ‘too sensitive” for public airing. Tuesday’s hearings dealt with proposed budget cuts and staff retrenchments, and Wednesday’s hearings dealt with restructuring in military intelligence.
DOCTOR QUOTAS MOOTED
The health department looks set for another dispute with the medical profession, following the announcement that a committee will consider licensing doctors by area. The system, used in the UK, Germany and Denmark, registers private doctors by area on a first-come, first-served basis. The system is said to ensure a more equitable spread of doctors across the country, particularly in poorly-serviced rural areas.