FARMERS in the Northern Cape province are fighting to eradicate swarms of locusts threatening maize and grape vines, an agricultural spokesman said on Tuesday. “In some places there are swarms up to 10 km long, but we have started spraying to get the situation under control,” said Hoffie Joubert, a spokesman for the Northern Cape […]

BAFANA BAFANA top the latest Fifa rankings for African football, after a good showing at the African Cup of Nations in Nigeria and Ghana. Ratings: 1 South Africa, 2 Morocco, 3 Tunisia, 4 Cameroon, 5 Egypt, 6 Zambia, 7 Cote d’Ivoire, 8 Nigeria, 9 Ghana, 10 Angola, 11 Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 Zimbabwe, 13 […]

KENYAN-born Dane Wilson Kipketer, the world 800m outdoor champion, broke his own 1000 metres indoor world record for the second time in a month on Sunday in Birmingham. Kipketer’s new record time is 2min 14,96sec. Kipketer, who holds both the indoor and outdoor 800m world records, broke Algerian Nourredine Morceli’s eight year-old mark earlier this […]

DEON POTGIETER, Johannesburg | Tuesday 9.15am. THE controversial decision which saw Hawk Makepula crowned the World Boxing Organisation junior flyweight world champion on Saturday night is one that will be debated for many years to come. Most ringsiders felt the legendary Baby Jake Matlala had once again proved his class against a top opponent. The […]

DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo president Laurent Kabila has decreed a general amnesty for rebels who have fought his regime since August 1998, Justice Minister Mwenze Kongolo announced. The amnesty was motivated by the DRC’s “need to implement a general measure of pardon with the aim of establishing a new era of peace,” according to the […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Bombay | Monday 1.10pm. HANSIE Cronje and his touring South African side will not know whether to be delighted or mortified after star Indian batsman Mohammad Azharuddin was dropped from the first Test line-up due to injury. Azharuddin’s unavailability will leave a huge gap in the Indian batting, but he will be replaced […]

Homechoice Holdings Ltd said on Monday the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has demanded R31-million in customs duty and value added tax and fines from the retail group over an alleged breach of trade rules. Homechoice said in a note to its annual results that SARS had demanded a R10-million payment and that a further […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, London | Tuesday 5.30pm ASHANTI Goldfields of Ghana said it has clinched a $100-million loan and extended an existing $270-million credit facility, resolving its cash crisis. Ashanti announced the signature of agreements covering a new $100-million debt facility to complete its Geita gold mining project in Tanzania, as well as extending a $270-million […]

GHANA on Saturday qualified for the Euro-Africa Zone three tournament when they took an unbeatable 2-0 lead over Andorra in the semi-finals of the Davis Cup Zone Four competition at the Accra Sports Stadium tennis courts. Frank Ofori beat Jean Baptiste Poux 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 while Gunther Darkey defeated Joan Jimenez 6-2, 6-4. In the […]

POLISH archeologists have found the ruins of a large Egyptian temple in Sudan dating from the New Kingdom era of 1580-1085 B.C. The ruins run for some 500 meters along the right bank of the Nile at Hudjeir Gubli, near El Arak, with walls 107 centimeters thick and fragments of columns measuring 200-250 centimeters in […]