HAPPY NEW YEAR The staff of the Electronic Mail & Guardian wish all our readers a prosperous new year. ZA*NOW will be published again on January 2.
ROAD DEATHS NOW 676 The road death toll since the beginning of Christmas holidays on December 1 topped 676 by Tuesday evening, according to Drive Alive. KwaZulu-Natal recorded the most fatalities, with 119, followed by Eastern Cape with 111, Gauteng 111, Western Cape 92, Free State 71, Mpumalanga 52, North-West50 and Northern Cape 34. Of those killed, 284 were passengers in vehicles, 228 were pedestrians, and 164 were drivers.
TWINS’ SEPARATION SUCCESS Zambian siamese twins Luka and Joseph Banda were successfully separated in a marathon 24-hour operation at the GaRankuwa Hospital outside Pretoria. It is expected the 11-month old boys, who were joined at the top of their heads, will live normal lives. They are being treated in the hospital’s intensive care unit. “The twins are in a stable condition. They are progressing well. Their bodily functions are all working properly, and independently so,” said hospital representative Babe Mosuwe.