AN 18-year-old matric pupil died in a bizarre accident in KwaZulu-Natal when he fell asleep under a school bus and it drove over his head. The pupil was on a school trip from Ntshisekelo High School in Inanda to the Newcastle Farmers’ Hall. KwaZulu-Natal road traffic inspectorate spokesman Vijen Murugan said the accident happened when […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT and REUTERS, Johannesburg | Tuesday SOUTH Africa, the world’s biggest gold producing country for the past century, faces the prospect of losing its No 1 status by the end of the decade – and a new report suggests that only two of the country’s ageing gold mines will survive beyond 2025. The Department […]

THE man arrested two months ago for allegedly having sex with his sister for 16 years and producing two children has been granted bail. Robert Jan Fedder, 40, was released on R600 bail in the Delmas Magistrate’s Court. He has been in custody since he, his sister and parents were arrested on July 26 after […]

MALAYSIA Mining Corp Bhd (MMC), caught in the middle of the fight for Australia’s Ashton Mining, expects world diamond king De Beers to raise its bid for the Australian diamond miner by next week. De Beers’ bid could go as high as A$2.50 per share. De Beers’ is locked in a battle with mining giant […]

THE NIGERIAN lower house of parliament has launched a full scale investigation into a steel project which has gulped about $4.67bn but has failed to get off the ground. In a recent report, the World Bank recommended the scrapping of the Ajaokuta Steel Project for its non-viability. The construction of Africa’s biggest steel project commenced […]

THE National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the the world’s biggest platinum producer, Anglo-American Platinum Corporation (Amplats), are engaged in a war of words over how effective NUM’s current strike is. NUM says more than half of Amplats’ staff has joined the strike, but Amplats claims mining production is only marginally affected. NUM said between […]

THE Swiss National Bank (SNB) has confirmed that it intends to sell 200 more tonnes of gold by the end of September 2001 as it continues its programme of divesting excess gold reserves. The sales are part of coordinated transactions by 15 European central banks under an agreement struck a year ago. The SNB has […]

NAMIBIA has invited bids for the country’s second mobile phone license but said applicants should have a majority Namibian shareholding. The Namibian government in May ended a monopoly held by Mobile Telecommunications (MTC), opening the door for other cellular providers to tap the more than N$100m market. MTC, which has provided cellular services since 1995, […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Pietermaritzburg | Tuesday FARMERS in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands face financial ruin if government officials go ahead with a plan to slaughter all livestock in a bid to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease which threatens to devastate the South African agricultural industry. The prospect of a pre-emptive slaughtering campaign – and resulting […]