IN BRIEF SA’S FIRST INTERACTIVE NOVEL
ACCLAIMED South African author Jann Turner made literary history in South Africa when she launched the first local interactive Internet novel on Thursday. Turner — author of Heartland– will write the opening scene of a romance called Take Mine Valentine, and visitors will be asked to continue the book, each adding another 350 words until the novel ends on Valentine’s Day on February 14. “This proved harder than writing a novel. I’ll be visiting the site regularly to see what becomes of the characters, and I hope my fellow authors have fun,” Turner said.
CHEETAHS ARTIFICIALLY INSEMINATED
THREE cheetahs were artificially inseminated in a breeding centre near Potgietersrus in Northern Province on Thursday. If the cubs are carried to the full term of 93 days, it will be Africa’s first successful artificial insemination of cheetahs. Five female cheetahs, including four king cheetah, were picked for the procedure but only three were ovulating on Thursday, National Zoological Gardens chief veterinarian Ian Espie said. The procedure was performed by staff of the institute and Professor Woody Meltzer of the Price Forbes Chair in Wildlife at Onderstepoort.
TOURIST FALLS TO DEATH
A PAIR of Scottish twins’ African holiday ended in tragedy when one brother fell to his death on Table Mountain on Thursday. Police spokesman Captain Mark Romburgh said Mark Rice of Edinburgh was attempting to abseil down the mountain after reaching the summit of Vlaeberg slopes between Signal Hill and Lion’s Head when he slipped, falling 15m to his death. Twin rother Gavin rushed for help but Metro Rescue workers arrived to find Mark already dead.
CAPE TOWN IS TOURIST MECCA
CAPE TOWN is attracting tourists in droves, with a 28% increase in international arrivals at Cape Town International airport last year, the Western Cape government said on Friday. Travel and tourism contributed R7,7-billion to the region’s gross geographical product, coomprising between 6% and 8% of the Western Cape economy. A further growth of between 15% and 20% is expected this year, with a great deal of the success ascribed to the marketing efforts of the Western Cape Tourism Board and Satour.
KENYA UNIVERSITY CLOSED
A STUDENT riot protesting the death of a colleague killed in politically motivated violence prompted the closure of Kenyatta University on Friday. Vice-chancellor George Eshiwani ordered some 8 000 students off the campus because of “anti-social acts” and “threats”. Sources claim these were directed at members of President Daniel arap Moi’s Kalenjin tribe. On Thursday, thousands of university students blocked a major highway to protest the killing of a student on a visit to a town where politically motivated violence has resulted in the deaths of at least 100 people.
‘GORILLA MAN’ IN COURT
ALLEGED rapist and the man accused of shooting Max the gorilla at the Johannesburg Zoo last year, Isaac Mofokeng, appeared before the Johannesburg Regional Court on 11 counts on Thursday. “I did not realise there were so many charges,” Mofekeng said, changing his original decision to defend himself by requesting legal assistance. He was not asked to plead and the case was postponed to April 21. Charges against Mofekeng include escaping from custody, two counts of kidnapping, the rape of an 18-year-old Parkview girl, as well as malicious damage to property in the form of Max the gorilla.
RAIN THREATENS ZIM ROUTE
HEAVY rains in Mozambique are threatening to cut off roads from the port of Beira to landlocked Zimbabwe, officials said on Thursday. More than a kilometre of the route, along which 15% of Zimbabwe’s total exports are carried, is already under water, Mozambican newspaper, Noticias reported. The water is not yet deep enough to prevent the passage of trucks.
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Meanwhile, a flash flood on the Puyngwe River has left five people dead and 1 700 homeless as houses and buildings were swept away in the waters on Thursday. Most damage was sustained in the Inhamatanda district in Sofala province, while entire neighbourhoods in Beira have been flooded.