ANDREW MUCHINERIPI, Pretoria | Wednesday 4.30pm. SUNDOWNS moved six points clear of Kaizer Chiefs at the top of the Castle Premiership standings on Tuesday night with an unimpressive 2-1 victory over mid-table Free State Stars at Loftus Versfeld. Bennett Mnguni was the unlikely hero, slamming a quickly-taken free kick by Roger Feutmba past goalkeeper Mathew […]

AT least 20 people have died in clashes between Christians and Muslims that continued overnight in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna. The unrest began early on Monday during a protest by tens of thousands of Christians against demands for the imposition of Islamic Sharia law in the city. Nigeria’s northern Niger State on Monday […]

SHARES in Spicer Holdings tumbled at the start of trade on Tuesday after the technology company said that its shaky merger talks with the IQ Business Group had finally been called off. Spicer’s shares lost 22,64% or 12 cents to 41 cents in brisk early trade of nearly half a million shares, in the wake […]

BRITISH aero-engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce said on Tuesday that state arms manufacturer Denel is to become the sole supplier of the Rolls-Royce Tay engine gearbox. The agreement is aimed at strengthening SA’s manufacturing industry under the R21,3-billion defence package approved the government last year. Under the agreement, Denel Aviation, a division of Denel, becomes the sole […]

SHARES in gambling and hotel group Sun International (South Africa) (Sisa) tumbled on Tuesday as the market reacted negatively to expected, poor interim results and a gloomy earnings outlook for the full year. The share was down almost 5% after the company said late on Monday that its interim earnings per share before exceptionals had […]

SARAH BULLEN, Cape Town | Wednesday 9.00am POPULAR Finance Minister Trevor Manuel is sitting on a tight ship. His ministry has reached its stated objectives in building economic policy credibility, it has enforced strict fiscal discipline, reigned in government spending to under 27% of GDP from nearly 29%, brought the Budget deficit to 2,6% of […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Wednesday 2.30pm SMOKERS and drinkers are going to be paying more on most alcohol and tobacco products and the increases are effective immediately, Finance Minister Manuel announced in his Budget. From today, smokers will pay 38 cents more on a packet of 20 cigarettes while drinkers will be charged two […]

THE truckers strike by the Transport and General Workers’ Union came to an end on Tuesday afternoon when union representives signed an agreement with officials of the Road Freight Employers’ Association. Management and the unions agreed on a 7,1% raise on the average, and one-and-a-half times normal pay for overtime — in line with the […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Abuja | Wednesday 3.30pm. NIGERIAN parliamentarians on Wednesday urged President Olusegun Obasanjo to end the religious riots over the strict Islamic Sharia code in the northern city of Kaduna, which have left at least 100 dead this week. “The (federal) government should step in as a matter of urgency to assist the Kaduna […]

NEW York palladium prices streaked to a fresh high over $800 an ounce in a record one-day gain on Tuesday, the rally snowballing as speculators increasingly displace stockpiled automakers as the main source of demand, analysts said. Panic over shortages has arisen because top-producer, Russia, has not shipped enough metal to supply to the West’s […]