GRANT SHIMMIN, Pietersburg | Thursday 6.00pm. THE overwhelmingly youthful appearance of the field at the R125000 Pietersburg Classic didn’t stop two veritable veterans of the Vodacom Southern Africa Tour from stamping their authority on the first round. Dean van Staden and Justin Hobday both turned professional on New Year’s Day in 1985, when some of […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Thursday 10.30am. THE government was mulling the use of a controversial method to force down the price of drugs, such as Aids treatments, by letting non-patent holders produce medicines cheaper locally, a senior official indicated. The director general of health, Ayanda Ntsaluba said officials had held “exploratory” talks with their […]
STEPHANE ORJOLLETT, Freetown | Thursday 10.00am. THE United Nations said it was preparing for a “pitched battle” to defend Freetown on Wednesday as more civilians thronged into Sierra Leone’s capital from rural areas in fear of rebel attacks. For the third day running, people fearing a return to civil war fled to the capital, the […]
STEVEN MANN, Cape Town | Wednesday 7.30pm. EIGHTEEN months after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended that R3-billion be distributed to some 20000 victims of apartheid, the government appears no closer to finalising its reparations policy. “We are committed to honoring our commitments,” President Thabo Mbeki said on Wednesday but shed little new light on […]
THE National Olympic Commission of South Africa on Wednesday named South Africa’s Olympic track and field team for the Sydney showcase in September. Josia Thugwane has been included in the team and aims to defend the marathon title he won in Atlanta 1996. The runner has personal reasons for winning the tile again, as his […]
OWN CORRESPONDENT, London | Thursday 2.45pm. FIFA vice-president David Will predicted on Thursday that England’s “flawless” bid will win the right to stage the 2006 World Cup. The Scottish lawyer is the sole British representative on the 24-man executive committee which will decide who hosts the prestigious tournament at a two-day meeting in Zurich at […]
ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Pretoria | Thursday 10.00am A 2-0 victory for Sundowns over African Wanderers in a Castle Premiership match at Loftus Stadium moved the former closer to the title and the latter closer to relegation. Goals by captain Daniel Mudau and French-born Alain Amougou secured maximum points for the defending champions against opponents who have […]
A UNITED NATIONS special envoy on Wednesday pleaded with Ethiopia and Eritrea to end their “senseless” war, saying new fighting would lead to carnage on the battlefield and exacerbate a famine in both countries. Richard Holbrooke, the US ambassador to the UN who is heading a seven-member team from the world body’s Security Council, said […]
MIRIAM ISA, Johannesburg | Thursday 5.00pm. THE rand has manged to hold onto its gains on Thursday — trading at R6,97 to the dollar at 4.30pm. Dealers said that it could strengthen to the R6,88 level over the next day or two if it manages to hold its present level and if there is no […]
SOUTH African companies have emerged as leading contenders for controlling stakes in two Nigerian firms in a move analysts said underlined the growing economic ties between Africa’s two dominant countries. The Nigerian privatisation agency said that South Africa’s Addax Holdings SA had offered 1,3 billion naira 30%, of oil marketing company Unipetrol The Bureau of […]